Mayor Daniel Lurie signed the Slashing Housing Appeals and Delays Everywhere Act, or SHADE Act, on Friday, Oct. 23, according to the mayor's office. Supervisor Bilal Mahmood wrote the law. It brings San Francisco's environmental review rules in line with the state's California Environmental Quality Act. We covered the proposal earlier in our story on the SHADE Act and shadow appeals.

What changes

  • Shadow impact analysis comes out of local CEQA review. The Planning Department will still review shadows on city parks.
  • The window to appeal local CEQA decisions drops from 30 days to 15.
  • Three types of CEQA appeals are eliminated.
  • The Board of Supervisors must act on a CEQA appeal within 14 days of the hearing in most cases.
  • A Planning Commission hearing is no longer required for a draft environmental impact report.

The city says the changes could cut three to nine months from some reviews and save up to $25,000 per project. The Center Square reported that shadow reviews had delayed more than 2,000 units across 12 projects, and that the 1984 Proposition K sunlight rule for parks is not affected.

What they're saying

"For decades, San Francisco has made it easier to block housing than to build it," Lurie said. Mahmood said, "San Francisco is done letting red tape cast a shadow over our housing future."

Not everyone is on board. Hoodline quoted critic Bridget Maley, who said the law "will limit the public's voice." Hoodline also pointed to 469 Stevenson, a 495-unit SoMa project that has been held up by a shadow dispute.

Note: outlets have reported different vote counts for the Board of Supervisors' final vote. All agree Supervisor Connie Chan was the lone no vote.