Nov 2016: NO on Prop P - Competitive Bidding for Affordable Housing Projects on City-Owned Property

The City provides financing to developers to build new affordable housing and rehabilitate existing affordable housing on City-owned property. The Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD) administers most of these programs. MOHCD posts a description of the proposed project on its website and invites developers to submit proposals. Because building and managing affordable housing projects offer lower potential profits than market-rate projects, these projects attract proposals from fewer developers.

MOHCD describes the criteria they will use to select a proposal, which generally include the anticipated cost to the City, how much experience the developer has with similar projects, the feasibility of the developer’s proposal, the quality of the developer’s design, and the extent to which the proposal meets community needs. After the deadline for submissions, MOHCD applies the evaluation criteria to select a proposal.

Proposition P would require MOHCD to receive at least three proposals for the project and accept the proposal with the “best value.” Currently, MOHCD may select a qualified developer to proceed with an affordable housing project, even if it receives fewer than three proposals. If Prop P passes, the City could not proceed with an affordable housing project if MOHCD receives fewer than three proposals.

The San Francisco League of Conservation Voters believes that this requirement would reduce the development of affordable housing and make the city’s housing crisis worse. Please vote NO on Prop P.