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San Francisco Redevelopment Agency

February 12, 2024

The San Francisco Redevelopment Agency (SFRA) was an urban renewal agency active from 1948 until 2012, with purpose to improve the urban landscape through "redesign, redevelopment, and rehabilitation" of specific areas of the city.

San Francisco Redevelopment Agency
Agency overview
FormedAugust 10, 1948 (1948-08-10)
DissolvedFebruary 1, 2012 (2012-02-01)
Superseding agency
  • San Francisco Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure
JurisdictionCity and County of San Francisco

SFRA demolished over 14,000 housing units in San Francisco between 1948 and 1976, claiming the agency was working on slum clearance and addressing urban "blight".[1][2] They replaced the demolished units with newly built affordable housing, but was only able to replace a portion. It was succeeded by the San Francisco Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure (OCII).

History edit

On August 10, 1948, the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency was formed under the California Community Redevelopment Law of 1945, and in response to the Housing Act of 1937. Initially the agency was not a separate department, but rather the functions were carried out by various city departments; however by 1950, the organization formed its own city department. The first agency chairman in 1948 was Morgan Arthur Gunst; who had previously worked for the San Francisco Planning Commission.[3]

From 1989 until 2011, the agency used tax increment financing as a major source of their funding (through a TIF law);[4] which prompted the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors initiated a policy requiring that half of the agency's tax increment financing be used towards affordable housing in San Francisco.

The agency had removed 14,207 housing units between 1948 and 1978.[1] They started a process of replacing the units with affordable housing; and by 2012, the agency had created 7,498 affordable units (a net loss of 6,709).[1][2]

The agency was dissolved on February 1, 2012; in response to the Supreme Court of California decision issued on December 29, 2011, in the case, California Redevelopment Association et al. v. Ana Matosantos.[4][5][6] The City and County of San Francisco created the Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure (OCII) as the successor agency.[1]

Agency leadership edit

  • Morgan Arthur Gunst, the first Chairman, from 1948 to 1953[3][7][8]
  • James E. Lash, Executive Director[9]
  • Joseph Alioto, Chairman, from 1955 to 1959[10]
  • M. Justin Herman, Executive Director, April 1959 to August 1971[11]
  • Robert Rumsey, Executive Director, 1971 to 1974[12]
  • Wilbur Wyatt Hamilton, Executive Director, 1977 to 1987[13]
  • LeRoy King, Commissioner, 1980 to 2011[14][15][16]
  • Fred Blackwell, Executive Director, 2007 to 2011[17]
  • Tiffany Bohee, Interim Executive Director, 2012[18]

Projects edit

 
Geary Street underpass in Western Addition
 
Portsmouth Square pedestrian bridge in Chinatown

Western Addition edit

Due to the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, the city had a surplus of buildings in Japantown.[19] The SFRA took this as an opportunity for urban renewal to create the new Western Addition neighborhood — particularly the formation of the Fillmore District into an African American area.[20][21] The creation of the Geary Street underpass was part of the project.[22]

By the 1970s, the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency had forced out 50,000 African Americans from the Fillmore District in order to build new housing and new commercial buildings.[21][23][19] They had bulldozed the neighborhood but then left empty lots for some 30 years, destroying the once vibrant black community.[21][24][25][26]

In 2007, the SFRA built the "Fillmore Heritage Center" which included commercial spaces, black-owned apartments, a jazz club, and a theater space; but 10 years later most of the black community was forced out again because of the cost of living and gentrification.[21]

List of projects edit

 
The Embarcadero Plaza (formerly Justin Herman Plaza) in 1988

Reception edit

The agency was supported by elite of the city and by banks, businesses and the city government.[39] The intent was to encourage the development in the city to include partnership with private investors.[18]

