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ARTICLE · 17 JUNE 2026

San Francisco’s Family Zoning Plan: How the Game Changes for Housing Developers

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In December 2025, a divided San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved, and Mayor Daniel Lurie signed, the much-anticipated Family Zoning Plan (the “Plan”), which aims to expand housing availability and affordability by (1) upzoning certain parts of the City and (2) providing a suite of tools and incentives to add housing to the City’s well-resourced neighborhoods.

United StatesReal Estate and Construction
Daniel S. Maroon
Daniel S. Maroon
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In December 2025, a divided San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved, and Mayor Daniel Lurie signed, the much-anticipated Family Zoning Plan (the “Plan”), which aims to expand housing availability and affordability by (1) upzoning certain parts of the City and (2) providing a suite of tools and incentives to add housing to the City’s well-resourced neighborhoods. Since adopting the Plan, the City has been sued by two sets of organizations: one alleging that the City’s environmental review of the new Plan was insufficient, and another alleging that the Plan fails to adequately comply with commitments made by the City in its new Housing Element.

It is unclear how these lawsuits will be resolved. However, in the meantime, developers should be aware how the Plan redraws the City’s zoning map and presents new strategic choices for entitling housing projects in the City.

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