A democratic socialist victory: Affordable housing on Divisadero St

Vindicating the work of democratic socialists who taxed the rich to fund social housing, permits have now been filed to build more than 100 affordable homes at 650 Divisadero. I’m proud to have authored Prop. I, the tax on billionaires that made 650 Divisadero possible. With this funding, we have a large, steady stream of cash that can be leveraged to scale up social housing in San Francisco. 

Here’s the background on 650 Divisadero, most of which you won’t find in media coverage or press releases.

The site should have been a prime opportunity for a developer to build. The project was fully “entitled” (all approvals secured) for years. No environmental appeals or permit appeals were filed. The developer had the unfettered right to “build baby build.” But even with upzoning and fully approved plans, this privately owned site sat undeveloped.