Real estate in San Francisco's Diamond Heights, an area once dedicated to affordable housing, is being proposed for a multi-million dollar development, causing an uproar among community members.
The real estate parcel owned by the nonprofit Cesar Chavez Foundation sits at the top of a hill overlooking the city, south of Twin Peaks.
Before it was subdivided, this area was slated for affordable housing, but now nonprofit officials are attempting to sell the unused patch of land to for-profit developers.
Neighborhood activists Betsy Eddy told KCBS Radio that she wished developers would build affordable housing on the site "because that’s what it’s always been intended for."
Alfredo Izmajtovich, the executive vice president of housing and economic development for the Cesar Chavez Foundation, said they are bound to a contract to sell the site to a for-profit developer. "It made more sense for us to sell it versus developing it ourselves," he explained.
However, Ryan Patterson, a lawyer representing the Diamond Heights neighbors, claims the entire real estate transaction is illegal.
"We’re calling on the city to investigate the proposed illegal transfer of affordable housing land to a for-profit developer," he said. "They didn’t get prior approval from the state regulators unit. The sign off they did get was from an unauthorized staff member, so it’s clearly illegal."
This issue is now headed to the City Attorney’s Office for evaluation.
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