Supervisors Safai and Melgar announce legislation to reform Site Permit processes and reduce delays for housing constructions

(SAN FRANCISCO) Supervisor Ahsha Safaí announced legislation to co-sponsor with Supervisor Myrna Melgar in order to reform the Site Permit application process which would take up to an average of 627 days to issue a permit for a housing project.

The proposed legislation is being drafted and the details have not been released yet. "The proposed ordinance would make Site Permit processes more predictable, require simultaneous review of all site permits, and reduce bureaucratic delay by simplifying the review process," Safai stated.

In the meantime, Mayor London Breed and City Administrator Carmen Chu announced an effort to improve San Francisco’s Site Permit approval process. The change will require legislation which is currently being drafted and will be introduced in April. The reform is part of the Mayor’s Housing for All initiative, which sets the goals and policies to allow for 82,000 new homes to be built over the next 8 years, according to Breed’s statement.

Site Permit is a permit required for any larger housing projects, including small business improvements, home expansion, or small and mid-sized housing projects. Safai said all these Site Permit applications might take up to 18 months to be issued.

Site Permit applications are first reviewed by the Department of Building Inspection, then reviewed by the Planning Department, Fire Department and other departments.

“In order for San Francisco to recover, we need to make it easier to open a business, fix your home, and build 82,000 new units as required by our Housing Element.” said Safai. “We have been speaking with small business leaders, design professionals, homeowners and home builders who have all asked for the City to fix the site permit process.

The City's new Permit Center is located on the second floor at 49 South Van Ness Avenue. It provides a centralized place for permit applications. But members of the business and construction communities are still very disappointed to see the long wait time at the center.

Many construction contractors were frustrated at the service offered by the Permit Center. "It always takes two to three hours for me to wait for my turn. It has been a time waste for me and many contractors," said Mr. Wong, a Chinese American contractors on home and business remodel projects in San Francisco.

Another construction contractor, who has been in the business for 40 years and didn't want his name to be released, shared his experience. "I have seen more delays of handling the construction permit applications in the Planning Department compared to the Department of Building Inspection. The Planning Department also charges quite high," he said to support the reform legislation.