City Government Searching for Compromise to Control Office Growth

SAN FRANCISCO-Earlier reports confirmed the passage of Proposition L, a slow-growth measure favored by many San Francisco residents. By the time all the votes were counted, however, Prop L missed the mark by a slim margin. Meanwhile, voters roundly rejected the less-restrictive Proposition K championed by Mayor Willie Brown. The question remains then, what to do about San Francisco’s explosive growth.

In light of both propositions failing, two city Supervisors are offering up proposals to address the growth issues highlighted by the two campaigns. Monday, Supervisor Mark Leno called for dot-com space to be classified as office construction, closing a loophole that has allowed construction of offices without going over the city’s mandated yearly cap. Meanwhile, Supervisor Gavin Newsom has proposed an 18-month moratorium on office construction over 6,000 sf in SOMA, Potrero Hill and the Mission District.