Only 405 Homes Built in First Half of 2026

Published July 31, 2026

https://growsf.org/news/2026-07-31-only-405-homes-built-first-half-2026

The Facts

San Francisco completed just 405 new homes in the first half of 2026, reports Adam Brinklow at The Frisc.

The city’s April pipeline counted 74,888 proposed homes, but 37,577 were in long-term, multiphase developments and only 3,301 had reached the construction stage.

The Context

State housing regulators say San Francisco must build more than 82,000 homes by 2031, or over 10,000 per year, while facing some of California’s longest approval timelines.

Permits are not the only obstacle. The Controller found nearly every home type financially infeasible given current city rules under current market conditions. Mayor Lurie and the Board have since cut housing fees, including most development impact fees by 67%.

The GrowSF Take

Mayor Lurie and Supervisors Stephen Sherrill and Danny Sauter are right to attack the costs and delays that keep approved homes on paper. The recent fee cuts are a major start, but the housing math remains brutal.

After a decade whittling away at the bureaucratic barriers to housing, few remain truly insurmountable. But as uncertainty has declined, costs have risen, leaving even approved projects unable to break ground.

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Jollibee Finally Opens After Six Years

Published July 31, 2026

https://growsf.org/news/2026-07-31-jollibee-finally-opens-after-six-years

The Facts

Jollibee finally opened July 31 at 934 Market Street, nearly six years after its first permit application.

The restaurant needed historic-preservation approval for minor exterior changes, permission for an underground utility line, coordination with BART over crane operations, and noise compliance for rooftop equipment, according to The Standard.

The Context

Qualifying storefront businesses are supposed to get permit decisions within 30 days under Proposition H, which voters passed in 2020. But the law only requires departments try to meet that deadline.

Mayor Lurie’s PermitSF reforms aim to coordinate departments and move permits online, but the city still has no migration schedule for complex commercial developments requiring several agencies.

The GrowSF Take

Six years to replace a shoe store with a restaurant is ridiculous. Site-specific complications explain some delay; they do not excuse a system that sends one business among commissions, departments, utilities, and transit agencies without one accountable decision-maker.

Also, what exactly about this building would you consider historic? The historic preservation rules in this city are out of control. This is utilitarian brutalism unworthy of historic preservation—it isn't the Barbican!

The Board should now eliminate Historic Preservation Commission hearings for minor alterations to unrated buildings. Fried chicken does not threaten San Francisco’s heritage.

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Market Gets Temporary 24/7 Patrols

Published July 30, 2026

https://growsf.org/news/2026-07-30-market-street-gets-24-7-patrols

The Facts

Market Street is temporarily getting 24/7 foot patrols after three shootings over three days left five people wounded. The deployment runs only through August 3.

The Context

The shootings punctuate broader safety gains. Total crime fell 22% through June 14 compared with 2025, though homicides showed a sharp rise from 10 to 17.

The GrowSF Take

People are right to demand a visible response when bullets fly on Market Street. But a patrol surge that expires August 3 is reassurance, not a safety strategy.

Hire enough police officers and ambassadors to walk regular beats. Use cameras and gunshot detectors to identify and arrest shooters. Market Street needs persistent enforcement, not a temporary show of force.

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Family Zoning Delivers

Published July 30, 2026

https://growsf.org/news/2026-07-24-family-zoning-first-project

The Facts

The first new homes proposed under Family Zoning won unanimous Planning Commission approval Thursday, according to Kevin Nguyen at The Standard. The Planning Commission vote was largely ceremonial; changes to state and local law now all but guarantee approval for new homes that comply with the rules.

The building will turn a two-unit building that's been vacant since 2019 into an eight-story building with eight condos, six of which would have three or four bedrooms. Two homes would be subsidized for households earning up to 80% of area median income.

The Context

Mayor Lurie's Family Zoning Plan allows six- to eight-story housing along many transit and commercial corridors in northern and western neighborhoods. It was necessary to comply with state homebuilding mandates.

The GrowSF Take

Family Zoning is working as intended. More families living in the Richmond will strengthen its neighborhood character, not diminish it.

Now San Francisco needs to make sure these homes get built by continuing to ease permitting rules and pulling every lever it can to make projects financially feasible.

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Kevin Mullin Proposes Federal Robotaxi Rules

Published July 30, 2026

https://growsf.org/news/2026-07-28-kevin-mullin-proposes-robotaxi-rules

The Facts

Congressman Kevin Mullin proposed federal emergency-response rules for robotaxis that largely mirror California's rules, including a live 24-hour hotline and compliance with first-responder geofence requests within two minutes.

The Context

California rules that took effect July 1 require a dedicated hotline answered within 30 seconds, two-way communication inside each vehicle, and emergency geofencing. Mullin’s proposal would create a federal baseline as robotaxis expand nationally.

In May, seven Waymos entered active Bay Area freeway construction lanes by driving between cones, prompting Waymo to temporarily restrict their vehicles from operating on freeways. San Francisco firefighters have also filed at least 31 reports since April 2025 of robotaxis obstructing emergency operations, according to Jessica Blough at The Standard.

The GrowSF Take

We’re huge fans of Waymo because its vehicles are much safer than human drivers, and we think federal rules are better than a patchwork of local rules so that every company and every community can be treated fairly.

Despite a few high-profile incidents, an independent study found Waymos had 35% fewer crashes per mile than human drivers in San Francisco and 81% fewer injury crashes overall.

No person has ever been killed by a Waymo. The only Waymo-related death we know of is KitKat, a well-loved bodega cat that darted beneath it as the vehicle pulled away. Meanwhile human drivers have killed 12 pedestrians so far this year, and at least three pedestrians are hit in San Francisco every day, according to Walk SF.

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