Department of Building Inspection Annual Report

1. Continuing Momentum for the Construction of New Housing Units Through the continued construction boom, the City has seen an increase in the number of residential units that have come on the market. It has been an exciting time for San Francisco as approximately 4,000 units came online through the construction of new buildings, or the alteration of existing properties, in fiscal year 2014–2015. During this building boom, DBI is ensuring that this work is done safely, and up to code, by approving and issuing Temporary Certificate of Occupancies (TCO) and Certificate of Final Completions (CFC) for new residential and/or mixed development housing. There are more projects in the queue for Fiscal Year 2015–2016, which will bring another wave of new units online and help to meet Mayor Ed Lee’s directive to bring 30,000 units online by 2020. 1100 Ocean Avenue—71 aﬀordable rental units for families and transitional aged youth. IN REVIEW Legalization of In-Law Units, per Ordinance 43-14 Established in May 2014, this ordinance allows unauthorized dwelling units or, “in-law” units to be legalized. This is a voluntary program that allows property owners to formally register and rent their in-law units in San Francisco assuming all life-safety conditions are met. An in-law unit is an additional dwelling inside a property that was intended to be a single unit. Homeowners often convert and rent unused space in their homes. Although it is common, this has been illegal. With this new ordinance, one of these existing units may legally join the housing market should the owner follow the stipulated process. This program ensures that these existing in-law units will be safe and habitable for renters. Visit sfdbi.org/unitlegalization for more information. 10 DBI FY 2014 – 2015 Annual Report Accessory Dwelling Units, per Ordinance 30-15 Established in May 2015, building owners participating in the City’s Mandatory Soft Story Program or voluntary seismic retrofitting programs may now add additional accessory dwelling units in space that was not previously residential so long as those units do not extend beyond the existing building envelope. This ordinance will potentially add new affordable units to the housing stock. It is applicable citywide and not limited to specific zoning districts, except for the Castro Street Neighborhood Commercial District (NCD). Visit sfdbi.org/unitaddition for more information.

Department of Building Inspection Annual Report | Page 10