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SAN FRANCISCO—Will housing always be San Francisco's issue. One source we spoke with thinks so. GlobeSt.com recently asked three local experts about the impact on the area's infrastructure with the many new tech tenants coming in, and whether or not housing can keep pace with the number of workers projected. The answers may surprise you.

GlobeSt.com: What is the impact on San Francisco's infrastructure—housing, transportation, city services—of the many new tenants here? How can housing keep pace for the number of workers projected?

Amber Schiada, VP and director of research in the Northern California and Rocky Mountain Region at JLL: This is an issue that is being addressed by the city currently, but because of the time it takes to approve projects and actually construct buildings, actual supply relief is still several years away. The city is making great strides toward accommodating a higher density, but these projects take time and resources, neither of which are unlimited.

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Mark Gedymin, senior advisor of TRI Commercial/CORFAC International: I don't see San Francisco's infrastructure being overwhelmed anytime soon. Caltrain and BART continually upgrade their services. I don't know the city's current budget but with business booming, one would think the city has enough revenue to maintain proper service levels. But housing…. housing has always been and always will be an issue in San Francisco. Of the 28 projects with 50 or more units that are currently under construction, and this doesn't count approved or in design/planning stages, approximately 6,500 residential units are pending delivery between now and 2015. It's a drop in the bucket compared with demand. And the numbers don't take into consideration affordability. Most of the new product is market rate and only people with high-paying jobs will be able to live in these new residential buildings. San Francisco will remain a city that relies heavily on commuters to come to work here in the day and go home at night.

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Markus Shayeb SVP of tenant advisory at Transwestern's San Francisco Bay Area office: The city is talking about adding 30,000 housing units, which sounds good, but how do you provide that when major projects are voted down? The conflicts over residential development near the Golden Gateway Tennis Club are just one example. And that fight is over a relatively small number of units. So how will this be achieved in San Francisco?

The average software engineer is making $140,000 a year, which sounds high. But if you're spending $4,000 a month rent on a 1,200-square-foot apartment, there's not much left over. And forget about it if you're a family of four. People who get married and have kids end up moving out. At some point, these high-paying jobs become less attractive.

On other hand, you have to question some recent projections of the high number of jobs coming. If you look at all the commitments of lease expansion, our research shows it translates to upwards of 20,000 additional jobs—an enormous figure that doesn't seem possible, given the city's current infrastructure and housing.

As of March 2014, committed office space in San Francisco that tenants have yet to move into totals over 3 million square feet. Using the general rule of thumb of 150 to 200 square feet per employee—likely less in certain tech company environments—these tenants would plan to hire roughly 20,000 employees over the next few years. While some of these leases may include consolidation of existing space, the amount of additional space taken versus existing facility is far greater.

Keep an eye out for the June issue of Real Estate Forum where we dive deeper into the issue of the tech tenant and the domino effect through the City.

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Natalie Dolce

Natalie Dolce, editor-in-chief of GlobeSt.com and GlobeSt. Real Estate Forum, is responsible for working with editorial staff, freelancers and senior management to help plan the overarching vision that encompasses GlobeSt.com, including short-term and long-term goals for the website, how content integrates through the company’s other product lines and the overall quality of content. Previously she served as national executive editor and editor of the West Coast region for GlobeSt.com and Real Estate Forum, and was responsible for coverage of news and information pertaining to that vital real estate region. Prior to moving out to the Southern California office, she was Northeast bureau chief, covering New York City for GlobeSt.com. Her background includes a stint at InStyle Magazine, and as managing editor with New York Press, an alternative weekly New York City paper. In her career, she has also covered a variety of beats for M magazine, Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel, FashionLedge.com, and Co-Ed magazine. Dolce has also freelanced for a number of publications, including MSNBC.com and Museums New York magazine.