San Francisco (April 4, 2024) - The San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) has identified two additional sites for possible future educator housing – 1620 7th Ave. and 95 Gough St.
At the SF Board of Education Regular Meeting on April 16, the Board will vote on resolutions to declare the properties at 1620 7th Ave. and 95 Gough St. Exempt Surplus Land as well as to submit a waiver to the State Board of Education to utilize a Request for Proposals process rather than an competitive bid requirement to consider proposals for the development of housing for district employees at the two sites. Many school districts throughout the state also request waivers of the competitive bid requirement to allow for a more flexible request for proposals process. This process would allow the district to further the goal of development employee housing.
SFUSD is committed to prioritizing housing opportunities for district educators and employees. On Jan. 14, 2020, the Board adopted Resolution 1911-12A1, with the goal of developing 550 educator housing units by 2030. On May 9, 2023, the Board again demonstrated its commitment to the development of housing opportunities by approving the Facilities Master Plan, which prioritizes housing opportunities for district educators.
The district has made progress toward its housing goals with the construction of Shirley Chisholm Village, the district’s first affordable rental housing project with a preference for district educators and employees. Located at 1360 43rd Ave., Shirley Chisholm Village will include 135 units of affordable rental housing. The project is under construction with an estimated completion date in fall 2024. The first round of applications is open through April 23, 2024 at 5:00 pm.
“We strongly believe that when educators are able to live in the community in which they work, it promotes staffing stability, community involvement and stronger ties between schools and families,” Superintendent Dr. Matt Wayne said. “After careful consideration of how to best serve our communities with these properties, we are excited about the potential to develop even more affordable homes for educators.”
In October 2023, SFUSD formed a Housing Working Group composed of community partners with expertise in real estate development, affordable housing, real estate finance, housing policy, and district labor partners. District properties identified as potential housing sites were shared with the Housing Working Group. A variety of factors were considered to create a list of district properties with housing development potential.
The first two sites selected to consider for housing development are located at 1620 7th Ave. and 95 Gough St. The district is reviewing and analyzing these properties to determine if opportunities exist to maximize their usage and develop additional educator housing units. Currently, 95 Gough St. is used for administrative offices and 1620 7th Ave. is undeveloped land.
The district is recommending that each of the properties be declared as exempt surplus land in compliance with the Surplus Land Act to enable the development of housing. The next step is to determine the development potential at the properties by requesting proposals to construct and manage housing for district educators and employees.
In order to consider moving forward with workforce housing projects on the properties in compliance with the law, the Board will need to first adopt the resolutions declaring the properties as exempt surplus land. If adopted, these resolutions will be submitted to the California Department of Housing and Community Development to confirm and approve the exemption.
The district will also submit the waiver to the State Board of Education to request approval to use a request for proposals process for the two properties. It is expected that the waiver request will be reviewed by the State Board of Education at a meeting in fall 2024.
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