A CBA for San Francisco's Hunter Point

From Julian Gross, the director of the Community Benefits Law Center:

Last week, the San Francisco Labor Council, ACORN, and the San Francisco Organizing Project entered into a community benefits agreement regarding a major development in the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood of San Francisco.

Under the CBA, Lennar, a national housing developer, agreed that if the project moves forward, Lennar will:

• ensure that 32% of housing units built within the project are affordable, at a range of income levels;

• provide over $27 million in housing assistance funds targeted to neighborhood residents, including down payment assistance enabling additional units to be sold below market rates;

• provide over $8.5 million in job training funds targeted to neighborhood residents;

• ensure that all project employers participate in a state-of-the-art local hiring program; and

• ensure labor peace in key industries within the project.

Since all of these benefits are contained in the CBA, they are legally binding and enforceable by the Labor Council, ACORN, and SFOP. In light of these commitments by the developer, these organizations took strong, public positions in support of the project on two key ballot initiatives presented to the voters on June 3.

On election day, San Francisco voters agreed with the Mayor, the developer, and the organizations signing the CBA that the project should move forward. An overview of the project and the dueling ballot initiatives is available here.

As the project is just beginning the formal approval process, there will be numerous opportunities for community members who did not participate in the CBA process to help shape the project by working with public bodies.

This CBA represents a historic labor-community partnership in San Francisco, laying the groundwork for future coalition-based advocacy in the city. Julian Gross, Legal Director of the Partnership for Working Families, represented the coalition in negotiations.