About Ken

Ken Rich served as Director of Development for San Francisco Mayors Ed Lee and London Breed from 2010 to 2020. He led the City’s team responsible for negotiating complex entitlements and development agreements for a series of large, transformational real estate development projects, successfully entitling 13 such projects under his watch. Ken also served as a principal adviser to both mayors on planning and development issues.

Projects approved under Ken’s direction focus on low and middle income housing, waterfront revitalization, workforce development and the arts. In total, they encompass more than 20,000 new residential units, 6 million square feet of commercial space and 40 acres of new open space for the City. Each of these complex projects required creative public-private problem solving around unique sets of issues. These projects are a cornerstone of the City’s efforts to add housing and to grow in a responsible, sustainable and equitable manner.

Prior to working as Director of Development, Ken worked for more than 10 years on land use planning at the San Francisco Planning Department, where among other projects, he led the City’s initiative to adopt the Eastern Neighborhoods Plan, which rezoned a large portion of southeastern San Francisco in order to encourage more housing while protecting industrial businesses.

Ken holds a Master’s Degree in City Planning from UC Berkeley, as well as a bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley and Master’s degree from Columbia University, both in History. Outside of work, Ken enjoys mid-century furniture and industrial design, early 20th century art, classic science fiction and foodie-oriented travel, and of course, exploring new cities and neighborhoods.