A roundup of news and multimedia from the Unfamiliar Terrain team:
San Francisco
Why Mission Bay is recovering faster than anywhere else in San Francisco (SF Standard): The redeveloped neighborhood is booming ahead of its showcase at next month’s NBA All-Star Game.
Lurie asks of Candlestick Point: ‘How can we go faster?’ (SF Business Times): The City is pacing tens of thousands of units short of its housing target, and Mayor Daniel Lurie says he is focused on faster permitting and other moves to help developers speed up their projects. Candlestick Point is his first big test.
North Beach as a Historic District? Not Yet, SF Mayor Lurie Says (KQED): Mayor Daniel Lurie is asking a state commission to delay a hearing on whether to designate North Beach as a historic district after pushback from housing advocates.
This major S.F. street is filled with vacant storefronts. A new plan would allow chain retail there (SF Chronicle): Two of the City’s newest supervisors are looking to get rid of red tape for “formula retail” stores.
SF’s tourism industry may bounce back in 2025 (SF Standard): A narrative change, a jump in convention bookings, and a slate of major sporting events are rejuvenating the City’s biggest sector.
Bay Area
What It Will Take to Close Oakland’s Structural Deficit (SPUR): Some deeply rooted structural issues underlie the city’s fiscal distress, but Oakland is known for its creativity and resilience, and it has navigated bigger challenges before.
Berkeley is legalizing a type of housing that could add thousands of units to the market (SF Chronicle): Berkeley has opened an amnesty program to convert illegal accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, to legal homes.
Billionaire-backed plan to build Solano County city could now bypass voter approval (SF Business Times): Suisun City voted to explore annexing land beyond the city’s border that includes some of the 60,000 acres where California Forever is trying to build a walkable, mixed-use community from scratch in Solano County.
California and Beyond
Legal battles and funding woes: California housing 2024 in review (Cal Matters): California lawmakers in 2024 made good on a promise to push for more housing construction and hold accountable cities that resist creating affordable homes. But finding money to pay for all that new housing was another matter.
LA Fires: It’s Time to Rethink Risk Mitigation to Save California’s Home Insurance Market (SPUR): California’s evolving climate crisis underscores the urgent need for an innovative approach to home insurance and risk mitigation.
Why California keeps putting homes where fires burn (Cal Matters): The L.A. fires have exposed California’s difficult road to navigate between disaster risk and solving the state’s housing crisis.
L.A. County says state housing laws stand in the way of rebuilding. Advocates disagree (LA Times): A request by L.A. County officials to temporarily waive state housing laws as residents rebuild in fire-ravaged swaths of unincorporated areas drew the ire of housing advocates, who accused the officials of skirting efforts at boosting affordable housing.
‘A perfect storm’: California’s housing crisis could worsen as construction slows (SF Chronicle): President Trump’s proposals could lead to a further decline in permitted homes, experts say, contributing to a shortage of available workers and increased inflation.
