A handful of neighbors gathered in front of the pit at 3310 Mission St., formerly home to Cole Hardware, on Wednesday evening to hear plans for a four-story building with eight condos, commercial space and a basement with parking and storage.
Cole Hardware may yet return to the space, as business owner Rick Karp said in June, but nothing is certain — except that the space likely won’t become a restaurant, project architect Earle Weiss said.
For now, the proposal from property owner 3310 Mission St. LP, a firm represented by John Stricklin, will continue to move through the planning process, gathering feedback from neighbors and planners and making tweaks until permits are secured.
The building would replace what had been a two-story commercial building where Cole Hardware operated before the June 18, 2016, fire.
One neighbor across the street asked whether the new building would obstruct his view, which wasn’t entirely clear. Another asked what the permitting process would require.
The new building would rise to just 40 feet in height. Given its small size and the fact that it doesn’t require any deviation from the planning code, the project would not require below-market-rate housing or a Planning Commission hearing.
Going bigger would trigger affordable-housing requirements, but also make the building taller and more susceptible to objections — and would also result in different construction-materials requirements.
“In order to do that, it becomes steel and concrete, and there are neighborhood concerns about height. It’s really really hard with housing costs here,” Weiss said. “We need more affordable housing, but … this is absolutely a fairly small lot, so how do you do that?”
Parking will be provided to minimize neighborhood concern. Eight cars will fit into stacked parking spaces, and eight bike storage spaces will also be provided — along with charging outlets for electric vehicles. It’s a bit of a contrast from larger proposals recently approved in the neighborhood, many of which have dozens of units and no parking at all.
“We try to have it all in one spot so it doesn’t impact the neighborhood,” Weiss said.
He estimated plans could be submitted to the city later this fall.
Next door, the former Playa Azul restaurant has also applied for building permits to reconstruct the three-story building that existed before the fire.
Probably the best we can hope for PROVIDING it is architecturally ‘pleasing’ and NOT just another bland ticky tacky box.
Why only 4 stories and 8 units when we have a desperate low income housing shortage?
Why only 4 stories and 8 units when we have a desperate housing shortage?
Talk to calle 24 and MEDA
I guess you missed the part in the article where it says, “[g]iven its small size and the fact that it doesn’t require any deviation from the Planning code, the project would not require below-market-rate housing or a Planning Commission hearing” and goes on to say, “[g]oing bigger would trigger affordable housing requirements, but also make the building taller and more susceptible to objections, and would also result in different construction material requirements.”