Editor’s Note: This story has been corrected for errors.
A proposed six-story development could rise on Mission Street, just one block south of 24th Street BART Station. Located at 2955 Mission St., the new apartment building would supplant a two-story mixed-use building that, until 2018, was the home of Mission Critter.
Planning documents show that the initial preliminary project assessment application was submitted on Dec. 4 and assigned for review to a city planner on Dec. 17.
The building, designed by Sternberg Benjamin Architects, would feature four studios along with a medley of one- to three-bedroom apartments spread across five floors with a larger penthouse on the top floor.
Two units of the 13 units are slated for affordable housing, and a three-car parking garage will be accessible from Lily Street. Plans also include a bicycle garage in the basement.
The building would also have one commercial unit occupying most of the ground floor.
The yellow-clad building went on the market in 2018 and sold in June 2019, for $2.3 million. The project’s sponsor is David Sternberg, one of the architects working on the proposal, and the land is owned by a limited liability company titled “2955 Mission Partners LLC”.
Gina Simi, communications manager for the San Francisco Planning Department, said that the application accepted last week was the preliminary planning assessment (PPA). It is not a full-on development application; instead, the PPA allows planning staff and project sponsors to fine-tune the project before an official development application is filed.
“This early review of the project provides sponsors with feedback and procedural instructions, and also allows staff to coordinate at the beginning in the development process,” Simi wrote in an email to Mission Local.
Sternberg was not available for comment.
Parking is accessible via Lilac Street, which is the alley bordering this parcel. Lily Street is in Hayes Valley.
Self-proclaimed “urbanists” are incensed that there is resistance to Transit Oriented Development [sic] with parking near a BART station and surface transit lines a stone’s throw from freeway ramps?
What we’ll get here are more TNC trips, more private auto trips, more snarled surface transit, gentrification, displacement and developer profit as we’ve seen over the past 10 years of Eastern Neighborhoods projects.
Developers will never build sufficient housing such that price at occupancy time was less than at approvals time–lenders will not lend into that market. Thus, it is impossible to add market rate housing supply to address demand to lower prices because the market will not allow that. So developers treat entitlements like deBeers treat diamonds, as an asset to be hoarded and released slowly to sustain price. Live by the market sword, die by the market sword.
I think you’re partially correct. Right now, the building is one unit and a store and the plan is for two BMR units. So, there will be one additional “affordable” unit. Though that doesn’t mean the current residents won’t be displaced. So it’s complicated. But as far as gentrification, I agree with you about how markets based only on price work. When demand exceeds supply, prices rise until supply equals demand. When there’s large wealth disparity in the demand(the gentry), prices will rise by large amounts.
But also consider the realistic alternatives. The building is over 100 years old. The cost of maintaining it is high relative to the amenities it provides. It’s certainly not current code compliant. If this building were to burn down, or there would be displacement. It can’t be rebuilt without additional money, in the form of profit seeking lenders or philanthropic or public gifts. Many plots in SF have become parking lots or just empty fenced in because profit seeking lenders aren’t motivated and gift money isn’t being offered. Of course, development will increase City tax revenue. The property was formerly assessed at $465,000 and now for $2,355,000. When it’s developed, the assessment will be at least twice that. That means about $40,000 more tax every year that potentially could partially be used to fund BMR housing. housing.
Chris’s comment is right on. It would be nice if articles like this covered the hurdles that this development will have to go through next. I would like to reach out to politicians and tell them that our community needs new housing like this SOON, but I don’t know the specifics of what is next even after reading articles like this.
“A proposed six-story development could soon rise”…
SOON??!! The PPA was submitted this year, the average entitlement approval takes 4.5 years in San Francisco and this is a Mission District project which will certainly be DR’d and delayed. If by soon you mean will rise in 6-7 years then your headline is spot on.