The Pipeline Report

Housing Pipeline-At-A-Glance

Browse the Development Pipeline

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To download the Q3 2018 Pipeline data set:

  • Navigate to the SF OpenData page
  • Look for the row of colorful buttons and click on the light blue one labeled Export
  • A side menu will appear on the right; select your preferred file format to download

What is the Pipeline?

The San Francisco consolidated pipeline consists of development projects that would add residential units or commercial space, applications for which have been formally submitted to the Planning Department or the Department of Building Inspection (DBI). Pipeline projects are at various stages of development: from applications having been filed to entitlements secured; from building permits approved and issued to projects under construction (see diagram below). The pipeline includes only those projects with a land use or building permit application. It does not include projects undergoing preliminary Planning Department project review (learn more about the PPA process here) or projections based on area plan analysis. Projects vary in size from single units to larger multi-year development programs undergoing environmental review.

Once a project is issued a Certificate of Final Completion by the DBI, it is taken out of the pipeline.

Development Pipeline Stages

Data sources for the pipeline are chiefly the project databases maintained by the Planning Department and the Department of Building Inspection, respectively, but data is also occasionally obtained from the Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure (formerly known as Redevelopment Agency).

The Relevance of the Pipeline

The pipeline serves as a barometer of medium to long-term development trends. It illustrates location and scale of current and proposed future construction taking place and where new land uses (see data dictionary) are being established; it also records demolition and a partial listing of conversion of existing land uses. In sum, the pipeline provides a short- to medium-term picture of changing land uses, tracking especially the changes to the city's housing stock and commercial uses.

Accuracy and Timeliness

The pipeline is compiled and consolidated from different data sources and is subject to errors due to varying accuracy and currency of original sources. The pipeline quarters are as follows:

  • Quarter 1 (Q1): January 1 - March 31
  • Quarter 2 (Q2): April 1 - June 30
  • Quarter 3 (Q3): July 1 - September 30
  • Quarter 4 (Q4): October 1 - December 31

The data in this report is pulled from original sources current through Q3 of 2018. While we make an effort to consolidate multiple permits for different components of the same project from different agencies, it is not possible to validate the accuracy of all projects. Should you find inaccuracies and omissions, please e-mail your comments to teresa.ojeda@sfgov.org.

Previous Releases

Visit the SF OpenData catalog for more pipeline data sets.

Year Quarter Report Data Map
2018 Q4   Q4 2018 Data Q4 2018 Map
Q3   Q3 2018 Data Q3 2018 Map
Q2   Q2 2018 Data Q2 2018 Map
Q1   Q1 2018 Data Q1 2018 Map
2017 Q4   Q4 2017 Data Q4 2017 Map
Q3   Q3 2017 Data Q3 2017 Map
Q2   Q2 2017 Data Q2 2017 Map
Q1   Q1 2017 Data Q1 2017 Map
2016 Q4   Q4 2016 Data Q4 2016 Map
Q3   Q3 2016 Data Q3 2016 Map
Q2   Q2 2016 Data Q2 2016 Map
Q1   Q1 2016 Data Q1 2016 Map
2015 Q4   Q4 2015 Data Q4 2015 Map
Q3   Q3 2015 Data Q3 2015 Map
Q2   Q2 2015 Data Q2 2015 Map
Q1   Q1 2015 Data Q1 2015 Map
2014 Q4   Q4 2014 Data Q4 2015 Map
Q3 Q3 2014 Report    
Q2 Q2 2014 Report    
Q1 Q1 2014 Report    
2013 Q4 Q4 2013 Report    
Q3 Q3 2013 Report    
Q2 Q2 2013 Report    
Q1      
2012 Q4 Q4 2012 Report    
Q3      
Q2 Q2 2012 Report    
Q1 Q1 2012 Report        
2011 Q4      
Q3 Q3 2011 Report    
Q2 Q2 2011 Report    
Q1 Q1 2011 Report    
2010 Q4      
Q3 Q3 2010 Report    
Q2 Q2 2010 Report    
Q1      
2009 Q4 Q4 2009 Report    
Q3      
Q2 Q2 2009 Report    
Q1      
2008 Q4      
Q3      
Q2 Q2 2008 Report    
Q1 Q1 2008 Report    
2007 Q4 Q4 2007 Report    
Q3 Q3 2007 Report    
Q2      
Q1 Q1 2007 Report    

Contact

For more information on the Development Pipeline report, please contact:

Teresa Ojeda
teresa.ojeda@sfgov.org
(415) 558-6251

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