Legislation Advances to Combat Downtown San Francisco Vacancies

The San Francisco Planning Commission has unanimously approved a package of legislation to help fill vacant space in the Downtown and Union Square areas The legislation now moves to the Board of Supervisors. 

The package amends the city’s Planning and Building Codes to simplify the approval process and requirements for converting existing office buildings into housing. It also removes restrictions to allow for a greater variety of businesses and activities in Union Square and throughout Downtown.   

“We can create more opportunities to fill our empty buildings, whether that’s to create housing or making it easier to fill office and retail space,” said Mayor London Breed. “These changes shouldn’t be something that requires granting exceptions through lengthy paperwork and exhaustive public hearings. We need to make the process easier for getting our buildings active and full.” 

The city’s office vacancy rate has reached 29%, the San Francisco Business Times reported.