However, from the moment the agency was formed, there was vocal criticism and opposition from the African American community.[40] The agency's policies caused thousands of residents, many of them poor and non-white, were forced to leave their homes and businesses.[41][42]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d "SF Redevelopment Agency Successor Seeks To Make Good On Building 5,800 Affordable Units". SFist. 2020-01-03. Retrieved 2022-11-27.
  2. ^ a b Sabatini, Joshua. "SF agency seeks state law change to fund nearly 6K affordable housing units". San Francisco Examiner. ISSN 2574-593X. Retrieved 2022-11-27.
  3. ^ a b Kahn, E. M. (1958-09-01). "Morgan Arthur Gunst". California History. 37 (3): 277–278. doi:10.2307/25155195. ISSN 0162-2897.
  4. ^ a b L, Johnson, Craig; J, Luby, Martin; T, Moldogaziev, Tima (2021-11-09). State and Local Financial Instruments: Policy Changes and Management. Edward Elgar Publishing. pp. 56–57. ISBN 978-1-80037-093-7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ Smirniotopoulos, Peter E. (2016-11-18). "10. Tax Increment Financing". Real Estate Law: Fundamentals for The Development Process. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-65015-7.
  6. ^ Lee, Stephanie M. (2012-03-31). "SF Redevelopment Agency wraps up its business". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
  7. ^ "Morgan A. Gunst, Financier, Succumbs". California Digital Newspaper Collection. J. The Jewish News of Northern California. August 8, 1958. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
  8. ^ "Bond Issue For S.F. Slum Work Urged". The San Francisco Examiner. 1949-08-06. p. 3. Retrieved 2022-11-19.
  9. ^ "Cities Warned To Find More Parking Space". The San Francisco Examiner. 1949-10-26. p. 19. Retrieved 2022-11-19.
  10. ^ Issel, William (2004). ""The Catholic Internationale": Mayor Joseph L. Alioto's Urban Liberalism and San Francisco Catholicism". U.S. Catholic Historian. 22 (2): 99–120. ISSN 0735-8318.
  11. ^ "How Urban Renewal Tried To Rebuild The Fillmore". hoodline.com. 2016-01-10. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
  12. ^ Rubenstein, Steve (2003-02-20). "Robert Rumsey: In early '70s, led S.F. redevelopment office". CT Insider. Hearst Newspapers. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
  13. ^ "Seaside's Greater Victory Temple Church Bishop W. W. Hamilton dies at 88". Monterey Herald. 2019-09-19. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
  14. ^ Garofoli, Joe (2015-06-14). "LeRoy King, longtime S.F. labor, civil rights leader, dies". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
  15. ^ Chakraborty, Sudeepto. "Leroy King – Changemakers". University of San Francisco (USF). Retrieved 2022-11-30.
  16. ^ Kwong, Jessica. "SF mourns death of LeRoy King, longtime civil rights and labor leader". San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
  17. ^ Smith, Matt; Elinson, Zusha (2012-01-06). "Fillmore District Audit Shows Little Oversight". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
  18. ^ a b Lee, Stephanie M. (2012-01-17). "Cities struggle with ending redevelopment agencies". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
  19. ^ a b Fulbright, Leslie (2008-08-18). "Some evicted in 'renewal' may get housing help". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
  20. ^ Barton, Stephen E. (1985). "The Neighborhood Movement in San Francisco". Berkeley Planning Journal. 2 (1). doi:10.5070/BP32113201. ISSN 1047-5192.
  21. ^ a b c d Jordan, Fred (2016-04-29). "San Francisco continues destruction of its black community". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
  22. ^ Wildermuth, John (2014-02-06). "S.F.'s $50 million plan to fill Geary underpass at Fillmore". SFGATE. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  23. ^ Todd, Gail (2009-08-06). "Japantown: A taste of culture in San Francisco". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
  24. ^ Walgren, Judy (2015-04-22). "Authors preserve memories, images of Fillmore jazz era". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
  25. ^ Fulbright, Leslie (2009-03-17). "Fallow historic Fillmore site to revert to S.F." San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
  26. ^ Fulbright, Leslie (2008-08-10). "Black population deserting S.F., study says". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
  27. ^ "Diamond Heights Project Area B-1". San Francisco Public Library.
  28. ^ Scott, Mel (1985-01-01). The San Francisco Bay Area: A Metropolis in Perspective. University of California Press. p. 288. ISBN 978-0-520-05510-0.
  29. ^ "Western Addition Project Areas A-1 and A-2". San Francisco Public Library.
  30. ^ "The end of a disturbing era". San Francisco Chronicle. 2008-07-25. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
  31. ^ "Embarcadero-Lower Market (Golden Gateway) Project Area E-1". San Francisco Public Library.
  32. ^ "Yerba Buena Center Project Area D-1". San Francisco Public Library.
  33. ^ Carney, William (2014-03-24). "How to protect Yerba Buena Gardens in Moscone expansion". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
  34. ^ "Hunters Point Project Area A". San Francisco Public Library.
  35. ^ May, Meredith (2009-08-26). "Mission Bay becoming a real neighborhood". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
  36. ^ King, John (2008-12-02). "Yes. Mission Bay is still a work in progress". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
  37. ^ Ross, Andrew S. (2012-08-03). "Visitacion Valley project not dead yet". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
  38. ^ Selna, Robert (2009-03-18). "3 teams vie to build Transbay housing". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
  39. ^ Adams, Jerry (1962-09-02). "M. Justin Herman (continued 4/4)". The San Francisco Examiner. p. 129. Retrieved 2022-11-02 – via Newspapers.com.
  40. ^ "Slum Project Agency Stand On Racial Barrier Opposed". The San Francisco Examiner. 1949-04-30. p. 21. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
  41. ^ Fillmore Timeline 1860 - 2001. Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).
  42. ^ Miller, Paul T. (2009-09-10). The Postwar Struggle for Civil Rights: African Americans in San Francisco, 1945–1975. Routledge. p. 132. ISBN 978-1-135-23514-7.

