Residents Angry Over Boxy New Apartments : San Francisco Halts Razing of Homes

SAN FRANCISCO —  City officials, disturbed by “anarchy in the neighborhoods,” temporarily banned demolition of all single-family homes, including some picturesque Victorians, effective Tuesday.

The Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted the five-month moratorium despite claims it will cost construction jobs and new homes in a city known for scarce and expensive housing.

“Though it’s not exactly what we’re looking for, it’s a milestone in the city’s history,” said Dinah Verby, vice president of the Richmond Community Assn., on Tuesday. Her organization is one of several groups that sought a year-long ban.

The Residential Builders Assn., which fought the proposal along with construction unions, was pleased the moratorium will not last an entire year.

Guidelines in Development

Opponents also were happy the ban may even be shortened by new guidelines for tearing down houses and replacing them with apartments and condominiums.

“(But) we need a pause, to bring all the parties together to develop rational, sound guidelines,” said Lois Miyashiro, president of the Richmond Residents Council, which represents the waterfront neighborhood just west of downtown.

“Right now, it’s anarchy in the neighborhoods,” Miyashiro said.

The measure, which passed on Monday, is the latest development in an emotional debate over the need for affordable housing and a healthy construction industry and the desire of the city’s residents to maintain the flavor of their neighborhoods.

Last year, nearly 200 houses, most decades old, were torn down in San Francisco. In most cases, the buildings designed for one family were replaced by “boxy structures” with several apartments or condominiums, said Cindy Myers, aide to Supervisor Richard Hongisto, author of the measure.

“They’re really not aesthetically pleasing, and they’re completely out of character with the rest of the neighborhood,” Myers said.

Congestion Cited

Moratorium supporters also argued that the new construction was making the neighborhoods more congested.

“Obviously, when you have three times as many people in the same space that you once did and you don’t add to the parking or transit or the infrastructure, you’re taxing resources in the city,” Verby said.

However, builders and construction workers said a moratorium would prevent new housing from being built and drive up costs in areas where an average house can easily cost $250,000 and a one-bedroom apartment rents for $700 a month.

Ban supporters countered that the opponents did not show any statistics to back up the claim.

“I find it hard to believe that housing built today can be less expensive than older buildings,” said Supervisor Harry Britt, who handled the legislation after Hongisto withdrew because of a conflict of interest.

Plan Meetings Scheduled

The moratorium, which extends and expands an earlier four-month ban, also applies to duplexes in some areas. It allows demolition of homes for health or safety reasons.

During the next few weeks, city supervisors plan to meet with builders’ and construction groups and the neighborhood associations to discuss a permanent plan to control demolitions.

Instead of an outright ban, a new policy probably would tighten and step up enforcement of demolition and alteration permits, set guidelines for “acceptable” buildings in certain neighborhoods and give people more say in what their neighborhoods should look like, Britt said.