Aug. 7, 2023 Updated: Aug. 8, 2023 (SFChronicle.com)
The once-contentious housing development at the 16th Street BART Station may no longer be the “Monster in the Mission” that community activists rallied against, but that doesn’t mean the project has slimmed down any.
In fact, while it has gone from mostly market rate to 100% affordable, the development will likely be about 30% bigger than it was when the previous owner ran into opposition.
Last week the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development issued a request for proposals for a builder capable of constructing “at least 450 units” in two of three buildings on the 57,000-square-foot parcel at the northeast corner of 16th and Mission. The previous plan had been for 330 units.
Housing and Community Development spokesperson Anne Stanley said potential developers would take advantage of state and local density bonus laws that both fast-track affordable projects and allow for extra height and density.
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“100% affordable projects can access local and state density bonus programs that market rate developments cannot,” said Stanley. “The selected development team for 1979 Mission will be asked to maximize density and unit count using all available tools.”
The saga of the property at 1979 Mission St. stretches back nearly a dozen years to when a New York developer snapped up the parcel above the 16th Street BART Station. After nearly a decade of unsuccessfully trying to gain political traction for the project, the previous owner, Maximus Real Estate Partners, sold it to Crescent Heights, which gave it to the city in order to satisfy an affordable housing requirement for a nearly 1,000-unit project at 10 South Van Ness.
In the request for proposals, Housing and Community Development said that the 1979 Mission property “has significant development opportunity with capacity for more than 450 units in at least two buildings.”
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“Given the parcel location at the intersection of regional transit systems and at the heart of a culturally diverse community, development will require coordination with transit operators, adjacent landowners, and the surrounding community. The development team will need to demonstrate experience, vision, and leadership,” states the request for proposals.
To qualify for a unit, a family of four would have to earn between 30% ($43,000 today) and 80% ($115,000 today) of the average area income.
Responses to the request for proposals are due Sept. 29th.
Reach J.K. Dineen: jdineen@sfchronicle.com
Written By J.K. Dineen
J.K. Dineen covers housing and real estate development. He joined The Chronicle in 2014 covering San Francisco land use politics for the City Hall team. He has since expanded his focus to explore housing and development issues throughout Northern California. He is the author of two books: “Here Tomorrow” (Heyday, 2013) and “High Spirits” (Heyday, 2015).
