Residents and organizers who gathered more than 1,600 signatures to build affordable housing on Parcel K, a divisive plot of land in Hayes Valley, marched the large stack of papers over to city leaders and the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development on Tuesday afternoon, demanding action on the site they say could be put to better use.
One might not have realized it was midday on a Tuesday — at Patricia’s Green park and on adjacent Parcel K, people sat and drank coffee, sunbathed, and lifted weights. But a couple dozen advocates stood among them to rally for affordable housing on the site, one of several pieces of land that San Francisco voters decided years ago should become affordable housing.
Robin Levitt, a longtime advocate for the development and a founding member of the Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association, pulled out an old “Yes on I” poster from 1999, advertising the ballot measure to replace the earthquake-damaged Central Freeway.
“You’ll notice it says ‘boulevard and housing,’” Levitt said, holding the sign up over the podium. “Yes, even back then, people knew that we had a housing crisis, and it’s only gotten worse.”
The quarter-acre site at Hayes and Octavia streets is one of several former freeway parcels designated for housing, and the last remaining of a small handful intended to become affordable housing. In gentrified Hayes Valley, the advocates on Tuesday said, it’s of the utmost importance that the promise be kept.
The building of the Central Freeway was “disproportionately shouldered by historically disadvantaged communities” in San Francisco, said Natalie Burdick, Chair of the Market and Octavia Community Advisory Committee that advises city planners, referring to the once-large Black community in Hayes Valley.
“Every year, every season, the excuse for the delays changes,” said District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston. “At a certain point you have to ask yourself, ‘What is going on?’”
Today, the space is used for outdoor movies, an outdoor gym, and outdoor cafe seating. Though the land has been leased to an organization named Proxy since 2009, that was always meant to be temporary; various delays and inaction have stood in the way of any development.
As recently as last year, the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, also known as MOHCD, announced that it was ready to move forward with developing a Request for Qualifications to potentially develop the land by August 2023. In April 2023, in response to an inquiry from Preston’s office, MOHCD affirmed plans for Parcel K to be developed at eight stories, and asked for Preston’s continued support.
“MOHCD has also heard the community’s interest in maintaining vibrant commercial uses at Parcel K, on the ground floor of the anticipated new building,” wrote Sheila Nickolopoulos, the office’s Director of Policy and Legislative Affairs, in an email obtained by Mission Local. “In order to successfully accomplish the development of commercial space on the ground floor of affordable housing at K, MOHCD will need to seek financial resources from the Board.”
But that plan fell through. In a later email between the two offices, from October 2023, Nickolopoulos writes plainly: “No updates on Parcel K RFP. I believe there is still concern that a nonprofit developer would be walking into hornet’s nest.”
Asked by Mission Local, housing department spokesperson Anne Stanley said that San Francisco prioritizes development by assessing sites’ competitiveness for state funds, capacity for units, and geographic distribution, and that Parcel K doesn’t meet the criteria.
“For these reasons, the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development is not prioritizing Parcel K for development in the next three to five years,” Stanley wrote in a statement. She noted that Parcel K’s location makes it less likely to receive state funding, that development would be costly, and that the city has already built affordable housing in the area.
The topic has become a divisive one in District 5, particularly among candidates for supervisor who demand more housing but often differ on when and where housing should be built.
While Preston has long pushed for a move forward with affordable housing on this site, his opponents have wavered or outright opposed it.
Bilal Mahmood, asked by Mission Local in June, gave a vague answer: He suggested building adjacent to Parcel K, or building affordable housing with an atrium — as MOHCD indicated last year — or dropping the subject altogether.
At a recent debate, however, Mahmood was put on the spot and said he “absolutely” supports affordable housing on Parcel K, with a ground-floor atrium. After that forum, advocates pushed Mahmood to sign the petition organizers took to the mayor today, which he reluctantly did.
Other candidates, however, have opposed development. Autumn Looijen opposed any development outright: “Hayes Valley has not been shy about building affordable housing, and is happy to welcome more — but not on its town square.” Allen Jones said it had simply been too long, and that the matter should be abandoned.
Scotty Jacobs, meanwhile, originally told Mission Local he supported mixed-use development on Parcel K, then later said he wanted a “middle-ground” approach to preserve the “beloved community space,” and instead develop other parcels into affordable housing.
Andrew Seigner, a resident who holds the permit for Car-Free Hayes Street, however, disputed this argument: The block of Hayes Street which is closed on weekends and used as a community space is larger than the entire Parcel K space. There is also the park that spans the block of Octavia Street between Hayes and Fell streets.
