By Thomas K. Pendergast

A two-year study of the Sunset District surveyed residents and produced a report prioritizing strategies to address the district’s needs concerning supporting housing, small business and commercial corridors, as well as neighborhood services.

District 4 Supervisor Gordon Mar said nearly 2,500 community members contributed to the Sunset Forward Strategies Report through surveys, focus groups and numerous meetings during the past two years. 

The Sunset Forward mission statement aims to stabilize low- and-moderate-income families and seniors in the Sunset, enhancing their quality of life by addressing unmet needs in housing, transportation and neighborhood businesses and services. 

The report focused on three key areas: affordable housing for both homeowners and renters; support for small businesses and merchant corridors; and access to neighborhood services serving diverse groups including youth, families, seniors and immigrant households.

“We’re also working on ways to facilitate other housing developments, especially for seniors and moderate-income households and essential workers,” Mar said. “And we’re particularly looking at a number of vacant church sites as potential opportunities for senior affordable housing.”

Carla de Mesa of the San Francisco Planning Department said to produce the report, first they did a “needs assessment” by hosting virtual focus groups, listening sessions and an online survey to gather community needs and priorities. 

The survey was also done in person with seniors, through Wah Mei School and Self Help for the Elderly. 

The survey was open from October 2021 to the end of January. De Mesa said they had 307 respondents, 85% of whom were Sunset residents. 

Most respondents were between the ages of 35 and 59; 37% live with children under 18 years old; more than half identified as white (55%), while 28% identified as Asian. 

And, while 49% of respondents owned their home, 35% rented. 

She said the survey included a wide range of income levels, with 35% of participants reporting household incomes of less than $100,000.

Then they analyzed the data and drafted strategies to address these needs.

Regarding neighborhood services, they concluded that there is a lack of community connectedness in the Sunset; more access is needed to safe and clean public parks and open spaces; more access is needed for health and nutrition services for low-income families, youth and seniors in the Sunset District; plus, existing programs and neighborhood activities need expanding.  

For small businesses along commercial corridors, like Noriega, Irving and Taraval streets, greater diversity and affordability of businesses in the Sunset are desirable, plus stronger coordination along the district’s commercial corridors and the commercial corridors “should be safe, vibrant and accessible.”

Regarding housing, it is increasingly unaffordable for low-and-middle-income households. The housing that exists in the Sunset is not meeting people’s current and future needs, especially for seniors and families. 

“People also shared that their housing needs change over time, but that the existing housing in the Sunset will likely not meet their future needs,” de Mesa said. “There has been a growing sense of instability and insecurity among renters in the Sunset and homeownership feels increasingly out of reach for many.” 

Jessica Nguyen of D4 Youth and Families Network (D4YFN) said 64% of survey respondents want to build community connection through more community events. Other “priority strategies” include: supporting existing community events and organizing new events to build community connection; identifying opportunities for youth and seniors to connect and get involved; and creating large or small community centers in the Sunset District. 

Regarding senior citizens, 55% want to see a neighborhood shuttle service established for seniors and people with disabilities “which would make sense, considering how large the Sunset District is,” Nguyen added.

Other priorities include more programs with Internet access and tech support, as well as improving existing senior centers and care facilities.

Priority strategies for families with children include expanding affordable daycare, plus after-school, weekends and summer programs for low- and-middle-income families. Of the respondents, 68% made this their top priority. 

For small businesses along the commercial corridors, priority strategies include updating neighborhood commercial zoning codes to ensure desired uses are allowed and prioritized; allow and encourage pop-up businesses in vacant storefronts or properties; and ensure Sunset businesses can get permits in a timely and predictable manner.

“A lot of small businesses shared with us the need for better coordination around navigating some of the City’s changing rules and regulations, as well as a lot of community members wanted ways to know how to support local small businesses, especially during the pandemic,” de Mesa said. 

Among other concerns and ideas that came from the study are: better coordination between city agencies; increasing transparency in the application process; supporting small home-based businesses; increasing community safety; providing rent control on commercial properties; and enforcing fines for vacant commercial properties. 

As for affordable housing, priority strategies include using public subsidies to build more affordable housing, and encourage homeowners and developers to construct new housing of various sizes, configurations, types, etc., and expanding existing renter protections while tailoring them to meet the needs of vulnerable populations (e.g., low income, seniors, youth, families, immigrants, etc.) in the Sunset. 

“We’re also working on ways to facilitate other housing developments, especially for seniors and moderate-income households and essential workers. And we’re particularly looking at a number of vacant church sites as potential opportunities for senior affordable housing,” Mar said.

“I sponsored legislation, working with the Planning Department and the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development to create the Housing Development Incentive Program for homeowners, which will provide technical assistance and financing assistance, and hopefully also streamline permitting for homeowners to add ADUs,” he said. 

For more information about Sunset Forward, go to https://sunsetforward.com