Office Development Annual Limitation Program

The Office Development Annual Limit Program became effective in 1985 with the adoption of the Downtown Plan and associated amendments to the Planning Code.  It was subsequently amended by 1986’s Proposition M, 1987’s Proposition C, 2020’s Proposition E, and 2024’s Proposition C.

The central provision of the Annual Limit Program is a “metering limit” designed to restrict the amount of office space authorized in a given year. In doing so, the Annual Limit Program aims to ensure a manageable rate of new development and to guard against typical “boom and bust” cycles, among other goals. Additional background on the program, not including changes made in 2020 and 2024, can be found here.

The amount of office development potential that becomes available for allocation in each approval period, which begins on October 17, is tied to annual housing production. Office development space currently available for allocation can be found here. Of the total new available space, 75,000 gsf is reserved for Small Allocation projects (25,000–49,999 gsf of office space), while the remainder is available for Large Allocation projects (at least 50,000 gsf of office space). Under Proposition E, the amount available for Large Allocation projects can be reduced each year when the City does not build enough affordable housing. Office space not allocated in a given year is carried over to subsequent years.