San Francisco Business Times: Mayor Farrell picks up the housing baton, 650 Cal fills up, homes to replace KFC, and more in this week’s real estate digest

S.F. Mayor vows to speed up housing construction

San Francisco Mayor Mark Farrell plans to carry on his predecessor’s push to make it easier to build housing in the city. Former Mayor Ed Lee – who died suddenly in December – had previously issued an executive directive to streamline city functions such as issuing building permits and reducing public meetings to win approval for a project. Farrell submitted legislation this week to build on that policy. “We cannot let red tape and bureaucracy prevent us from helping our families and residents,” Mayor Farrell said in a statement. “With this legislation, we are ensuring that mine and Mayor Lee’s shared vision of more housing for everyone becomes a reality.” The proposed plan would cut down on the amount of time city staff has to spend on new projects, reduce multiple city hearings for proposals and eliminate public hearings altogether for housing developments that are 100 percent dedicated for low-income residents. Projects will still be vetted and reviewed by the Planning Commission, but the number of public meetings will go down significantly.