The construction of a seven-story condominium complex on the site of a former gas station has been delayed for more than a year, and it’s not clear when it will start.
The complex, estimated to cost $15 million, is due to rise on the corner of 16th and South Van Ness streets, but is on hold because of delays related to the cleanup of waste and underground fuel tanks, said Corey Tigue, a planner with the San Francisco Planning Department.
“There’s certainly a lot of approvals left to be reviewed, since they’re still in the cleanup process,” he explained.
Jeanie Poling, an environmental planner with the Planning Department who is responsible for reviewing the project, confirmed that neither an environmental review nor an entitlement review have been approved.
According to Poling, the environmental review has been on hold since June 2011 and will remain so until the cleanup has been completed and the site is ready to be reevaluated.
A July 9 report from the Environmental Corrective Action Review to JCN Developers, the San Francisco firm that is building the complex, said that four previously unknown underground storage tanks were discovered along Adair Street, an alley right behind the site, during excavation.
And back in February it was reported that gas odors could be smelled throughout the vicinity of the construction site. Construction work was stopped as a result. Since then, three on-site and two background air samples have been collected and analyzed.
Findings determined that the on-site odors were not caused by hazardous contaminants often found at underground construction sites, and that the chemical concentrations found in the samples collected at the site were below the risk threshholds for human exposure over an eight-hour period.
Contaminated soils within the property boundary were then removed; an additional excavation was not required for environmental remediation at the time.
Marc Salomon, who lives near the construction site, said he does not know what is happening with the construction because he has yet to see an agenda or signs about the work. Salomon is one of several neighbors and neighborhood groups who opposed the condominium development because of its potential impacts. When complete, the development will contain 81 dwelling units, 2,529 square feet of retail space and one basement level with 44 off-street parking spaces.
With construction stalled until the environmental and entitlement reviews are completed, it does not appear that the work will be finished within a year, said Tigue.
“We don’t know when the project will be on track to finishing.”
really, we can’t do more to organize in the Mission than wait around for more than a year for a decision to be made on this thing? Its an ugly eyesore that continues the bad reputation of the mission. There’s no pride in being against progess when the alternative is a nasty, abandoned, half demolished lot.
I’ve been living near that corner for over a decade. People living and working on that corner will make it safer. I hope this can be worked out sooner. The partially demolished gas station is also an eyesore in the present state.
Better a blight of an empty lot than a blight of yuppies moving in from the Marina! Let’s keep fancy stuff like new buildings out of my Mission – too much trouble.
I really really hope you are being sarcastic.
We need more housing. The current shortages will eventually choke our local economy.
What impact does Marc Salomon fear? That a crappy old abandoned lot will turn into a vibrant building with people and businesses, helping making the streets in the area safer? Why are people blocking construction like this? do they really prefer abandoned gas stations?
It was a smog and tune up shop. The also had monthly parking spots. Conan and his employees lost their jobs, and I lost my parking spot. Also the building will be higher then anything else in the neighborhood and only 40 parking spots for 81 units sucks.
I had some amazing conversations with an old junkie named Jim in that lot.