Rezoning to be San Francisco mayor’s first housing test

Matt Boschetto, a former District 7 supervisor candidate and Lurie supporter, said residents in the west side are “holding their breath” to see how the mayor approaches the rezoning matter.

“I think he’s going to be in a very precarious place to make a decision,” he said. “If he continues on the same trajectory as London Breed, it is going to upset a lot of people.”

Development skeptics are organizing ahead of the rezoning, calling on officials to focus on affordable housing and preserving tenant protections. In a February letter to city officials, the Council of Community Housing Organizations and others called for any rezoning to allow for  100% affordable housing projects. 

“We can have better neighborhoods with our same neighbors,” Amalia Macias-Laventure, a member of the San Francisco Anti-Displacement Coalition, said during a Thursday press conference. 

Lori Brooke, who leads the neighborhood preservationist group United Neighborhoods SF, said the mayor will be challenged as he balances the wants and needs of his voter base.

“During a campaign, it’s easy to discuss housing in broad, high-level terms,” she said. “But when the rubber meets the road, decisions must be made, ones that prioritize residents and small businesses from displacement.”