SAN FRANCISCO | 450 O'Farrell Street | 211 FT | 17 FLOORS

[Pedestrian]

Plans to redevelop the Tenderloin parcel upon which the columned Fifth Church of Christ, Scientist sits at 450 O’Farrell Street were approved last September, with designs for a new 13-story, mixed-use building to rise behind the church’s existing façade, and around the corner, having been drawn.

But as a condition of the project’s approval, the project team agreed to redesign the lower levels of the development to eliminate the existing colonnade and yield a building that is “contemporary but compatible” with the surrounding historic district.

The revised plans for the project, as newly rendered by BDE Architecture below, will be presented to San Francisco’s Planning Commission this week, after which permits for the development, which is slated to yield 176 residential units along with a new church and a ground floor restaurant/retail space, while razing Shalimar around the corner, to which a spur of the development extends, could be issued and Trammell Crow Residential (TCR) could soon break ground.

(The new O'Farrell St. facade is proposed to look like this)

https://socketsite.com/archives/2019...o-reality.html

The massing, which is little changed, would have looked like this (with preservation of the old church facade):

. . . the project as proposed still includes the redevelopment of the parcel at 532 Jones Street as well, upon which the iconic Tenderloin restaurant Shalimar currently sits and connects to the bulk of the site behind, the height of the replacement spur has now been reduced to four (4) stories from eight (8).

https://socketsite.com/archives/2018...o-reality.html

WHY they reduced the height of the Jones St. "spur" is beyond me--the short little stucture proposed to me looks silly. Probably it's to preserve "air" and views for the windows of the adjacent buildings.

[Pedestrian]

Approved Tenderloin project now envisioned as group housing with 300-plus beds
By Laura Waxmann – Real Estate Reporter, San Francisco Business Times
Feb 19, 2020, 3:08pm PST Updated Feb 19, 2020, 3:23pm PST

A 176-unit housing development already approved to rise at the current site of the Tenderloin’s Fifth Church of Christ, Scientist, at 450 O’Farrell St. could morph into a workforce-oriented group housing project instead . . . .

But new plans submitted with the San Francisco Planning Department in January indicate that Forge is looking to shift the residential component of that proposal to build a group housing project that would yield 303 beds for San Francisco’s “workforce.”

The new plans would require a conditional use authorization by the San Francisco Planning Commission, but a hearing has yet to be scheduled. The redevelopment of the church has long been controversial.

While the project’s footprint has not changed, the new proposal calls for one bedroom to be built per 70 square feet of the lot area. The church owns three parcels that make up about half an acre of land at 450 O’Farrell St.

Forty-four of the proposed 303 bedrooms would be provided at below-market rates, according to the new proposal.

The new proposal has scrapped plans for 49 parking spaces for residents, and would instead provide just six parking spaces dedicated for use by the church. SocketSite first reported on the change of plans . . . .

Planned for a neighborhood that bears the brunt of the city’s homelessness crisis, it is also unclear whom the workforce housing will be targeting . . . .

https://www.bizjournals.com/sanfranc...sioned-as.html

[Pedestrian]

Planning Department Approves 450 O’Farrell Street In Tenderloin, San Francisco
BY: ANDREW NELSON 5:30 AM ON JUNE 30, 2021

The San Francisco planning commission has approved plans to construct a 13-story group housing complex at 450 O’Farrell Street in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood. Once complete, the building will include 316 new dwelling units, a new church facility, and ground-level space for a Christian Science Reading room. The project is sponsored by the Fifth Church of Christ, Scientist.

According to the revised application published earlier this month, the 130-foot tall building will yield 200,720 square feet, with 172,370 square feet dedicated to residential space, 5,060 square feet of common open space between the fourth floor and rooftop, and 1,850 square feet for six-vehicle parking area. Connected to ground level will be two retail spaces spanning 6,020 square feet between 9,930 square feet for the new church facility. Parking will also be included for 136 bicycles.

The project will produce 316 space-efficient studio units for households earning between $26,000 to $115,000 per year. Unit sizes will range between 320 to 830 square feet, each with a private bathroom. Amenities will include multiple courtyards, a shared kitchen at ground level, and amenity rooms on various floors.

Gensler is the project architect. The updated design facade will mix a few materials, including white, brass, and simulated stone concrete, glazed windows, and charcoal grey metal panels. Vertical recesses divide the facade in three as an aesthetic improvement for the pedestrian experience.

The project will include demolishing the existing structures, including a colonnaded church building currently occupied by the Fifth Church of Christ, Scientist.

450 O’Farrell Street is located between Jones Street and Taylor Street, less than a block from the Hilton at 333 O’Farrell Street. The Powell Street BART Station is eight minutes away on foot, while Union Square is just seven minutes away.

The newly approved project is an alteration from earlier plans that would have seen 176 apartment units constructed. The new proposal reduces parking capacity, and the church footprint remained similar for both variations.

. . . The construction job is expected to last 24 months at a cost of $83 million. Demolition is scheduled to start by the end of the year.

https://sfyimby.com/2021/06/planning...francisco.html

I'm really very surprised that they are going to allow the complete demolition of the existing church building and sorry that they are. Here is an earlier "facadist" version that retained it:

[pseudolus]

Originally Posted by Pedestrian

I'm really very surprised that they are going to allow the complete demolition of the existing church building and sorry that they are.

IANAL, but aren't churches exempt from local preservation requirements?

[AndrewK]

Delete

[viewguysf]

For the past ten years, a number of preservationists have increasingly been coming out against facadism, including the former director of San Francisco Heritage. Arguing that it is an insult to true preservation, Heritage supported demolishing the entire church without saving the facade. This has been an ongoing dilemma in many cities, including Seattle, Washington DC, London, and elsewhere.