External links edit

February 12, 2024
francisco, redevelopment, agency, sfra, urban, renewal, agency, active, from, 1948, until, 2012, with, purpose, improve, urban, landscape, through, redesign, redevelopment, rehabilitation, specific, areas, city, agency, overviewformedaugust, 1948, 1948, dissol. The San Francisco Redevelopment Agency SFRA was an urban renewal agency active from 1948 until 2012 with purpose to improve the urban landscape through redesign redevelopment and rehabilitation of specific areas of the city San Francisco Redevelopment AgencyAgency overviewFormedAugust 10 1948 1948 08 10 DissolvedFebruary 1 2012 2012 02 01 Superseding agencySan Francisco Office of Community Investment and InfrastructureJurisdictionCity and County of San FranciscoSFRA demolished over 14 000 housing units in San Francisco between 1948 and 1976 claiming the agency was working on slum clearance and addressing urban blight 1 2 They replaced the demolished units with newly built affordable housing but was only able to replace a portion It was succeeded by the San Francisco Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure OCII Contents 1 History 2 Agency leadership 3 Projects 3 1 Western Addition 4 List of projects 5 Reception 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksHistory editOn August 10 1948 the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency was formed under the California Community Redevelopment Law of 1945 and in response to the Housing Act of 1937 Initially the agency was not a separate department but rather the functions were carried out by various city departments however by 1950 the organization formed its own city department The first agency chairman in 1948 was Morgan Arthur Gunst who had previously worked for the San Francisco Planning Commission 3 From 1989 until 2011 the agency used tax increment financing as a major source of their funding through a TIF law 4 which prompted the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors initiated a policy requiring that half of the agency s tax increment financing be used towards affordable housing in San Francisco The agency had removed 14 207 housing units between 1948 and 1978 1 They started a process of replacing the units with affordable housing and by 2012 the agency had created 7 498 affordable units a net loss of 6 709 1 2 The agency was dissolved on February 1 2012 in response to the Supreme Court of California decision issued on December 29 2011 in the case California Redevelopment Association et al v Ana Matosantos 4 5 6 The City and County of San Francisco created the Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure OCII as the successor agency 1 Agency leadership editMorgan Arthur Gunst the first Chairman from 1948 to 1953 3 7 8 James E Lash Executive Director 9 Joseph Alioto Chairman from 1955 to 1959 10 M Justin Herman Executive Director April 1959 to August 1971 11 Robert Rumsey Executive Director 1971 to 1974 12 Wilbur Wyatt Hamilton Executive Director 1977 to 1987 13 LeRoy King Commissioner 1980 to 2011 14 15 16 Fred Blackwell Executive Director 2007 to 2011 17 Tiffany Bohee Interim Executive Director 2012 18 Projects edit nbsp Geary Street underpass in Western Addition nbsp Portsmouth Square pedestrian bridge in ChinatownWestern Addition edit Due to the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II the city had a surplus of buildings in Japantown 19 The SFRA took this as an opportunity for urban renewal to create the new Western Addition neighborhood particularly the formation of the Fillmore District into an African American area 20 21 The creation of the Geary Street underpass was part of the project 22 By the 1970s