Real Estate Developers Association of San Francisco

Real Estate Developers Association of San Francisco
Name	Real Estate Developers Association of San Francisco
Formation	20th century
Type	Trade association
Headquarters	San Francisco, California
Region served	San Francisco Bay Area
Language	English

Real Estate Developers Association of San Francisco The Real Estate Developers Association of San Francisco is a trade association based in San Francisco, California, representing private developers, investors, architects, and contractors engaged in urban development. The association has engaged with municipal entities such as the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, regional bodies like the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, and state institutions including the California State Legislature on land use, housing, and commercial development policy. Its membership has included firms and individuals with ties to projects near landmarks such as Union Square (San Francisco), Mission District, San Francisco, and the Embarcadero.

History

Founded in the 20th century amid postwar redevelopment trends that involved actors like Robert Moses-era planners and regional boosters associated with the Bay Area Rapid Transit era, the association emerged as an industry voice during eras of urban renewal and seismic retrofitting that followed the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. In subsequent decades the association intersected with municipal planning efforts of administrations such as those of Dianne Feinstein and Willie Brown (politician), and with nonprofit urbanists linked to the San Francisco Planning Department and the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency. It adapted through major inflection points including responses to the Dot-com bubble and to housing debates sparked by demographic changes tied to the Silicon Valley expansion and the Great Recession.

Mission and Activities

The association states objectives consistent with development advocacy, engaging in project review processes before bodies like the San Francisco Planning Commission and participating in ballot measure campaigns similar to those seen around Proposition 13-era tax debates and later housing initiatives influenced by groups such as SPUR (San Francisco Bay Area planning and urban research association). Activities include convening panels with representatives from Skidmore, Owings & Merrill-type firms, facilitating technical workshops featuring speakers from the American Institute of Architects and the Urban Land Institute, and producing position papers on topics that intersect with agencies like the California Coastal Commission and the California Department of Housing and Community Development.

Membership and Governance

Membership typically comprises principals from firms analogous to Tishman Speyer, Hines (company), and local developers with portfolios in areas like SoMa, San Francisco and North Beach, San Francisco. Governance structures mirror corporate trade groups, with boards often including executives who have served on commissions such as the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency board or advisory panels to the Mayor of San Francisco. Committees have drawn experts from institutions such as University of California, Berkeley's planning programs and from professional associations like the National Association of Realtors and the Associated General Contractors of America.

Major Projects and Influence

The association has had a visible presence in large-scale endeavors akin to redevelopment around the Transbay Transit Center site and waterfront projects adjacent to the Ferry Building Marketplace. It has engaged developers involved in high-profile towers similar to those by SHoP Architects and in adaptive reuse projects comparable to conversions at Pier 70 (San Francisco) and warehouse districts influenced by patterns in Mission Bay, San Francisco. Through coalition building with finance entities resembling Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, and regional banks, the association shaped discussions on large mixed-use proposals and transit-oriented development advocated by entities such as the Bay Area Council.

Policy Positions and Advocacy

The association has advanced policy positions promoting streamlined permitting processes modeled on reforms seen in jurisdictions influenced by Los Angeles and New York City planning practices, while engaging with state-level legislation like statutes debated in the California State Assembly and California State Senate concerning density, inclusionary zoning, and impact fees. It has campaigned for infrastructure funding approaches parallel to proposals before the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and has opposed measures supported by tenant advocacy groups similar to the Tenant Union Representative Network and San Francisco Tenants Union that would restrict demolition or conversion. Its advocacy often intersects with legal strategies invoking provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act.

Controversies and Criticism

Critics have accused the association of favoring large corporate developers comparable to Forest City Realty Trust and of contributing to displacement debates linked to gentrification patterns evident in neighborhoods like the Mission District, San Francisco and Hayes Valley. Advocacy efforts have been challenged by coalitions including labor unions such as the Service Employees International Union and community groups aligned with organizations like Civic Commons-style collectives. Contentious episodes have involved campaign spending practices similar to those scrutinized in cases involving campaign finance controversies at the municipal level, legal disputes over environmental review reminiscent of CEQA litigation, and public protests at hearings held by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and the San Francisco Planning Commission.

Category:Organizations based in San Francisco Category:Trade associations in the United States Category:Real estate organizations