Why Does Speeding Up Housing Construction Take So Long?

San Francisco is under pressure to pick up the snail-like pace of new housing construction. One research paper suggests the problem is local agencies having so much discretion over the process. Officials have tried to pare down the system to speed up production, especially of affordable housing, but things are still slow. Now two warring ballot measures — only one can become law — claim they’ll kickstart development by letting certain projects skip some steps. Experts lay out how we got here and why the need to streamline persists, and reporter Noah Arroyo gives an overview of what voters will have to consider. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Fixing Our City is part of the San Francisco Chronicle’s SFNext Project Got a tip, question, comment? Email us at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices