SAN FRANCISCO | Projects: Under Construction, Approved, and Proposed

[gillynova]

^ Agreed

[MyCitySFO]

Totally agree. i 2nd that. It is one of those things a city needs. It's about time. Up here in Spokane, Amazon is currently building it's 3rd huge facility. Mind you, Spokane has a population of only 217,000 and metro of 586,000. We are a 6 hour drive from Seattle to the east, and 6 hours Northeast of Portland. There is not much else around population wise for another 7 hours to the northeast in Calgary. So by San Francisco getting at least 1, it should help immensely getting goods to customers in The City and parts of the northern peninsula.

[Busy Bee]

Not sure if this is the right place but what's the latest with the Parc Merced revamp? Is it in construction?

[AndrewK]

Not sure if this is the right place but what's the latest with the Parc Merced revamp? Is it in construction?

It has its own thread, but the last news was that it was supposed to begin in 2020:

https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/showthread.php?t=218244

[Jerry of San Fran]

For those who have been following 1188 Howard Street @ 9th Street - view of the alley and a view in the window from Howard Street of the ground floor with A tiny space with bath/toilet, kitchen. I presume the bedroom is upstairs. This is not a place for an older person or one with a handicap. Imagine having to go downstairs to use the toilet! This apartment can be seen in the alley photo herewith.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51821858057_8c82c7ec8c_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2mXjyXk)1288 Howard Street - New Alley[/url
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2mXppUz]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51822803181_3408f54a53_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2mXjyXk)[url=https://flic.kr/p/2mXppUz]1288 Howard Street - Kitchen url
/Bath[/

[timbad]

... It's in the best place for it too, near a rail line and freeways and amidst other industrial buildings. ....

Neighbor here, and do not agree regarding the location - this neighborhood has been gradually evolving away from this type of landuse for some time. As I also commented at sfyimby, it belongs further south, maybe around Islais Creek/Cesar Chavez, which probably actually has better freeway access, and would still be pretty near the 22nd St Caltrain station, if that is seen as an advantage to this project.

[Pedestrian]

Neighbor here, and do not agree regarding the location - this neighborhood has been gradually evolving away from this type of landuse for some time. As I also commented at sfyimby, it belongs further south, maybe around Islais Creek/Cesar Chavez, which probably actually has better freeway access, and would still be pretty near the 22nd St Caltrain station, if that is seen as an advantage to this project.

So NIMBY applies. Trade you an Amazon warehouse for yet another homeless shelter.

[BobbyMucho]

Neighbor here, and do not agree regarding the location - this neighborhood has been gradually evolving away from this type of landuse for some time. As I also commented at sfyimby, it belongs further south, maybe around Islais Creek/Cesar Chavez, which probably actually has better freeway access, and would still be pretty near the 22nd St Caltrain station, if that is seen as an advantage to this project.

Funny enough, Amazon already has close to half a dozen, massive warehouses wedged in between Cesar Chavez and Bayshore. I imagine they're leased, but still. I agree, it's a much better location.

[iamfishhead]

Funny enough, Amazon already has close to half a dozen, massive warehouses wedged in between Cesar Chavez and Bayshore. I imagine they're leased, but still. I agree, it's a much better location.

Yeah, probably much better FiDi access as well as access to North of Market.

[homebucket]

Nice little potential infill project.

Cars-To-Casas Application Filed For 530 Turk Street, Tenderloin, San Francisco
BY: ANDREW NELSON 5:00 AM ON JANUARY 20, 2022

The preliminary project assessment application has been filed for an eleven-story residential infill at 530 Turk Street, located in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood. The application expects to benefit from the state density bonus and Cars-to-Casas ordinance, both programs to increase the amount of affordable housing. The property is currently used as a parking lot.

Plans for 530 Turk Street are expected to rise to be 105 feet tall, with a single story of commercial retail and some parking above ten floors of housing. The amount and sizes of apartments have not yet been established, as this project is in a preliminary stage.

The Cars to Casas ordinance was announced in October of 2021 by Mayor London Breed. The ordinance is focused on hastening the bureaucratic process, increasing allowed density, and reducing the number of lots in San Francisco which also for less than three units. The most substantial alteration is allowing four units in Residential Housing zoning district on lots that currently have auto-oriented use.

The ordinance is still pending approval at the Board of Supervisors.

https://sfyimby.com/2022/01/cars-to-casas-application-filed-for-530-turk-street-tenderloin-san-francisco.html

[Pedestrian]

^^I will be very happy to see that lot developed and 555 Larkin next door finished.

[gillynova]

Pedestrian view of Mira Tower

https://i.imgur.com/1TnyVkuh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/nXpn7cDh.jpg

==
Photo Dump
https://i.imgur.com/sODQo0Sh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/dta4BnVh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/jxlJa4gh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/CficWY0h.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/QnE8K8dh.jpg

[tech12]

So NIMBY applies. Trade you an Amazon warehouse for yet another homeless shelter.

The warehouse site was originally planned to be a residential development with two high-rises and hundreds of housing units. Why are you talking about homeless shelters (which are good, by the way).

[tall/awkward]

Agreed. More homeless shelters, less homeless camps.

Nice pics. Seeing the skyline from the East Bay makes me think there should be another tall something to the right of Salesforce. Looks a little flat there.

[Pedestrian]

The warehouse site was originally planned to be a residential development with two high-rises and hundreds of housing units. Why are you talking about homeless shelters (which are good, by the way).

The city puts all its shelters in one neighborhood: The Tenderloin and adjacent. Since you find them good, I wish the city would put the next one near you. They have created a "combat zone" by putting everything serving and attracting the homeless, mentally ill and addicted in the most powerless neighborhood where they can get away with it. It's wrong.

As for what the site of the Amazon project was "originally planned" to be, who cares? It would be that if the proposal had funding. It didn't. I think it's a perfectly acceptable place for the Amazon warehouse and I hope that gets built there soon.

[Pedestrian]

Agreed. More homeless shelters, less homeless camps.


If only that were true. There's not much evidence it is.

I am not opposed to building housing for the homeless or even being taxed to do so although I think the city's current spending for that should be adequate. But as I posted elsewhere, when asked nearly all the people currently camping on Tenderloin streets declined indoor shelter options, presumably fearing those came with unacceptable rules.

The city has now been creating all the shelter space and housing it could afford for over a decade and the numbers living on its streets has simply grown. Now that I'm spending part of my time elsewhere, every time I come back to San Francisco it seems like the squalor on the streets is worse than I remember.

[tall/awkward]

My last off-topic comment: I've been living in and around the Tenderloin for decades. It's most definitely not worse than ever. If anything it's much better than back in the day. There are no easy fixes. These things take time. At least someone's still trying.

[Pedestrian]

My last off-topic comment: I've been living in and around the Tenderloin for decades. It's most definitely not worse than ever. If anything it's much better than back in the day. There are no easy fixes. These things take time. At least someone's still trying.

The sidewalks of the Tenderloin did NOT look like this until this past summer:

https://uniim1.shutterfly.com/render/00-TYccnrXbLVwyQ9qLIK1hL6ErtTmAV7GMDDBeRX4aMBc1AMT19W0D650dUTu46l0e5cYdfB3jRoL_VZILaXEufg?cn=THISLIFE&res=large&ts=1621718661

The Urban Alchemy folks have done quite a good job clearing up the scene south of Turk St (thanks to the city's agreement to keep the area around Hastings law school cleaned up), but the eastern parts of Ellis and Eddy especially are horrible, much worse than ever before.

[tall/awkward]

Yes, when you clear out an area, all those people don't just disappear. They go to another area nearby. I walk around them too, but it's really much more their problem. I'm lucky enough to have a home to go to.

Again, no easy solutions, but at least someone out there is still trying something to help all of us.

[Pedestrian]

Affordable Housing At 78 Haight Street, Hayes Valley, Aims For April Groundbreaking
BY: ANDREW NELSON 5:30 AM ON JANUARY 22, 2022

Construction is expected to begin in April on affordable housing at 78 Haight Street in Hayes Valley, San Francisco. The General Plan Referral, filed with the city this week, explains that the start date is imposed by the project’s construction financing package. The project, dubbed Parcel U, has been in the works since 2019 by the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation . . . .

The Project received a final recommendation for reservation for 9% and state low-income housing tax credits at the [2021 California Tax Credit Allocation Committee (TCAC)] meeting on October 20, 2021. The project must close construction financing and start construction by mid-April, 2022 to meet the tax credit award requirements. The ground lease transaction is part of this package of construction financing.

[It] will include 63 units, with “32 units for Transition Age Youth (TAY) who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, as well as a childcare center on the ground floor. Rents are set at or below 65% San Francisco Area Median Income.” The rest of the units will be affordable for families and adults with low incomes. Of the 63 units, there will be 52 studios and 11 one-bedrooms.

The 55-foot tall structure will yield approximately 44,000 square feet, with 24,350 square feet for residential use, 1,160 square feet for on-site offices, 3,630 square feet for an onsite-childcare facility, and 2,620 square feet for usable open space. Parking will be included for 20 bicycles, a figure limited by the cost of excavation, according to the project team.

The basement will include a residential services office, bicycle parking, and mechanical spaces. The ground level will contain the residential lobby and licensed childcare center. There will be two community rooms, one dedicated to the general residents, the other specialized for the TAY youth residents. The roof deck will offer common amenities and laundry.

Paulett Taggart Architects, a local firm, is responsible for the design. The ground level will be clad with board-formed concrete and floor-to-ceiling windows. The upper floors will be clad with fiber cement panels, metal shades, and protruding angular bay windows.

TS Studios is managing the landscape architecture, Luk & Associates is the civil engineer, and KPFF is the structural engineer. Guzman Construction Group and Suffolk have entered a joint venture as the project’s contractor. The project will be built to have 100% renewable energy through CleanPowerSF.

The property will stretch along Octavia Street from Haight to Rose, bound on the east side by Gough Street. The property is by the freeway exit and entrance, connecting Octavia to 101 and I-80. The project will rise between two other relatively new housing projects along Octavia Street. Across Haight street is the Stanley Saitowitz-designed 8 Octavia Condos, completed in 2014 with 37 homes by DDG Partners, a firm with several projects in New York City. Across from Rose Street, 188 Octavia was recently completed, by DM Development and Edmonds + Lee Architecture.

Construction is expected [to cost] $12 million, a figure not inclusive of the whole development price tag. A timeline for completion has not been published, though a range between early 2024 to early 2025 is not unlikely.

https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/78-Haight-Street-rendering-by-Paulett-Taggart-Architects-777x442.jpg

https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/78-Haight-Street-axon-aerial-view-rendering-by-Paulett-Taggart-Architects-1536x1014.jpg

[The lot currently]
https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/78-Haight-Street-seen-from-Haight-andOctavia-Street-image-via-Google-Street-View-1536x1025.jpg

https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/78-Haight-Street-from-Octavia-and-Rose-Street-image-via-Google-Street-View-1536x856.jpg

https://sfyimby.com/2022/01/affordable-housing-at-78-haight-street-hayes-valley-aims-for-april-groundbreaking.html

[dktshb]

If only that were true. There's not much evidence it is.

I am not opposed to building housing for the homeless or even being taxed to do so although I think the city's current spending for that should be adequate. But as I posted elsewhere, when asked nearly all the people currently camping on Tenderloin streets declined indoor shelter options, presumably fearing those came with unacceptable rules.

The city has now been creating all the shelter space and housing it could afford for over a decade and the numbers living on its streets has simply grown. Now that I'm spending part of my time elsewhere, every time I come back to San Francisco it seems like the squalor on the streets is worse than I remember. They shouldn't have an option. Additionally, the shelters should incorporate a bit of privacy for the individuals. It may be more expensive but if each bed was somewhat separate and had a little bit of privacy like a cubicle or even separate small rooms I would assume more would use them. People will take a tent on the street over a mass shelter because the tent provides privacy. Of course there are other issues of not wanting to leave possessions, wanting to do their drugs and pets too.

[Pedestrian]

They shouldn't have an option. Additionally, the shelters should incorporate a bit of privacy for the individuals. It may be more expensive but if each bed was somewhat separate and had a little bit of privacy like a cubicle or even separate small rooms I would assume more would use them. People will take a tent on the street over a mass shelter because the tent provides privacy. Of course there are other issues of not wanting to leave possessions, wanting to do their drugs and pets too.

So what do you think about the new infill at Haight & Octavia? I was thinking they'd NEVER build on that lot. Glad to be wrong.

[dktshb]

So what do you think about the new infill at Haight & Octavia? I was thinking they'd NEVER build on that lot. Glad to be wrong. I will have to check it out when I am back in SF in February. Been in Tahoe with the work from home thing but we're back in the office on February 1st. Is is supportive housing of some sort?

[Pedestrian]

Thank God the old San Francisco isn't dead yet (though it's not in the Mission District)! :D

Renderings Revealed For 2051 Market Street, Mission District, San Francisco
BY: ANDREW NELSON 5:00 AM ON JANUARY 24, 2022

New renderings and a preliminary project assessment for 2051 Market Street have been revealed, located on the northern edge of the Mission District in San Francisco. The seven-story residential infill will replace a two-story commercial building with commercial retail and 29 new apartments to be sold for ownership. The project will also apply for protection from Senate Bill 330.

The 85-foot tall structure will yield 31,950 square feet, with 27,270 square feet for residential use, 1,930 square feet for ground-level retail, and 1,890 square feet for usable open space. Parking will be included for 29 bicycles. There will be no vehicular parking, a sensible decision given the neighborhood density and public transit access.

Of the 29 units, there will be 16 one-bedrooms and 13 two-bedrooms. A few units will include private balconies. The rooftop will include a shared deck, giving residents views across the Mission District. The deck will be set back from the parapet, obscuring its view of the street and neighboring buildings.

The proposal expects to benefit from the Density Bonus and plans to receive protection from Senate Bill 330. Three units will be priced as affordable, aiming for middle-class residents earning around 80% of the Area Median Income.

Winder Gibson Architects is responsible for the design, and Shadi AbouKhater of Sak Design Build is the property owner. City records show the property last sold in September of 2020 for $3.6 million.

The former commercial tenant at 2051 Market Street was Eros, a queer bathhouse and sex club. Eros closed the location and is planning to open a new location, address unspecified, in the Spring of this year . . . .

https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2051-Market-Street-rendering-by-Winder-Gibson-Architects-777x544.jpg

[Now]
https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2051-Market-Street-image-via-Google-Satellite-1536x1025.jpg

https://sfyimby.com/2022/01/renderings-revealed-for-2051-market-street-mission-district-san-francisco.html

[homebucket]

^ Technically it is in the Mission District. It's in the neighborhood known as Mission Dolores, which is part of the Mission District. And since this project on the South side of Market, it is within the boundaries. Across the street is Duboce Triangle.

[tall/awkward]

Aw, would've been more fun if Eros shared the lobby in the new building.

[Jerry of San Fran]

2052 Market St. former Eros. I was in the building only once, for a meeting with intactavists. The building looked to be poorly constructed. I am glad to see some nice architecture replacing it.

[Pedestrian]

^ Technically it is in the Mission District. It's in the neighborhood known as Mission Dolores, which is part of the Mission District. And since this project on the South side of Market, it is within the boundaries. Across the street is Duboce Triangle.

Ask most city residents what neighborhood it's in and I think they'd say something like "Upper Market" or maybe even "the Castro". "Technically" there is no "Mission District". There is "Mission Dolores" and the "Inner Mission". The block in question is indeed just at the border between Mission Dolores and Eureka Valley in the official breakdown. Culturally, it feels to me a lot more like Eureka Valley which is the official name for the Castro.

https://paragonpublic.blob.core.windows.net/dash-v2-blog-images/183661/san_francisco_district-neighborhood_map_compass.jpg
https://www.bayareamarketreports.com/trend/san-francisco-neighborhood-district-map

Is it necessary to argue about everything? Even non-existent neighborhoods? I guess so.

The sun will rise tomorrow. Objections?

[Pedestrian]

2052 Market St. former Eros. I was in the building only once, for a meeting with intactavists. The building looked to be poorly constructed. I am glad to see some nice architecture replacing it.

You must have gone in when the lights were turned up. I'm not sure the construction details would be easily observed during business hours.

[homebucket]

Ask most city residents what neighborhood it's in and I think they'd say something like "Upper Market" or maybe even "the Castro". "Technically" there is no "Mission District". There is "Mission Dolores" and the "Inner Mission". The block in question is indeed just at the border between Mission Dolores and Eureka Valley in the official breakdown. Culturally, it feels to me a lot more like Eureka Valley which is the official name for the Castro.

Is it necessary to argue about everything? Even non-existent neighborhoods? I guess so.

The sun will rise tomorrow. Objections?

Actually, as a native San Franciscan, my initial impression was indeed the Castro. However, after looking up the official boundaries from multiple sources including Google Maps and various neighborhood guides, it is, objectively, without argument, within the boundaries of the Mission. Of course, this is just a technicality, as I would agree, subjectively, it feels more culturally like the Castro.

[tech12]

Ask most city residents what neighborhood it's in and I think they'd say something like "Upper Market" or maybe even "the Castro". "Technically" there is no "Mission District". There is "Mission Dolores" and the "Inner Mission".

lol are you serious? Collectively those areas are known as "the Mission District", or "the Mission" for short, and a lot of people, including Mission natives, never even make a distinction between them. It's all just "the Mission".

Look, here's a map that very specifically says "Mission District", that predates your weird real estate map by over half a century:

https://i.imgur.com/hO2EH5V.jpg

Old Muni maps from the 1990-2000s also said "Mission district", as have plenty of other maps, past and present.

How strange, why do these maps say that? Maybe it's because that's what the area is called? Weird.

[Pedestrian]

lol are you serious? Collectively those areas are known as "the Mission District", or "the Mission" for short, and a lot of people, including Mission natives, never even make a distinction between them. It's all just "the Mission".

Look, here's a map that very specifically says "Mission District", that predates your weird real estate map by over half a century:

https://i.imgur.com/hO2EH5V.jpg

Old Muni maps from the 1990-2000s also said "Mission district", as have plenty of other maps, past and present.

How strange, why do these maps say that? Maybe it's because that's what the area is called? Weird.

I am absolutely serious. The San Francisco Association of Realtors recognizes the map I posted which does not show a "Mission District". But in a way, that was my point. People who live in the city mostly go by neighborhood designations independent of the official designations and no place directly on Market Street is viewed by most people as part of the Mission District as I said. There is no official "Upper Market" just as there is no official "Mission District" but there is a "Merchants of Upper Market" business association because to most people something along Market St feels distinct as a neighborhood called "Upper Market".

Your old maps are just that: Old and not reflective of modern SF.

[fimiak]

Just because your Compass (real estate) map says 'Inner Mission' instead of 'Mission District' does not mean that area is not still considered the Mission by everyone in SF. Your dumb map doesn't even say anything about the Castro...it is meaningless. You really think 'Parnassus Heights' is more of a neighborhood than the Castro?

The only reason Compass wants to get rid of Mission and Castro is because they don't want institutional investors to think 'Latinos' and 'Gays'. Also no Chinatown..in SF....interesting how racist the map is when you actually look at it.

[Pedestrian]

Just because your Compass (real estate) map says 'Inner Mission' instead of 'Mission District' does not mean that area is not still considered the Mission by everyone in SF. Your dumb map doesn't even say anything about the Castro...it is meaningless. You really think 'Parnassus Heights' is more of a neighborhood than the Castro?

The only reason Compass wants to get rid of Mission and Castro is because they don't want institutional investors to think 'Latinos' and 'Gays'. Also no Chinatown..in SF....interesting how racist the map is when you actually look at it.

You are making my point precisely except for one thing: "Everyone in San Francisco" does NOT consider the strip of Market Street near the Safeway as part of the Mission. They consider it as part of "Upper Market" or possibly the Castro or even Eureka Valley as I've been saying.

This began when I questioned whether a gay sex club on Market Street across from the Safeway was a "Mission District" structure. Do you think it is? If not, we agree. If so, we don't.

[twinpeaks]

Just because your Compass (real estate) map says 'Inner Mission' instead of 'Mission District' does not mean that area is not still considered the Mission by everyone in SF. Your dumb map doesn't even say anything about the Castro...it is meaningless. You really think 'Parnassus Heights' is more of a neighborhood than the Castro?

The only reason Compass wants to get rid of Mission and Castro is because they don't want institutional investors to think 'Latinos' and 'Gays'. Also no Chinatown..in SF....interesting how racist the map is when you actually look at it.

I grew up in SF and live near this area now. No one calls this area Mission District or the Mission. Most people refer to this as the Castro or Upper Market or sometimes "Church and Market". Few blocks south is where the Mission really starts.

Agree - those real estate maps does not reflect reality in most cases.

[fimiak]

Well I never meant to call that specific area on Market the Mission District, I simply think that map that excludes the Castro and Chinatown is a little ridiculous.

[Pedestrian]

Well I never meant to call that specific area on Market the Mission District, I simply think that map that excludes the Castro and Chinatown is a little ridiculous.

Speak to your favorite realtor. It's their map. I just used it to make the point that whatever the Eros building is, no San Franciscan would think of it as "Mission District" as Yimby did. And I said from the beginning, I'd call it "Upper Market" myself.

[black beatle]

SFYimby gets neighborhoods wrong all the time. So obvious they don't have anyone local making the posts.

[Pedestrian]

Ella Rohlffs Place Affordable Senior Housing Proposed For 1001 Franklin Street, San Francisco
BY: ANDREW NELSON 5:30 AM ON JANUARY 28, 2022

Preliminary plans have been filed, showing a draft design for new affordable housing for seniors at 1001 Franklin Street on Cathedral Hill, San Francisco. The new project, dubbed Ella Rohlffs Place, will replace surface parking with 94 new homes. The John Stewart Company is sponsoring the development for the property owner, Martin Luther Towner Inc.

Construction will replace a surface parking lot and garage facing Ellis Street between Franklin and Gough Street. The proposal will not impact the three existing structures connected to the Saint Marks Lutheran Church, including the Martin Luther Tower, Saint Mark’s Urban Life Center, and Saint Mark’s Lutheran Church . . . .

In this preliminary design stage, the new 76-foot tall structure will yield 70,800 square feet with 49,720 square feet for residential use, 18,050 square feet of common circulation space, and 1,150 square feet for offices. Parking will be included for 20 bicycles and no vehicles. The project will include a new landscaped lower courtyard, connected by stairs to an upper courtyard between the church and community center. The building and landscaping will span 0.39 acres.

The building will yield 94 affordable rental homes. Unit sizes will vary with 19 studios and 75 one-bedrooms.

At ground level, residents will find a large community room with a connected kitchen and a residents lounge. The property manager will be given offices on the ground floor. The building connects with the new landscaped outdoor courtyard, offering a social hub to connect the building with the church.

Van Meter Williams Pollack, or VMWP Architects, is responsible for the design. With the proposal at an initial period, it’s important to withhold judgment from architectural massings. The architect writes that the exterior will take cues from the historic church while engaging with contemporary design. The facade will include red brick and red-colored materials and a grid pattern that relates to Martin Luther Tower. The rest is to be decided.

Construction will cost $48 million, with an estimated construction timeline not yet established.

Existing condition
https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/1001-Franklin-Street-existing-condition-image-via-Google-Satellite.jpg

https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Ella-Rohlffs-Place-seen-beside-Martin-Luther-Tower-massing-by-Van-Meter-Williams-Pollack.jpg

https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Ella-Rohlffs-Place-seen-beside-Saint-Marks-Lutheran-Church-massing-by-Van-Meter-Williams-Pollack.jpg


https://sfyimby.com/2022/01/ella-rohlffs-place-affordable-senior-housing-proposed-for-1001-franklin-street-san-francisco.html

[homebucket]

I agree. This is considered Cathedral Hill, which is a sub-neighborhood of the Western Addition. Interestingly and curiously, on the Compass map, this location would be considered Van Ness/Civic Center.

[homebucket]

An update for 198 McAllister:
https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/showthread.php?t=244269&page=2
https://sfyimby.com/2022/01/excavation-underway-for-198-mcallister-street-civic-center-san-francisco.html

[homebucket]

I believe this (https://socketsite.com/archives/2019/09/new-plans-for-pyramid-adjacent-parcel.html) was the last we had heard of 545 Sansome, up until now.

Family-owned Sai’s Vietnamese Restaurant ordered to vacate after nearly 40 years in San Francisco
Susana Guerrero, SFGATE
Jan. 31, 2022

Inmy Chi had anticipated renewing the lease of her nearly 40-year-old family business, Sai’s Vietnamese Restaurant in San Francisco, but now she faces the real possibility of closing for good after her landlord ordered her to vacate next month.

Sai’s will need to vacate its space at 505 Washington St. on Feb. 28, as first reported by KRON4. Chi told SFGATE that the news was a total surprise after her landlord had initially offered a lease extension earlier this month.

“They emailed us on Jan. 5 and asked if we wanted to renew the lease,” Chi said. “We emailed them back on Jan. 20, but we didn’t hear from them. We called and called and on Jan. 25, they answered and said they wanted us to leave. I still have to process this. I think it unethical.”

Chi says that she wasn’t sure why SHVO, the property landlord and large development firm, had a change of heart in a matter of weeks. SFGATE reached out to SHVO for comment, but the agency abruptly ended the call. The development firm most recently made headlines in 2020 when developer Michael Shvo bought the Transamerica Pyramid for $650 million, which is just around the corner from Sai’s.

Once Sai’s Vietnamese Restaurant moves next month, it’s unclear what will go in its place. According to San Francisco Planning, an application that was filed in 2020 proposed a redevelopment of 545 Sansome St. that would effectively demolish the first level of 501-505 Washington St., where Chi’s restaurant currently resides. San Francisco Planning told SFGATE that those plans are currently under review and that no public hearings have been scheduled.

https://www.sfgate.com/restaurants/article/Sai-s-Vietnamese-Restaurant-vacate-40-years-SF-16820209.php?IPID=SFGate-HP-CP-Spotlight

[Pedestrian]

Lab space — not nonprofit space — coming to S.F. Mission after Bryant Street site sold
By Laura Waxmann – Staff Reporter, San Francisco Business Times
Jan 25, 2022 Updated Jan 25, 2022, 3:17pm PST

A Boston development company has bought a Mission District site once destined to be an office complex for local nonprofits and now plans lab space there.

An affiliate of Lighthouse Real Estate Investment LLC paid $31 million for the property and entitled plans at 1850 Bryant St. in December. A two-story building formerly occupied by Abbett Electric Corp. currently occupies the site.

The seller was developer Chris Foley, a partner at Pacific Polaris and founder of the real estate firm Ground Matrix. Foley, as part of a team called Common Ground Urban Development, pitched plans for a 223,000-square-foot, five-story commercial condominium building for nonprofits in 2017. Foley could not be reached for comment Monday.

Lighthouse plans to convert the Common Ground plans for the building to feature 185,000 square feet of lab use. The San Francisco Planning Department approved the change, permitted under the site's zoning, Oct. 26 . . . .

Permits allowing Lighthouse to break ground — including shoring and excavation and new construction permits — have been issued, according Planning Deputy Director Richard Sucre.

Sucre confirmed that the project design itself has not changed.

“They basically are using the exact same design in terms of what was previously proposed,” Sucre told me.

The life sciences real estate market has been fueled by the pandemic, and available lab space is a rare commodity in San Francisco. The city's Mission Bay neighborhood held a total of 2.1 million square feet of lab inventory in the fourth quarter and reported a less than 1% vacancy rate, according to data provided by real estate services firm JLL. Direct asking rents for lab space now stand at $80 per square foot triple net.


https://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/news/2022/01/25/bryant-street-nonprofit-development-sold.html

The proposal (now permitted):

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58705629be6594607651a763/1524785152877-EOJ3LK4CCSXNYMDJ8ZPH/1850+Bryant.png?format=750w
https://common.dev/1850-bryant-street

[Pedestrian]

Stalled boutique hotel project in Hayes Valley back in motion
By Alex Barreira – Staff Reporter, San Francisco Business Times
Jan 19, 2022 Updated Jan 19, 2022, 5:01pm PST

A proposal to build a four-story, 105-room hotel on the current site of a Days Inn in Hayes Valley is showing new signs of life after over four years with little movement.

The property owner, Chirag Investment Group, last week filed a formal application with the San Francisco Planning Department to move forward with the project, which would involve razing the existing 41-room hotel at 465 Grove St. as well as a duplex at 477 Grove St..

The new building would feature the hotel, two replacement residential units, a new 5,195-square-foot ground floor space for retail or a restaurant, and a basement garage with space for 20 cars.

The last action on the project before last week’s filing was a preliminary project assessment submitted in 2017, according to public records. Those plans included a rooftop terrace for the 45-foot building and room for a small fitness facility in the basement. The hotel will be spread across two structures abutting Grove and Ivy streets with a 30-foot-wide courtyard between them . . . .

The architects estimate construction will cost about $9.5 million, according to SFYimby, which first reported on the revived project. No target timeline on breaking ground or completing construction is available.
https://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/news/2022/01/19/hayes-valley-hotel-boutique-construction.html

https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/465-Grove-Street-aerial-view-rendering-by-NC2-Studio-777x505.jpg

https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/465-Grove-Street-northern-elevation-image-by-NC2-Studio.jpg

https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/465-Grove-Street-ground-level-floor-plan-image-by-NC2-Studio.jpg
Images: https://sfyimby.com/2022/01/permit-filed-for-465-grove-street-hayes-valley-san-francisco.html

[homebucket]

545 Sansome expansion renderings.

https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/545-Sansome-Street-from-Sansome-and-Washington-rendering-by-Gensler-777x437.jpg

https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/545-Sansome-Street-exterior-viewed-from-the-Transamerica-Pyramid-rendering-by-Gensler.jpg

https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/545-Sansome-Street-extension-to-the-Redwood-Park-rendering-by-Gensler.jpg

https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/545-Sansome-Street-entry-rendering-by-Gensler.jpg

https://sfyimby.com/2022/02/tense-development-toward-545-sansome-street-expansion-financial-district-san-francisco.html

[BobbyMucho]

https://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/news/2022/01/25/bryant-street-nonprofit-development-sold.html

The proposal (now permitted):

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58705629be6594607651a763/1524785152877-EOJ3LK4CCSXNYMDJ8ZPH/1850+Bryant.png?format=750w
https://common.dev/1850-bryant-street

Excited about this one. A huge contrast to what can only be referred to as a parking lot/dump in its current state.

This is one of a few larger projects in the area that will make a real impact on the pedestrian experience and hopefully help clean up this lil dodgy stretch of Bryant and Florida, but also this part of the Mission as a whole.

[timbad]

^^ also happy to see something go in there, but a bit disappointed it is not for the original purpose.

in other news (https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/S-F-affordable-housing-projects-receive-200-16833306.php)...

A quartet of San Francisco affordable housing development projects received a total of $200 million from the new state housing accelerator fund, money that will help bankroll about 400 units in the Tenderloin, Potrero Hill and Treasure Island.

The biggest chunk of cash, roughly $94 million, will finance a 157-unit project at 1801 18th St. in Potrero Hill, a part of San Francisco’s HOPE SF project, which will replace 619 public housing units while nearly tripling the project’s density by adding 1,100 new homes.

The round of funding will also help speed up development of affordable housing on Treasure Island. Mercy Housing will receive $55.6 million to construct 137 units for low-income families.

In addition, the state allocated $24.2 million to renovate the San Cristina residential hotel on Market Street and another $23.7 million for 69 units at 180 Jones St., a Tenderloin parking lot that Group I deeded to the city in order to satisfy an affordable housing requirement for 950 Market St.

The money in the accelerator fund was part of President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, which seeded $1.75 billion for affordable housing in California.

All four projects are fully approved and expected to begin this year, according to Mayor London Breed.

edit: I had to look it up (https://homerisesf.org/properties/san-cristina/): the San Cristina is the building where Show Dogs used to be, on the block with 1066 and 1028 Market, across from the Warfield - very excited to see it get some love!

[Pedestrian]

edit: I had to look it up (https://homerisesf.org/properties/san-cristina/): the San Cristina is the building where Show Dogs used to be, on the block with 1066 and 1028 Market, across from the Warfield - very excited to see it get some love!

I believe that is the building where the Vampire was interviewed in the movie of the Anne Rice novel:

kaE9tEWQAZo

[homebucket]

IKEA starting construction at 6x6.

IKEA Starts Work On 945 Market Street, SoMa, San Francisco
https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/General-concept-rendering-courtesy-Ingka-Centre-777x437.jpg
BY: ANDREW NELSON 5:30 AM ON FEBRUARY 11, 2022

Ingka Centres is starting construction on the new IKEA to open at 945 Market Street in SoMa, San Francisco. The new location is part of the company’s move away from warehouse stores to urban-center retail with delivery. GreenbergFarrow will be the project’s architect and structural engineer.

Ingka Centres purchased the property from Alexandria Real Estate Equities and TMG Partners. City records show the property sold in September of 2020 for $198 million. Project applications for the proposed IKEA store were first filed in 2020, with activity as recent as December of 2021. Now, J.K. Dineen of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that construction has started on-site eighteen months after the property changed hands.

The 104-foot tall 6×6 Mall was designed by Gensler Architects with structural engineering by KPFF. The structure contains 375,800 square feet across five floors and three basement levels. The IKEA will occupy 82,840 square feet, extending between the first basement level and floors one, two, and four.

The move away from warehouse shops is a notable pivot for the Swedish retail giant. The San Francisco location will be nearly a quarter the size of the typical IKEA with around 350,000 square feet. To adjust for the downtown market, IKEA will use space-efficient strategies to keep the store viable for an urban carless consumer base. The first downtown IKEA location was opened in London’s Kings Mall, a proof of concept.

https://sfyimby.com/2022/02/ikea-starts-work-on-945-market-street-soma-san-francisco.html

[Jerry of San Fran]

homebucker - so glad to see Ikea moving on this. I look forward to some delicious Scandanavian food.

I though the building was a mistake before it was built. Glad to see this building finally to be redeveloped!

[Pedestrian]

homebucker - so glad to see Ikea moving on this. I look forward to some delicious Scandanavian food.

I though the building was a mistake before it was built. Glad to see this building finally to be redeveloped!

Why a mistake? The one and only time I've testified before the Planning Commission was for this project because at the time it was proposed it was billed as the home of a Target (the same one that went to the Metreon when SF's planning process took too long and that space became available). I think a Target in this location would have benefitted the entire area, much more so than an Ikea. The people living near there need the kind of shopping Target offers much more than they need new furniture and Target would attract a lot more foot traffic than Ikea. It would benefit the nearby neighbors and the neighborhood (Mid Market).

But it wasn't to be and I'd rather have an Ikea than an empty storefront (thanks SF bureaucracy). Sadly, don't count on those meatballs, though. This store, at 70,000 sq ft, is going to be only about 1/4 the size of most existing Ikea and I wonder if they'll have room for dining. Maybe take-out.

Most likely it'll be a showroom for merchandise you can order.

[whitty]

It will act as an anchor, and because of that we'll see the restaurant spaces in there filled as well, so it's not just the IKEA. Like you said, much, much better than nothing.

Really closes the gap on that street. Tons of new construction coming online there. Here's hoping for that area.

[Jerry of San Fran]

Pedestrian - I remember well your comments way-back when, about the Target store. At the time I felt there were more than enough retail downtown & the location was a bit too far from Powell to succeed. Things have changed a lot in the area since then. It might work now.

I will be unhappy if I don't get those Swedish meatballs!

[Pedestrian]

Pedestrian - I remember well your comments way-back when, about the Target store. At the time I felt there were more than enough retail downtown & the location was a bit too far from Powell to succeed. Things have changed a lot in the area since then. It might work now.

I will be unhappy if I don't get those Swedish meatballs!

Most of the retail in the Union Square area was at a higher price point than Target and carried a different mix. The success of the Metreon Target I think demonstrates that. But more to the real point, that success would have livened up that dismal stretch of Market St a lot. Whether it would liven it up more than Ikea is debatable though I think it would, but there's no question it would have made a difference compared to the empty hole that's been there for several years now.

I'm praying "The Market" doesn't close (I really like that store) once Whole Foods opens. If it doesn't (they claimed they were sprucing up the place to get ready for competition, not closing) and Mid Market has "The Market", Whole Foods and Ikea, plus the Line Hotel and plenty of new market rate apartments, it should make considerable difference (if the new homeless/druggie center on UN Plaza doesn't squash the whole thing).

[homebucket]

I think the IKEA is a good low to midrange furniture retailer to add to this location. Not everything needs to be super high end. There's already plenty of high end furniture stores in SF.

IKEA is only occupying 82,840 sq ft of the total 375,800 sq ft in this building so there's still opportunity for a Target or something similar to come in as well.

[homebucket]

Parking lot going down! :cheers:

To be replaced by a 7 floor, 75 ft tall mixed use building with 41 units.

The site:
https://goo.gl/maps/jDAL5Zr16mvAQSXXA
https://goo.gl/maps/XwVYz6fZ88QzAYu89

Mixed-Use Progresses At 425 Broadway In Jackson Square/North Beach, San Francisco

https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/425-Broadway-view-along-Montgomery-Street-rendering-by-Ian-Birchall-Associates-777x441.jpg

BY: PALAK JAPLOT 5:00 AM ON FEBRUARY 15, 2022

Development permits have been filed seeking the construction of a mixed-use project proposed at 425 Broadway in Jackson Square/North Beach, San Francisco. The project proposal includes the development of a building offering retail and residential spaces. Plans call for the demolition of an existing 144-space parking garage on the site.

San Jose-based Yeh’s Development is responsible for the project through Montgomery Place LLC. Ian Birchall & Associates is responsible for the design.

https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/425-Broadway-image-via-Google-Satellite.jpg

The project proposes to develop a seven-story building offering 41 dwelling units, retail, and office space. The project site is an L-shaped lot adjacent to a brick-building home of Crowbar and a hotel. The development will be split between two structures, one five-story building facing Broadway and the other seven-story building facing Montgomery Street and a newly-established Verdi Alley.

https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/425-Broadway-aerial-overview-rendering-by-Ian-Birchall-Associates.jpg

The 75-foot tall development will yield 79,265 square feet, with 51,625 square feet for residential use, 4,990 square feet for retail, 21, 940 square feet for offices, and 3,960 square feet for vehicle parking. The garage will offer parking for 46 bicycles and 17 vehicles using stackers. Of the 34 units, 28 will be priced at market rate, and three will be affordable on-site units to make use of the State Density Bonus. Unit sizes will range, with 13 one-bedrooms, 13 two-bedroom units, and 8 three-bedroom units.

https://sfyimby.com/2022/02/mixed-use-progresses-at-425-broadway-in-jackson-square-north-beach-san-francisco.html

[homebucket]

Nice 23 unit mixed use infill proposal in Chinatown.

The site:
https://goo.gl/maps/upfAVuKAenVsVuUQ8

Elevations Revealed For 828 Stockton Street, Chinatown, San Francisco

https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/828-Stockton-Street-Elevation-777x453.jpg

BY: PALAK JAPLOT 4:30 AM ON FEBRUARY 14, 2022

Renderings have been revealed for a new residential project proposed at 828 Stockton Street in Chinatown, San Francisco. The project proposal includes the development of a six-story mixed-use building offering residential and retail spaces. Plans call for the demolition of the existing single-story commercial structure on the site.

Hoy Sun Ning Yung Benevolent Association is the project developer. D-Scheme Studio is responsible for the design concepts.

https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/828-Stockton-Street-Site-1.jpg

The project site is a parcel spanning an area of 4,617 square feet. The new building will offer 23 new residential units. The development will also include several commercial tenant spaces on the ground and first floor. The total residential area will be 19,440 square feet and the total commercial space will be 6,920 square feet. A total of 4,130 square feet of space will be left as open space. The building will yield a total built-up area of 26,360 square feet.

The building is on a highly trafficked commercial street, stretching from the nearby Stockton Street tunnel to Broadway. Future residents will likely enjoy the plethora of retail options, as well as the Willie ‘Woo Woo’ Wong playground.

https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/828-Stockton-Street-Elevation-2.jpg

https://sfyimby.com/2022/02/elevations-revealed-for-828-stockton-street-chinatown-san-francisco.html

[Pedestrian]

Hard to believe:

No joke: After years of delays Muni’s Van Ness Bus Rapid Transit will open on April Fool’s Day
Ricardo Cano
Feb. 15, 2022

Bus rapid transit on San Francisco’s Van Ness Avenue will finally open for service April 1, and it’s not a joke.

The Van Ness project, which has become notorious for its years of construction delays, will transport transit riders down one of the city’s busiest roadways using red concrete center lanes that officials say will move buses up and down the historic corridor faster.

At the end of January, the project was almost 100% complete. Last year, Muni and Golden Gate Transit operators, which will also benefit from the Van Ness BRT, began testing buses on the center lanes.

The agency and the project’s general contractor, Walsh Construction, are working on punch-list items — the final list of tasks that need to be finished before the project’s completion. SFMTA is also waiting on securing roofs for its newly installed bus shelters along Van Ness. Agency staff said at a Jan. 31 community meeting that supply-chain disruptions could mean that service will begin without those bus shelters fully built.

Bus rapid transit on Van Ness will run from Bay to Market streets and serve nine bus stops and are expected to speed up transit on the corridor by about 32%, according to the agency.

The Van Ness project was initially scheduled to be completed in 2019 but problems emerged from the start of construction — from challenges working underneath a 110-year-old roadway with dilapidated infrastructure. A grand jury report published last summer faulted SFMTA for not adequately preparing for the project’s “foreseeable and avoidable” risks before starting construction in late 2016.

SFMTA officials have said that the contractor, Walsh, was responsible for several of the project’s setbacks and that the agency has learned from the project’s mistakes to deliver on future capital projects more effectively . . . .

The festivities for the debut of Van Ness BRT will start the evening of March 31 when agency staff will light the public art sculptures that were installed between Geary and O’Farrell streets. At 11 a.m. on April 1, a Friday, the SFMTA will hold the project’s ribbon-cutting ceremony in front of the War Memorial near Van Ness and Market streets.

The fact that the project’s launch date falls on April Fool’s Day was not lost on some of the agency’s board directors, who asked why the agency settled on the April 1 date. “It does strike me that opening Van Ness on April Fool’s Day is sort of like putting on a ‘kick me’ sign,” board director Steve Heminger said.

Tumlin told the board Tuesday that April 1 was the date that the agency settled on in hopes of attracting “some very important public officials” to attend the event.

It’s unclear which officials Tumlin was referring to, though the agency has extended invites to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Gov. Gavin Newsom, who was San Francisco mayor when the Van Ness project got its initial approval.

https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/No-joke-After-years-of-delays-Muni-s-Van-Ness-16921648.php

[Jerry of San Fran]

Whole Foods in Trinity Place IV - announced by the SF Chronicle today the market will open on March 10th. It will be the largest Whole Foods in San Francisco. Looking forward to seeing it 2 blocks from the Fox Plaza!

[timbad]

I believe that is the building where the Vampire was interviewed in the movie of the Anne Rice novel:

kaE9tEWQAZo

indeed:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51894927362_0ec74a356c_b.jpg

[timbad]

IKEA starting construction at 6x6. ...

its relation to Serif across the street

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51894940152_f60d38f4a5_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51895988693_3141e88d6b_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51895976193_9b73755efa_b.jpg

some more of the area around Serif

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51894927237_7fabd02a4a_b.jpg

the back side

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51896534165_cb444767fd_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51896225069_2638019d76_b.jpg

Jones, looking toward Market

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51894927302_710381872c_b.jpg

the San Cristina again

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51895976273_84d46cfdac_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51895887471_f6ce616234_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51896547130_2b3706e4d7_b.jpg

[obemearg]

Thanks for all the updates today Timbad! It's great to see the areas around mid market wrapping up some projects.

[homebucket]

Great photos as always, timbad! SF is putting together some really nice infill in the Mid-Market area.

[Pedestrian]

Good friend of mine was laid off from his job at one SF Marriott hotel at the beginning of the pandemic and is now working at another but isn't too happy. I suggested he look into the Line Hotel (in the Serif building).

[Pedestrian]

Castro Theatre will pivot to live music after big renovation
By Ted Andersen – Digital Editor, San Francisco Business Times
Jan 19, 2022 Updated Jan 19, 2022, 4:29pm PST

The organizer of the annual Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival in Golden Gate Park has just landed a deal to revamp one of San Francisco's most iconic venues.

Berkeley-based Another Planet Entertainment announced Wednesday that it will partner with the owner of the historic Castro Theatre, Bay Properties Inc., to renovate the landmark and introduce live concerts and events to the venue.

APE — which has a track record of investing in regional historic buildings such as the Fox Theater in Oakland, the Greek Theatre in Berkeley and the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco — said it plans to enhance the Castro Theatre by implementing "significant improvements" to the sound, lighting, production, HVAC and the venue's trademark marquee, among other areas.

. . . “We want to activate and re-energize the building, making improvements to the customer and artist experience, including dressing room upgrades, restoring the marquee and blade and expanding food and beverage service. We want to present all sorts of programming in the theater – comedy, music, film, community and private events and more. We look forward to further contributing to the culture and economy of this vibrant neighborhood.”

. . . there are likely to be big changes when it comes to the venue's annual array of film festivals . . . .

The building will close for about six to eight months for construction, pending permits, and a new slate of programming is expected for a 2023 grand reopening. It hosted the 2008 premiere of “Milk,” about slain Supervisor Harvey Milk and recently hosted the premiere of “The Matrix Resurrections.”

The 1,400-person venue, which first opened in 1922 and was built for $300,000, was designed by Timothy L. Pflueger.

The glazed tile street foyer, ornate box office and wooden doors are all from the early 1920s, but the marquee and vertical neon sign were added in the 1930s. Inside, according to the theater's website, you’ll find Spanish, Asian and Italian influences. The Art Deco chandelier dates to 1937.

It was designated a San Francisco historic landmark in 1977.

https://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/news/2022/01/19/castro-theatre-ape-bay-properties-live-music-film.html

[BobbyMucho]

https://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/news/2022/01/19/castro-theatre-ape-bay-properties-live-music-film.html

Nice! Glad to hear more love is being poured into the Castro. Definitely doesn't sound like a pivot so much as upgrades to better serve a variety of mediums and performance types.

[Pedestrian]

Nice! Glad to hear more love is being poured into the Castro.

For the first time since 1987, new bars may soon be able to open in the Castro
By Alex Barreira – Staff Reporter, San Francisco Business Times
Jan 12, 2022 Updated Jan 12, 2022, 3:17pm PST

Believe it or not, zoning rules in San Francisco's Castro neighborhood have prevented new bars from opening there since 1987. That's likely to change soon after the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved new legislation Tuesday.

District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who represents the neighborhood, introduced the ordinance in October to allow new bars to open with a conditional use permit from the Planning Commission, a process that allows the public to weigh in on the issue.

New bars have been banned in the Castro Street Neighborhood Commercial District (NCD) since its inception in 1987, given the saturation of bars at the time and the concern about the effect on the neighborhood.

In spite of the ban in the NCD confines — which stretch along Castro Street from Market to 19th streets, and on 18th Street from Diamond to Noe streets — new bar owners have been able to enter the picture over the years through buying existing establishments.

Many of the area's newer bars have opened nearby in the neighboring Upper Market Street NCD, where the use is conditionally permitted. But the ban still adds another hurdle to the already herculean prospect of opening a business in San Francisco, where liquor licenses are a highly competitive (and pricy) commodity. Proponents also say, acknowledging the neighborhood's efforts to maintain its inclusionary ethos in the face of citywide gentrification trends, that the ban has effectively locked out opportunities for new business owners.

Supporters of the measure include the leaders of the Castro Community Benefit District and the Castro Merchants Association.

The potential reversal of the ban reflects the challenges faced by bars and the Castro neighborhood, the former hit by social and economic factors that have led to establishments declining in recent years. Meanwhile, the retail vacancies in the area proliferated during the pandemic and have been slow to fill back up.

Since the old heyday for LGBTQ-friendly bars in the Castro, the rise of dating apps, exorbitant rents and competition from other parts of the city and Bay Area accelerated bar closures even prior to the pandemic . . . .

If a procedural second reading vote Jan. 25 passes the measure, it would be sent to Mayor London Breed's desk for her approval, veto, or to leave unsigned — but little opposition has been raised to the measure throughout the legislative process. Before reaching the full board the legislation was heard by the Small Business Commission, Planning Commission, and the supervisors' Land Use and Transportation Commission, and was approved unanimously by all three bodies.

https://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/news/2022/01/12/castro-bars-zoning-permit-diversity-nightlife.html

[Pedestrian]

Special Zoning for New Irish Cultural Center Formally Sought
February 24, 2022

San Francisco’s Planning Department has just completed its preliminary review of the bold plans for an all-new United Irish Cultural Center to rise up to 96 feet in height on the site of the existing 35-foot-tall Center in the Outer Sunset and has raised a couple of concerns and/or considerations.

While Planning supports the aesthetics of the proposed approach of the project, it’s concerned about how the building would weather “the harsh shoreline / ocean conditions,” not to mention the “challenges of subsequent value engineering” once the project was approved.

The bulk of the proposed building has raised a couple of flags as well, not only in terms of its proposed dimensions above 40 feet in height, which is limited by Code, but the lack of a required 25 percent rear yard setback above the building’s second floor, for which a Variance could be sought but would likely be fought by the adjacent residences along Wawona, and a proposed Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of 6.72 versus a limit of 2.5 as zoned.

And while the center could include a restaurant, “as a minor and incidental use,” restaurants are not permitted above the second floor of the site, which doesn’t bode well for the sixth-floor restaurant and cocktail lounge atop the center as rendered.

As expected, the proposed building’s façade has already been engineered a bit, as newly rendered by Studio BANAA below.

The project’s mass (Floor Area Ratio), substandard rear setback and sixth-floor restaurant and cocktail lounge remain as preliminarily proposed, however. And the formal application to entitle the development, with the approval of a site-specific “Special Use District “(SUD) and Zoning Map amendment to allow for the building as proposed being sought, has just been submitted to Planning.

https://socketsite.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/UICC-Rendering-1.jpg

https://socketsite.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/UICC-Rendering-2022-Aerial.jpg

https://socketsite.com/archives/2022/02/special-zoning-for-new-united-irish-cultural-center-formally-sought.html

[Pedestrian]

Updated Renderings Revealed For 249 Pennsylvania Avenue, Potrero Hill, San Francisco
BY: ANDREW NELSON 5:30 AM ON FEBRUARY 27, 2022

New renderings have been shared with SFYIMBY.com for the residential development at 249 Pennsylvania Avenue in Potrero Hill, San Francisco. The project uses the 50% State Density Bonus program, hoping to add 92 new homes in the city. William Spencer Company, based in Brisbane, California, is responsible for the development as the property owner.

The seven-story project will yield 125,000 square feet, with 95,430 square feet for residential use, 24,800 square feet for the garage, and 10,410 square feet of usable open space. This includes the 5,030 square foot roof deck. Of the 92 units, there will be 54 one-bedrooms, 36 two-bedrooms, and two three-bedrooms. Parking will be included for 48 cars and 104 bicycles.

. . . the facade will have a diverse array of materials, ranging from composite panels and stucco to corrugated steel, a copper-like metal, and blue panel accents. The back of the building will face I-280 Freeway, with a Heart San Francisco sign on the sound-proof wall.

There will be fifteen affordable units on-site, with nine for households earning 50% of the Area Median Income, or AMI, three units for 80% AMI households, and three for 110% AMI households. Unit sizes will vary, with 54 one-bedrooms, 36 two-bedrooms, and two three-bedrooms.

Along with the State Density Bonus, the project team has applied for protection with the state Senate Bill 330, or the Housing Crisis Act of 2019. As written in the passed legislation, it “prohibits a local agency from disapproving, or conditioning approval in a manner that renders infeasible, a housing development project for very low, low-, or moderate-income households or an emergency shelter unless the local agency makes specified written findings based on a preponderance of the evidence in the record” . . . .

Construction is expected to cost $18 million, with groundbreaking in the first quarter of 2023, lasting 22 months. With site work expected to start in January, vertical construction would begin by May, and architectural finishings between late 2023 until the expected opening in late 2024.

https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/249-Pennsylvania-Avenue-site-in-context-image-via-planning-documents.jpg

https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/249-Pennsylvania-Avenue-view-from-18th-Street-rendering-by-D-Scheme-Studio-1536x767.jpg

https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/249-Pennsylvania-Avenue-aerial-view-with-Pennsylvania-Garden-on-the-projects-southern-border-rendering-by-D-Scheme-Studio-1536x737.jpg

https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/249-Pennsylvania-Avenue-view-looking-from-I-280-rendering-by-D-Scheme-Studio-1536x932.jpg

https://sfyimby.com/2022/02/updated-renderings-revealed-for-249-pennsylvania-avenue-potrero-hill-san-francisco.html

Residents better enjoy freeway noise!

[timbad]

...Residents better enjoy freeway noise!

yeah, I kinda thought its former use as a good hardware store was a better fit for the site. this seems a bit strange to me

[timbad]

9th and Howard is gradually wrapping up

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51908476931_5f2a1bf28d_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51909103835_3d60433109_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51908571053_80b94dfefd_b.jpg

[AndrewK]

https://sfyimby.com/2022/02/updated-renderings-revealed-for-249-pennsylvania-avenue-potrero-hill-san-francisco.html

Residents better enjoy freeway noise!

At least it’s next to the off ramp as opposed to the actual freeway.

[weatherguru18]

Hey all, I have a question unrelated to architecture.

I’m likely to be relocating there in April. I’m excited about the move but worried that the cost of living will make my life exceedingly difficult.

I’ve been looking for a (new build) place to live but not sure where the younger, gay folks live. I know the Castro is the gay hub but I’m not sure I’ll be able to afford to live that close into the city.

I think my budget will be in the $3500/month-ish and was wondering where I can get the most space, in a new built building, in a very safe place as possible.

Any suggestions? I’m excited and I can’t wait to get there!

[homebucket]

Hey all, I have a question unrelated to architecture.

I’m likely to be relocating there in April. I’m excited about the move but worried that the cost of living will make my life exceedingly difficult.

I’ve been looking for a (new build) place to live but not sure where the younger, gay folks live. I know the Castro is the gay hub but I’m not sure I’ll be able to afford to live that close into the city.

I think my budget will be in the $3500/month-ish and was wondering where I can get the most space, in a new built building, in a very safe place as possible.

Any suggestions? I’m excited and I can’t wait to get there!

How much room do you need? Is a one bedroom or studio enough space?

[Pedestrian]

Hey all, I have a question unrelated to architecture.

I’m likely to be relocating there in April. I’m excited about the move but worried that the cost of living will make my life exceedingly difficult.

I’ve been looking for a (new build) place to live but not sure where the younger, gay folks live. I know the Castro is the gay hub but I’m not sure I’ll be able to afford to live that close into the city.

I think my budget will be in the $3500/month-ish and was wondering where I can get the most space, in a new built building, in a very safe place as possible.

Any suggestions? I’m excited and I can’t wait to get there!

Gay people live all over San Francisco and there's really no need to live in a place identified as a "gay neighborhood". The Castro is a focus of gay culture but it is an expensive area to live and I would guess most of the younger people who live there have roommates (often several).

Quite a few younger gay men live in the Mission District, upper and lower Haight, Inner Richmond, Western Addition and other neighborhoods. But I have to be honest: Unless you are willing to share with roommates, I don't think you are going to be able to afford the city, especially "new construction" (of which there isn't that much). One of the largest new buildings in town is Trinity Place (https://www.1188missionapts.com/whats-available/) and as you can see, junior 1 bedrooms there go for around $2000/month. Most other new buildings are going to be in that range. And as was said above, with new construction you aren't going to have rent control.

There are some larger 60s/70s vintage apartment buildings on the fringes of the Tenderloin that might have a studio near your price range.

You might be wiser to look for a place in the East Bay near a BART station to make getting into the city easy. Least expensive would be the southern areas like Hayward but nicer is Berkeley and the areas around the MacArthur Bart Station. (I found a few places in this area for around $1000/month: https://www.apartments.com/transit/ca/oakland/macarthur-station/61z61gs/ ).

The East Bay seems very popular with lesbians by the way.

[homebucket]

This is a nice new option too. Just opened! Has great views of the skyline.

Apartments are renting from $2,675 to $5,785 per month. Unit sizes range from 387 to 1,052 square feet each.

It's a short and safe, <5 min walk to Powell Station, then a 6 min, 4 stop subway ride via Muni Metro (light rail) to the Castro.

The George
The George is the 20-story apartment complex at 434 Minna Street, overlooking both Mint Plaza and The Parks. The 249-foot tall structure contains 310,490 square feet with 225,090 square feet for residential use, 9,140 square feet for amenities, 4,600 square feet for ground-level retail, 26,550 square feet for two below-grade levels of parking for 52 cars, and 1,590 square feet for bicycle parking.

https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/The-George-as-seen-from-The-Parks-at-5M-image-by-Andrew-Campbell-Nelson.jpg

https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/The-George-at-5M-lobby-image-courtesy-Brookfield-and-Jeffery-Mart.jpg

https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/View-of-San-Francisco-looking-south-from-The-George-image-by-Andrew-Campbell-Nelson.jpg

https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/View-of-San-Francisco-looking-east-from-The-George-image-by-Andrew-Campbell-Nelson.jpg

https://sfyimby.com/2022/03/grand-opening-for-san-franciscos-newest-mixed-use-development-with-5m-in-soma.html

[Pedestrian]

This is a nice new option too. Just opened! Has great views of the skyline.

Apartments are renting from $2,675 to $5,785 per month. Unit sizes range from 387 to 1,052 square feet each.


Tough to pay $2675/month for under 400 sq ft on a total income of $3500/month. But perhaps I misread the question. If the budget for rent is $3500/month, that opens a world of possibilities. As we all know, there are a number of new buildings in San Francisco on Market St, Mission Bay and so on that ought to have units in that price range.

[homebucket]

Tough to pay $2675/month for under 400 sq ft on a total income of $3500/month. But perhaps I misread the question. If the budget for rent is $3500/month, that opens a world of possibilities. As we all know, there are a number of new buildings in San Francisco on Market St, Mission Bay and so on that ought to have units in that price range.

I assumed his rental budget was $3500/month. If that was his total budget (rent, utilities, food, other stuff) a month... tough luck. Might be better off staying in Texas.

[weatherguru18]

Ha! Thanks for all the suggestions.

To clarify: my RENT budget is $3500-$4000/month. Monthly income good bit higher.

I’m needing a one bedroom, preferably with an office space too. Man, it is mega sticker shock for me. I don’t understand how anybody makes it there unless you’re good with 5 roomies and or live 2 hours away from the city.

My office is located off battery street near the financial district.

[homebucket]

Ha! Thanks for all the suggestions.

To clarify: my RENT budget is $3500-$4000/month. Monthly income good bit higher.

I’m needing a one bedroom, preferably with an office space too. Man, it is mega sticker shock for me. I don’t understand how anybody makes it there unless you’re good with 5 roomies and or live 2 hours away from the city.

My office is located off battery street near the financial district.

Gotcha. You should have plenty of options then. Probably not a 2 bedroom place but certainly a one bedroom with a large enough living room for a home office set up. Downtown Oakland could be another option too that might be cheaper. Lots of new housing developments have gone up recently.

[L.ARCH]

Ha! Thanks for all the suggestions.

To clarify: my RENT budget is $3500-$4000/month. Monthly income good bit higher.

I’m needing a one bedroom, preferably with an office space too. Man, it is mega sticker shock for me. I don’t understand how anybody makes it there unless you’re good with 5 roomies and or live 2 hours away from the city.

My office is located off battery street near the financial district.

I'd suggest Upper Market. There's a few new buildings you could check out on Market St between Castro and Dolores. Easy access to transit, grocery stores, restaurants and bars. Those new places in SOMA or Mid Market may be nice but the neighborhood is still too sketchy IMO.

[Jerry of San Fran]

Ha! Thanks for all the suggestions.

To clarify: my RENT budget is $3500-$4000/month. Monthly income good bit higher.

I’m needing a one bedroom, preferably with an office space too. Man, it is mega sticker shock for me. I don’t understand how anybody makes it there unless you’re good with 5 roomies and or live 2 hours away from the city.

My office is located off battery street near the financial district.

The Essex Fox Plaza might be a good choice.

1) THE crossroad for transit - MUNI (lines K, L, M, N, S underground, street car line on the surface), BART 2 blocks away, Sam Trans, Golden Gate Transit, 1 block from the Mission street 14 bus, 2 blocks 5 McAllister line, across the street from the 21 Hayes line. And Uber & Lyft circling the building like hungry sharks

2) Views from all apartments from the 14th floor to the 29th. The west side has calm views, the east size dynamic. Apartments can be hot with the sun in the morning (prefer the east view), west view sun can be hot lots of wind from the ocean. The one bed rooms facing south have sun ALL DAY. The higher the view the better they are. (views on the west side will change in the next year or so with the 46 story high rise coming soon at 30 Van Ness/Market Street.

