The Mission Economic Development Agency, a nonprofit housing developer, is in the process of purchasing a four-story building at 2901 16th St. at the corner of South Van Ness Avenue to convert it into 62 units of permanent affordable housing.
Two blocks east of the 16th St. BART station, the 1914 brick building will go through rehabilitation by MEDA, and its tenants will have the option to remain in their units or move out during that period. The 62 units will occupy the second, third and fourth floors, above the hair salons and restaurants on the ground floor, and will include two single-room occupancy units with their own bathrooms and kitchenettes, 54 studios, and six one-bedroom units for families of two or three.
Jose Garcia, an associate director in MEDA’s real estate division, said that the project will be aiming for an average area median income of 80 percent for future tenants. This translates into an annual income of $83,900 for one person, or $107,900 for a family of three. The nonprofit also plans to accept applicants with other types of financial support, such as Section 8 vouchers.
MEDA said it is unsure how the rents of the current tenants will be adjusted if they stay. Garcia said that the tenants will need to meet with MEDA’s leasing team once they decide to stay.
There will also be an additional unit for a property manager living on-site. The eight commercial spaces on the ground floor will remain the same. At present, all are occupied; they house a recycling shop, a caterer, two hair salons, and four restaurants, including Cocina Mayah, El Yucateco, Cross Hatch Eatery and Irma’s Pampanga.
Garcia said that the organization is now officially in contract with the agent managing the 0.34-acre property, meaning its sale will go through as long as the city approves a loan for the project on June 14. Garcia said MEDA will be able to disclose the total cost of the project as well as how big the loan is once they get the approval.
“Ideally, our target would be closing the deal by September this year,” Garcia said. “If we have the loan approval on the 14th.”
The loan to purchase the building will come from the Small Sites Program, which helps local nonprofits like MEDA buy properties and lease units to existing low-income tenants and others combating displacement.
At present, it is not entirely clear how many rooms in the building are occupied, Garcia said, but many of the units are vacant. Garcia said the site would not go through major renovations due to high costs, but the ground floor businesses will be made fully ADA compliant.
Once approved, the project will become the newest addition to the list of emerging affordable-housing projects in the area.
Across the street from the property, at 490 South Van Ness Ave., is Avanza 490, an 81-unit affordable-housing complex for families that opened in 2021 and was developed by Mission Housing and Bridge Housing.
And, two blocks away from the property, at 1919 Mission St., are the “Mission Cabins” — a temporary shelter for homeless residents that opened April 15. In two years, the cabins will move out and the site will be developed into the “Marvel in the Mission,” an affordable-housing project developed by the Mission Economic Development Agency and Mission Housing that will produce at least 350 units.
Garcia explained that one of the key reasons the nonprofit laid its eyes on this property is that it has an elevator to help tenants with accessibility needs. “We don’t have any properties in the Mission with elevators,” he said.”It’s not fully ADA compliant, but it is important.”
But will it really happen? Recall that MEDA owns the building at 18th and Mission, and Mission Local wrote, 10 months ago, that “[b]y early next year, at the latest, the building at 2205 Mission St. will be something much better: Dozens of homes for teachers.”
Not a shovel of dirt has been moved, despite the $12 mil. they received for it. “At the latest”? Maybe ML should do some follow-up reporting on that.
https://missionlocal.org/2023/07/derelict-18th-st-building-finally-funded-to-be-teacher-homes/
Hi Stephen and Mike O,
Thanks for bringing this up. We will follow up on it.
Yes — I would love to read follow-up reporting on the 18th and Mission property. It certainly seems like nothing has happened there.
The low income building of 187 units at Duboce and Market is going to cost $855,000 per unit … Some sleazy operators are getting rich off this entitled lottery winner housing.
I’m starting to think MEDA is full of empty promises of housing dreams.
Great! Don’t forget Don Rafa’s Cyclery, a wonderful little bike shop, is also in this building.
I’d wager that the majority of the residents of that building bring in significantly less than 80AMI.
Don Rafa’s must not be displaced.
It is strange that small sites, a program set up for the land trust to acquire units at risk of displacement, is being used to acquire such a relatively large building. These are rent controlled units and the building is too large to flip into TICs/condos.
I’m good with BMR housing covering a range from no income to everyone who pays > 30% of income in rent, but not in buildings that currently house people making significantly less, not in neighborhoods that have been gentrified with TOD luxury condos.
It would be nice to see a non-drug front grocery open in the larger retail space where Fairway used to be.
Low income = high crime.