Please Permit Us to End Onerous Housing Permit Review

With the Legislative session briskly underway, the Bay Area Council is excited that our priority housing streamlining bill (AB 1114) by Assemblymember Matt Haney (San Francisco) this week unanimously passed its first committee. Sponsored by the Bay Area Council and the Housing Action Coalition, AB 1114 would end an onerous and time-consuming San Francisco-only process requiring individual approval for a litany of permits tied to new housing, everything from utility and sewer connections to seismic and design review.

The legislation would remove permit approval from a political discretionary process to one overseen by professional code reviewers and engineers following accepted standards. A recent commentary in the San Francisco Chronicle found that no fewer than 87 permits are required for a new housing project. Each permit review can subject a project to delays, lawsuits and thousands of dollars and more in additional costs. To engage in the Council’s housing policy work, please contact Vice President Louis Mirante.