3) Avoid being less than 3 apartments from the trash closet or next to the elevators

4) 2 - 4 blocks to the ballet, symphony, opera, jazz club, theater

5) be ready for sirens from police, ambulance, bomb squad. Windows are not double pane.

6) The building is under rent control. I just got my rent increase notice which is $35 (keep in mind I have been in the building for 50+ years).

Here is a link to the Essex Fox Plaza site with pictures & floor plans

https://www.essexapartmenthomes.com/apartments/san-francisco/fox-plaza/floor-plans-and-pricing

[Pedestrian]

Ha! Thanks for all the suggestions.

To clarify: my RENT budget is $3500-$4000/month. Monthly income good bit higher.

I’m needing a one bedroom, preferably with an office space too. Man, it is mega sticker shock for me. I don’t understand how anybody makes it there unless you’re good with 5 roomies and or live 2 hours away from the city.

My office is located off battery street near the financial district.

One nice thing about L.ARCH's suggestion of Upper Market is that it's pretty much a straight subway shot to the FiDi. But various newer buildings in Hayes Valley, "the Hub" and along mid-Market have the same advantage (from Hayes Valley it's a short walk to the Van Ness BART/Muni subway station).

I will say one thing, though. I'm not sure why you are determined to get new construction. In San Francisco, many people would prefer a nicely renovated/maintained Victorian/Edwardian flat.

[Pedestrian]

S.F.’s Glide Foundation plans a $200 million update of its Tenderloin building, to ‘get more people off the street’
J.K. Dineen
March 4, 2022

San Francisco’s Glide Foundation, known for dispensing hot meals and desperately-needed social services on the city’s hard-luck Tenderloin streets, is planning a $200 million redevelopment that will transform what is now a cramped, outdated former women’s dormitory into a modern facility.

The new, 10-story building at 330 Ellis St. would give Glide’s clients, staff and volunteers the conveniences and space they now lack: a kitchen big enough for the 80,000 meals the group serves annually; an HVAC system to circulate fresh air into what is now a warren of hot stuffy rooms; a lobby big enough that those who depend on Glide for a wide spectrum of needs — from substance abuse treatment to free health care — can wait inside rather than snake around the block to be gawked at by passersby . . . .

https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/S-F-s-Glide-Foundation-plans-a-200-million-16976125.php

[L.ARCH]

I will say one thing, though. I'm not sure why you are determined to get new construction. In San Francisco, many people would prefer a nicely renovated/maintained Victorian/Edwardian flat.

Totally agree! Nothing beats nice flat in a quiet neighborhood (preferably on a hill :tup: )

[weatherguru18]

I appreciate all the feedback guys. I’m going to fly out there, prolly next week or the week after and check out all the suggestions listed above.

When you say rent control, what does that mean exactly? Obviously I can put two and two together but why are some buildings under it and some aren’t?

[Jerry of San Fran]

I appreciate all the feedback guys. I’m going to fly out there, prolly next week or the week after and check out all the suggestions listed above.

When you say rent control, what does that mean exactly? Obviously I can put two and two together but why are some buildings under it and some aren’t?
I can't give you the detailed definition of rent control. Several decades ago the voters voted to restrict how much rent could be increased based on certain economic indicators. Those buildings that come under rent control is based on the date of contruction of the building. New buildings defined at the time of the rent control law set the date. Buildings beyond that date can have the rent increased whatever the market will allow

I just got my annual rent increase for my apartment in the Essex Fox Plaza this week. My rent increased by $35 a month. The longer a person lives in a rent controlled apartment the better the benefit is over time.

When an apartment becomes vacant the owner of the building can rent the property at market rate & the renter then comes under the rent control law. Think of it as insurance that your rent will not increase dramatically.

[Jerry of San Fran]

03/05/2022 - demolition has started! This is a view from Grove Street of the site of the small building which for a long time housed city funded art exhibitions AND a community garden. The partially demolished building is the backside of the building fronting Van Ness Avenue. In the background is the San Francisco Conservatory of Music school & student housing and also people displaced from a new development across the street when that building was demolished.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51920247013_47b233c2d6_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2n71QyD)Future 234-240 Van Ness Development (https://flic.kr/p/2n71QyD)

[BobbyMucho]

Happy to see demolition has started for 240 Van Ness!

Here are the most recent renderings for a refresher:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/0ib4kzlz7ho92rg/240-Van-Ness-01.jpeg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/u6723vefb08t19o/240-Van-Ness-02.jpeg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/fazkw2i8m8mjcyd/240-Van-Ness-03.jpeg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/mfnlhp0h1w46z6r/240-Van-Ness-04.jpeg?raw=1


More info can be found on the SFYIMBY site
here (https://sfyimby.com/2021/10/demolition-permits-filed-for-kelsey-civic-center-in-the-civic-center-san-francisco.html).

[Jerry of San Fran]

BobbyMucho - thanks for the latest images. The Grove Street side facing city hall is sad. The beautiful civic center deserves better!

[Pedestrian]

I appreciate all the feedback guys. I’m going to fly out there, prolly next week or the week after and check out all the suggestions listed above.

When you say rent control, what does that mean exactly? Obviously I can put two and two together but why are some buildings under it and some aren’t?

See https://sftu.org/rent-control/ for all the details. In simplest terms, it means for covered buildings that allowable annual rent increases are linked to the Bay Area cost of living increase plus certain allowable expenses including utility increases, tax increases and certain improvements.

The San Francisco ordinance exempted new construction buildings as of when it passed (June 13, 1979) in order not to inhibit the construction of new housing by making it less profitable to build it.

[Pedestrian]

BobbyMucho - thanks for the latest images. The Grove Street side facing city hall is sad. The beautiful civic center deserves better!

I'll reserve judgement until I see the quality of the materials. If all that blank whiteness is Carrera marble, maybe . . . .

[AndrewK]

03/05/2022 - demolition has started! This is a view from Grove Street of the site of the small building which for a long time housed city funded art exhibitions AND a community garden. The partially demolished building is the backside of the building fronting Van Ness Avenue. In the background is the San Francisco Conservatory of Music school & student housing and also people displaced from a new development across the street when that building was demolished.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51920247013_47b233c2d6_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2n71QyD)Future 234-240 Van Ness Development (https://flic.kr/p/2n71QyD)
So glad to see something finally happen to that empty lot. There were many years in which that community garden was just a weed- and trash-strewn hole in the ground.

[pseudolus]

I'll reserve judgement until I see the quality of the materials. If all that blank whiteness is Carrera marble, maybe . . . .

"The facade will be clad with a textured fiber-cement rain screen."

https://sfyimby.com/2021/10/demolition-permits-filed-for-kelsey-civic-center-in-the-civic-center-san-francisco.html

[BobbyMucho]

Didn't get pics, unfortunately, but I saw some activity at the soon-to-be Flower Market site in Potrero Hill on 16th. Looks like demolition of temporary structures and structural work has kicked off in prep for rehabilitation and parking garage construction.

More info here on the project site (https://www.901-16thstreet.com/).

Looks like they're planning to have it open after one year of construction. Can't wait for this corner to get some foot traffic and attention.

[homebucket]

Campus Expansion Proposed For California College Of The Arts At 1140 7th Street, Design District, San Francisco

https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Campus-Expansion-Renderings-777x518.jpg

BY: PALAK JAPLOT 5:00 AM ON MARCH 8, 2022

A new academic campus has been proposed at 1140 7th Street in Design District, San Francisco. The project proposal includes the development of a new campus for California College of the Arts in San Francisco.

Studio Gang is responsible for the design concepts.

https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Campus-Rendering-CCA.jpg

https://sfyimby.com/2022/03/campus-expansion-proposed-for-california-college-of-the-arts-at-1140-7th-street-design-district-san-francisco.html

[Jerry of San Fran]

3/8/2022 - View from the Fox Plaza of the demolition at 234-240. A lot now happening in the Civic Center!

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51926900923_d99c7f984b_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2n7AWxe)234-240 Van Nes Avenue Demolition (https://flic.kr/p/2n7AWxe)

[timbad]

https://sfyimby.com/2022/03/campus-expansion-proposed-for-california-college-of-the-arts-at-1140-7th-street-design-district-san-francisco.html

I wonder if the 2022 groundbreaking date in the article has any solid information behind it. this proposal has been delayed for a few years already

[Pedestrian]

Time to give the Potrero Power Station Project its own thread: https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/showthread.php?p=9561254#post9561254

[dirt patch]

Very slow going in Downtown SF/Financial District/SoMA!!!! Not one tower being built there until Hines tower sometime this year?