As a native San Franciscan, one aspect of the city has unfortunately been consistent throughout my life: our housing affordability crisis. For my friends and me, who grew up here, we live in multigenerational homes with our parents. But to be clear, our homes are multigenerational out of economic necessity.
Living on the west side in the early 2010s, I was in my high school homeroom class, speaking with friends about our anxieties about the future. We were worried whether we would be able to afford to return to San Francisco after college. Coming from primarily Asian American households, we were concerned about how we would support our parents.
Financially, many San Franciscans cannot build wealth or enjoy the price stability of home ownership without more affordable housing options. The median home price is $1.66 million in the Sunset and about $1.7 million in the Richmond. What was a starter family home for our parents’ generation is simply out of reach for many of us.
Today, when I have lunch on Irving Street with an old school friend, a common topic is whether we should have a typical late-20s life and move out of our parents’ homes or contribute to our retirement accounts instead of paying rent for an apartment.
Families, particularly Asian American families on the west side, need more housing — we want more housing. More apartments and condos will allow my generation to move out of childhood homes while staying in our neighborhoods, helping with family responsibilities.
But it’s not just about us. Building more homes will give lifelong San Franciscans greater flexibility and access to a better life. For older adults and people with disabilities, newer homes have more modern, accessible features such as elevators. Finding a safe, accessible home to downsize to is hard on the west side.
Mayor Lurie’s Family Zoning Plan (FZP) offers an opportunity to address these anxieties and to keep families together. It’s a significant step toward increasing housing access for people of all generations by creating a mix of homes, including small apartment buildings that can serve as starter homes.
As someone thinking about starting a family in San Francisco, a two- to three-bedroom apartment or condo is a much more achievable long-term goal. Homes of this size will make the difference for young people when deciding whether to stay in San Francisco to raise our kids near our parents or to leave and start a family somewhere else.
I want to live near my parents and take them and my kids to dim sum on Sunday or have hot pot on a spontaneous Tuesday night after work. Given the current state of housing in our city, these moments seem more like dreams than realistic goals.
Without access to new homes, our generation will not be able to provide the support our parents need as they enter their golden years, and our families will miss out on the joys of a multigenerational family experience.
A common criticism of the FZP is that it will not create family-sized units. In reality, the FZP and the existing Planning Code encourage the construction of two- to three-bedroom apartments and set minimum percentages for multiunit homes. (Planning Code 207.6, 207.7) Supervisors Stephen Sherrill and Danny Sauter have also amended the plan to incentivize the production of larger units. (Board File 250701, Amendment Explainer Page 7, Line 13)
Further, existing state and local laws discourage and prohibit the demolition of rent-controlled housing, thus protecting families in it as the city grows. Such protections historically have meant that only 18 homes are demolished each year in San Francisco, and that more homes are always built to replace them (San Francisco Planning Department). We do not have to choose between growth and displacement. Instead, the lack of building is what is displacing and separating families in the city.
More important for existing homeowners, the FZP will not infringe on their property rights. Homeowners will not be forced to bulldoze their own homes. If a homeowner decides that housing multiple generations under one roof is best for their family, that option will still be available after FZP. Similarly, they will still be able to pass on the property to their children.
Multigenerational households are central to the Asian American experience in San Francisco. The FZP will allow more people who grew up in San Francisco to stay near their families as my generation ages into adulthood and our parents age into retirement.
To be clear, my generation needed the FZP years ago, and the current plan does not go far enough. However, we cannot let the perfect get in the way of the good. Taking care of our parents and grandparents is a value instilled in many Asian American families. Without building more housing, we will not be able to live out that value.
James Wen, 29, is a senior machine learning engineer in health care, a volunteer lead with San Francisco YIMBY, and a lifelong west-side resident.
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