San Francisco Redevelopment Agency

San Francisco city agency from 1948 to 2012

San Francisco Redevelopment AgencyAgency overview

Formed| August 10, 1948 (1948-08-10)
Dissolved| February 1, 2012 (2012-02-01)
Superseding agency|

* San Francisco Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure

Jurisdiction| City and County of San Francisco

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.

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]

In 1954, real estate promoter Ben Swig presented the San Francisco Prosperity Plan which involved a complete overhaul of the south of Market street (SOMA), a project that the city approved in 1966.[4] Primary work started on the Moscone Center project.

In 1955, Joseph Alioto was appointed chairman of the board of the SFRA.[5] He led the Western Addition redevelopment project, which was criticized because a vast majority of its previous residents could not move back as rents had gotten much higher.[6]

In 1969, residents of the SOMA created the Tenant and Owners in Opposition to Redevelopment (TOOR) which charged the SFRA for not fulfilling its promise of finding affordable housing for removed residents. The case was brought up all the way to the Federal District Court which ruled in favor of the TOOR in a unique moment in History where a federal judge refuted the HUD.[7] In 1970, Justin Herman, executive director of the SFRA, said about the SOMA "This land is too valuable to permit poor people to park on it."[4] Efforts of the TOOR to protect the removed residents were finally diluted by the SFRA.[7]

From 1989 until 2011, the agency used tax increment financing as a major source of their funding (through a TIF law);[8] 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.[8][9][10] 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][11][12]
* James E. Lash, Executive Director[13]
* Joseph Alioto, Chairman, from 1955 to 1959[14]
* M. Justin Herman, Executive Director, April 1959 to August 1971[15]
* Robert Rumsey, Executive Director, 1971 to 1974[16]
* Wilbur Wyatt Hamilton, Executive Director, 1977 to 1987[17]
* LeRoy King, Commissioner, 1980 to 2011[18][19][20]
* Fred Blackwell, Executive Director, 2007 to 2011[21]
* Tiffany Bohee, Interim Executive Director, 2012[22]

## Projects

[edit]

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

### Western Addition

[edit]

See also: Japan Center (San Francisco)

During the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, the city had a surplus of buildings in Japantown.[23] 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.[24][25] The creation of the Geary Street underpass was part of the project.[26]

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.[25][27][23] They had bulldozed the neighborhood but then left empty lots for some 30 years, destroying the once vibrant black community.[25][28][29][30]

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.[25]

## List of projects

[edit]

The Embarcadero Plaza (formerly Justin Herman Plaza) in 1988

* Diamond Heights neighborhood, active from 1948 to 1978.[31]
* Western Addition (including the Fillmore District), active from 1948 until January 2009:[32][33][34] 883 businesses shut down, 4,729 households emptied, 2,500 Victorian homes demolished. Yet, in 60 years, the agency failed to revive the once vibrant Black-American neighborhood.[35]
* 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.[36]
* Yerba Buena Center (different from Yerba Buena Center for the Arts), an 87-acre project, active from 1966 to 2009.[37][38]
* 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.[39]
* 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[40][41]
* Treasure Island
* Visitacion Valley[42]
* Transbay Transit Center[43]

## Reception

[edit]

The agency was supported by elite of the city and by banks, businesses and the city government.[44] The intent was to encourage the development in the city to include partnership with private investors.[22]

However, from the moment the agency was formed, there was vocal criticism and opposition from the African American community.[45] The agency's policies caused thousands of residents, many of them poor and non-white, were forced to leave their homes and businesses.[46][47]

## See also

[edit]

* Slum clearance in the United States
* Subsidized housing in the United States
* San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association