“You just have to think a little bit bigger,” Seigner said. “We can have everything. We can have open space for people, and we can have housing. They don’t need to compete with each other.”
Preston, who also attended the rally today, accused Mayor London Breed of delaying building housing on the site, despite past promises. He said a developer of another nearby building had already committed $1 million to pre-development on Parcel K, and that nonprofit and other developers are eager to build.
Burdick echoed Preston’s concerns before the group began its five-block trek to City Hall: “If we have an affordable housing crisis, which everybody says we do … I ask why our city staff and leaders still delay?”
Affordable housing AND pedestrianize Hayes between Laguna (or Buchanan) and Gough!
I’ve lived a block and a half from this for 17 years; Proxy has been great and now it’s time for more housing.
the “hornet’s nest” characterization reminds me how the upscale residents on streets like sanchez got their slow street for several blocks and the tenderloin got less than one.
Please fact check this quote below–I believe it is a lie. It appears the mayor’s office is making up stuff to please the privileged at the expense of the low income folks who have and are being displaced from her old neighborhood: “(Stanley/MOHCD) .. noted that Parcel K’s location make it less likely to receive state funding, that development would be costly”…How can this be if the land is free and there is 1 million $ in start up funds? For the life of me I cannot see how (the current uses of the empty parcel k) expensive coffee and ice cream, lifting weights or a movie screen is more important than low income housing.
Wow. Even Bilal has reluctantly come around and at least says he supports affordable housing on Parcel K. Wonder what happened. He used to have any “all” income levels, so the high class clientele could live there too, in case they didn’t want to live in some other gentry unit nearby or an entirely different gentrified neighborhood.
Blade of truth statement: “You just have to think a little bit bigger,” Seigner said. “We can have everything. We can have open space for people and we can have housing. They don’t need to compete with each other.”
Cool set of excuses from the “YIMBY mayor”‘s office.
Appreciate the advocates and Dean Preston for consistently supporting housing, and while it shouldn’t have taken so long I’m glad Mahmood came around. Now it’s Breed’s turn.
I want to see the remaining part of the Central Freeway, dividing the Mission from SoMa, come down as well. I don’t want the result of that to be a transformation of the area into playgrounds for the rich, so it’s important for affordable housing to be a key part of the plan, and to know that City promises to build affordable housing will be honored. Building on Parcel K is literally the least the City can do here.
Because playgrounds for vagrants and business opportunities for drug sellers are so much better.
Proof that the carpet bagging candidates who moved to D5 a few months ago (looking at you Scotty party zone Jacobs and you Bilal not a neuroscientist Mahmood and you Autumn from Los Altos Looijen) are all clueless about the local history of Hayes Valley and Parcel K. In 1999, voters overwhelmingly approved legislation for funding and the construction of affordable housing here. Since elected Dean Preston has pushed for 100 affordable and low income units here. Breed and her appointees at MOHCD pulled the plug. We can do all on Parcel K: 1) low income housing, 2) neighborhood serving and local biz, and 3) preservation of green space and public commons.
I am against all slow streets. There are sidewalks for people, roads are for vehicles. I am tired of entitled people who think closing a road is good for business,enderly,disabled or extended families. Parking is eliminated for visitors from farcaway,who are more likely to spend money than nearby residents. The housing shortage is a myth.This has been fed to people from Sacramento. Affordable housing never has ample parking. This excludes any tradespeople, street artists,traveling nurses ,many families with elderly, disabled and children. I am tired of these non profit people making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to do a poor job.Hideous new buildings warehousing people is not what SF is about.The population is down.The people in SF government lie,a lot.
Parcel K Is the only open space we have in the neighborhood. The adjacent green is tiny, and insufficient for the neighborhood dogs & skateboarders, let alone all the residents. We want and like our town square as is.
Kudos to Preston’s OPPONENTS for speaking up for the people who live here. Hayes Valley has built plenty of affordable housing.
‘Car-free’ Hayes is not needed. We don’t want our neighborhood businesses to fall the way of Valencia with its center bike-lane disaster (that even many cyclists oppose).
Keep Hayes commercial corridor strong and vibrant: open to cars, pedestrians etc.
– D5 Resident & Voter
This was voted on and passed by the City of San Francisco. It’s outrageous that people in this neighborhood think they can block affordable housing that was agreed to years ago.
Did everyone miss the part about this development being 80′ high? Eight stories! across a narrow path from a narrow park, which will be overshadowed in the
AM?
‘Affordable housing’ yes, but keep it in line with the area. Even the ‘affordable housing’ half a block away (455 Fell) or 355 Fell is only 50′, and feels “full” for the area with is mostly 30′ high.