the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency had forced out 50 000 African Americans from the Fillmore District in order to build new housing and new commercial buildings 21 23 19 They had bulldozed the neighborhood but then left empty lots for some 30 years destroying the once vibrant black community 21 24 25 26 In 2007 the SFRA built the Fillmore Heritage Center which included commercial spaces black owned apartments a jazz club and a theater space but 10 years later most of the black community was forced out again because of the cost of living and gentrification 21 List of projects edit nbsp The Embarcadero Plaza formerly Justin Herman Plaza in 1988Diamond Heights neighborhood active from 1948 to 1978 27 Western Addition also called the Fillmore District active from 1948 until January 2009 28 29 30 Golden Gateway also known as Embarcadero Lower Market a former produce terminal area turned into a 17 block area of downtown started in the 1950s 31 Yerba Buena Center different from Yerba Buena Center for the Arts an 87 acre project active from 1966 to 2009 32 33 Butchertown now known as India Basin a former meat processing area turned into industrial redevelopment started in 1968 Hunters Point Naval Shipyard active from 1969 until 2009 34 Rincon and South Beach active from 1970 to 1988 South of Market the 6th Street corridor started after the 1989 earthquake Mission Bay active from 2002 35 36 Treasure Island Visitacion Valley 37 Transbay Transit Center 38 Reception editThe agency was supported by elite of the city and by banks businesses and the city government 39 The intent was to encourage the development in the city to include partnership with private investors 18 However from the moment the agency was formed there was vocal criticism and opposition from the African American community 40 The agency s policies caused thousands of residents many of them poor and non white were forced to leave their homes and businesses 41 42 See also editSlum clearance in the United States Subsidized housing in the United States San Francisco Planning and Urban Research AssociationReferences edit a b c d SF Redevelopment Agency Successor Seeks To Make Good On Building 5 800 Affordable Units SFist 2020 01 03 Retrieved 2022 11 27 a b Sabatini Joshua SF agency seeks state law change to fund nearly 6K affordable housing units San Francisco Examiner ISSN 2574 593X Retrieved 2022 11 27 a b Kahn E M 1958 09 01 Morgan Arthur Gunst California History 37 3 277 278 doi 10 2307 25155195 ISSN 0162 2897 a b L Johnson Craig J Luby Martin T Moldogaziev Tima 2021 11 09 State and Local Financial Instruments Policy Changes and Management Edward Elgar Publishing pp 56 57 ISBN 978 1 80037 093 7 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link Smirniotopoulos Peter E 2016 11 18 10 Tax Increment Financing Real Estate Law Fundamentals for The Development Process Routledge ISBN 978 1 317 65015 7 Lee Stephanie M 2012 03 31 SF Redevelopment Agency wraps up its business San Francisco Chronicle Retrieved 2022 11 30 Morgan A Gunst Financier Succumbs California Digital Newspaper Collection J The Jewish News of Northern California August 8 1958 Retrieved 2022 11 16 Bond Issue For S F Slum Work Urged The San Francisco Examiner 1949 08 06 p 3 Retrieved 2022 11 19 Cities Warned To Find More Parking Space The San Francisco Examiner 1949 10 26 p 19 Retrieved 2022 11 19 Issel William 2004 The Catholic Internationale Mayor Joseph L Alioto s Urban Liberalism and San Francisco Catholicism U S Catholic Historian 22 2 99 120 ISSN 0735 8318 How Urban Renewal Tried To Rebuild The Fillmore hoodline com 2016 01 10 Retrieved 2022 11 16 Rubenstein Steve 2003 02 20 Robert Rumsey In early 70s led S F redevelopment