San Francisco Bay Area NIMBYs Push Back

Bay Area NIMBYs are fighting back against high-density housing in their neighborhoods. In San Francisco, neighbors are saying “no” to 150 units for low-income seniors in the affluent neighborhood of Forest Hill. Residents say the five-story, 132k SF development is too high and too dense, reports the San Francisco Chronicle.

The project by Christian Church Homes of Northern California was proposed for 250 Laguna Blvd, the site of the Forest Hill Christian Church. While some residents said they aren’t opposed to a project supporting low-income seniors, of which 20% to 30% would be formerly homeless, others have expressed concerns about safety and the development changing the overall feel of the neighborhood.

The original design looks like a “Russian gulag,” Forest Hill Association Board of Directors president Mark Watts says.

In the East Bay, criticism from NIMBYs is dictating the future of a proposed high-density housing project in Fremont from Carmel Partners. The project (which originally called for 882 units) was cut down again earlier this month, this time from 670 units to 630 units, according to the San Francisco Business Times. Locals said the previous four-story plan was too high and didn’t fit within the area.

The 13.7-acre site is near the Fremont BART station and is considered one of the city’s biggest opportunities to create a significant transit-oriented development. The now-smaller project contains the minimum 50.1 units per acre to still fall under the city's requirements for a transit-oriented development.

Carmel Partners also is required to pay $10M toward affordable housing.

Some residents don't agree. A growing movement of YIMBYs has emerged to promote more housing throughout the region. [SFC]