“Downtown San Francisco matters to our city’s future, and it’s struggling — to bring people back, we need to make big changes and have open minds,” Wiener said.

Critics allege CEQA is cited too broadly by special interest groups to kneecap new developments, sometimes creating insurmountable barriers to new housing.

The legislation is backed by Mayor London Breed, who said the city must look for new ways to activate its deserted downtown corridors.

“San Francisco thrives when downtown thrives, but the reality is that we need to evolve beyond the traditional 9 to 5 neighborhood it has been for decades,” Breed said.