office CT Insider Hearst Newspapers Retrieved 2022 11 16 Seaside s Greater Victory Temple Church Bishop W W Hamilton dies at 88 Monterey Herald 2019 09 19 Retrieved 2022 11 16 Garofoli Joe 2015 06 14 LeRoy King longtime S F labor civil rights leader dies San Francisco Chronicle Retrieved 2022 11 30 Chakraborty Sudeepto Leroy King Changemakers University of San Francisco USF Retrieved 2022 11 30 Kwong Jessica SF mourns death of LeRoy King longtime civil rights and labor leader San Francisco Examiner Retrieved 2022 11 30 Smith Matt Elinson Zusha 2012 01 06 Fillmore District Audit Shows Little Oversight The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved 2022 11 16 a b Lee Stephanie M 2012 01 17 Cities struggle with ending redevelopment agencies San Francisco Chronicle Retrieved 2022 11 30 a b Fulbright Leslie 2008 08 18 Some evicted in renewal may get housing help San Francisco Chronicle Retrieved 2022 11 30 Barton Stephen E 1985 The Neighborhood Movement in San Francisco Berkeley Planning Journal 2 1 doi 10 5070 BP32113201 ISSN 1047 5192 a b c d Jordan Fred 2016 04 29 San Francisco continues destruction of its black community San Francisco Chronicle Retrieved 2022 11 30 Wildermuth John 2014 02 06 S F s 50 million plan to fill Geary underpass at Fillmore SFGATE Retrieved 2022 12 29 Todd Gail 2009 08 06 Japantown A taste of culture in San Francisco San Francisco Chronicle Retrieved 2022 11 30 Walgren Judy 2015 04 22 Authors preserve memories images of Fillmore jazz era San Francisco Chronicle Retrieved 2022 11 30 Fulbright Leslie 2009 03 17 Fallow historic Fillmore site to revert to S F San Francisco Chronicle Retrieved 2022 11 30 Fulbright Leslie 2008 08 10 Black population deserting S F study says San Francisco Chronicle Retrieved 2022 11 30 Diamond Heights Project Area B 1 San Francisco Public Library Scott Mel 1985 01 01 The San Francisco Bay Area A Metropolis in Perspective University of California Press p 288 ISBN 978 0 520 05510 0 Western Addition Project Areas A 1 and A 2 San Francisco Public Library The end of a disturbing era San Francisco Chronicle 2008 07 25 Retrieved 2022 11 30 Embarcadero Lower Market Golden Gateway Project Area E 1 San Francisco Public Library Yerba Buena Center Project Area D 1 San Francisco Public Library Carney William 2014 03 24 How to protect Yerba Buena Gardens in Moscone expansion San Francisco Chronicle Retrieved 2022 11 30 Hunters Point Project Area A San Francisco Public Library May Meredith 2009 08 26 Mission Bay becoming a real neighborhood San Francisco Chronicle Retrieved 2022 11 30 King John 2008 12 02 Yes Mission Bay is still a work in progress San Francisco Chronicle Retrieved 2022 11 30 Ross Andrew S 2012 08 03 Visitacion Valley project not dead yet San Francisco Chronicle Retrieved 2022 11 30 Selna Robert 2009 03 18 3 teams vie to build Transbay housing San Francisco Chronicle Retrieved 2022 11 30 Adams Jerry 1962 09 02 M Justin Herman continued 4 4 The San Francisco Examiner p 129 Retrieved 2022 11 02 via Newspapers com Slum Project Agency Stand On Racial Barrier Opposed The San Francisco Examiner 1949 04 30 p 21 Retrieved 2022 11 16 Fillmore Timeline 1860 2001 Public Broadcasting Service PBS Miller Paul T 2009 09 10 The Postwar Struggle for Civil Rights African Americans in San Francisco 1945 1975 Routledge p 132 ISBN 978 1 135 23514 7 External links editSan Francisco Redevelopment Agency Records from the San Francisco Historical Photograph Collection San Francisco Public Library Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title San Francisco Redevelopment Agency amp oldid 1203896315, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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