## 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 (2 January 2020). "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. JSTOR 25155195.
4. ^ a b Rubin, Gayle S. (2009-01-20). "Redevelopment in South of Market". www.foundsf.org. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
5. ^ Carroll, Jerry; Carlsen, William (1998-01-30). "Joseph Alioto Dies at 81 / Flamboyant, zestful two-term mayor altered the look of S.F." SFGate. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
6. ^ "The Truth Behind MCO: Model Cities--End of the Mission". www.foundsf.org. Basta Ya! Community Newspaper. November 1970. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
7. ^ a b Ratliff, Ben (2009-01-20). "TOOR (Tenants and Owners in Opposition to Redevelopment) - FoundSF". www.foundsf.org. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
8. ^ 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)
9. ^ 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.
10. ^ Lee, Stephanie M. (2012-03-31). "SF Redevelopment Agency wraps up its business". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
11. ^ "Morgan A. Gunst, Financier, Succumbs". California Digital Newspaper Collection. J. The Jewish News of Northern California. August 8, 1958. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
12. ^ "Bond Issue For S.F. Slum Work Urged". The San Francisco Examiner. 1949-08-06. p. 3. Retrieved 2022-11-19.
13. ^ "Cities Warned To Find More Parking Space". The San Francisco Examiner. 1949-10-26. p. 19. Retrieved 2022-11-19.
14. ^ 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. JSTOR 25154911.
15. ^ "How Urban Renewal Tried To Rebuild The Fillmore". hoodline.com. 2016-01-10. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
16. ^ Rubenstein, Steve (2003-02-20). "Robert Rumsey: In early '70s, led S.F. redevelopment office". CT Insider. Hearst Newspapers. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
17. ^ "Seaside's Greater Victory Temple Church Bishop W. W. Hamilton dies at 88". Monterey Herald. 2019-09-19. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
18. ^ Garofoli, Joe (2015-06-14). "LeRoy King, longtime S.F. labor, civil rights leader, dies". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
19. ^ Chakraborty, Sudeepto. "Leroy King – Changemakers". University of San Francisco (USF). Retrieved 2022-11-30.
20. ^ Kwong, Jessica (15 June 2015). "SF mourns death of LeRoy King, longtime civil rights and labor leader". San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
21. ^ Smith, Matt; Elinson, Zusha (2012-01-06). "Fillmore District Audit Shows Little Oversight". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
22. ^ a b Lee, Stephanie M. (2012-01-17). "Cities struggle with ending redevelopment agencies". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
23. ^ a b Fulbright, Leslie (2008-08-18). "Some evicted in 'renewal' may get housing help". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
24. ^ Barton, Stephen E. (1985). "The Neighborhood Movement in San Francisco". Berkeley Planning Journal. 2 (1). doi:10.5070/BP32113201. ISSN 1047-5192.
25. ^ a b c d Jordan, Fred (2016-04-29). "San Francisco continues destruction of its black community". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
26. ^ Wildermuth, John (2014-02-06). "S.F.'s $50 million plan to fill Geary underpass at Fillmore". SFGATE. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
27. ^ Todd, Gail (2009-08-06). "Japantown: A taste of culture in San Francisco". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
28. ^ Walgren, Judy (2015-04-22). "Authors preserve memories, images of Fillmore jazz era". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
29. ^ Fulbright, Leslie (2009-03-17). "Fallow historic Fillmore site to revert to S.F." San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
30. ^ Fulbright, Leslie (2008-08-10). "Black population deserting S.F., study says". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
31. ^ "Diamond Heights Project Area B-1". San Francisco Public Library.
32. ^ 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.
33. ^ "Western Addition Project Areas A-1 and A-2". San Francisco Public Library.
34. ^ "The end of a disturbing era". San Francisco Chronicle. 2008-07-25. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
35. ^ Fulbright, Leslie (2008-07-21). "Sad chapter in Western Addition history ending". SFGate. Archived from the original on 2012-07-03. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
36. ^ "Embarcadero-Lower Market (Golden Gateway) Project Area E-1". San Francisco Public Library.
37. ^ "Yerba Buena Center Project Area D-1". San Francisco Public Library.
38. ^ Carney, William (2014-03-24). "How to protect Yerba Buena Gardens in Moscone expansion". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
39. ^ "Hunters Point Project Area A". San Francisco Public Library.
40. ^ May, Meredith (2009-08-26). "Mission Bay becoming a real neighborhood". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
41. ^ King, John (2008-12-02). "Yes. Mission Bay is still a work in progress". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
42. ^ Ross, Andrew S. (2012-08-03). "Visitacion Valley project not dead yet". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
43. ^ Selna, Robert (2009-03-18). "3 teams vie to build Transbay housing". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
44. ^ Adams, Jerry (1962-09-02). "M. Justin Herman (continued 4/4)". The San Francisco Examiner. p. 129. Retrieved 2022-11-02 - via Newspapers.com.
45. ^ "Slum Project Agency Stand On Racial Barrier Opposed". The San Francisco Examiner. 1949-04-30. p. 21. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
46. ^ Fillmore Timeline 1860 - 2001. Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).
47. ^ 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]

* San Francisco Redevelopment Agency Records from the San Francisco Historical Photograph Collection, San Francisco Public Library

Authority control databases |

* VIAF

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