San Francisco developments

theSil

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Taking advantage of recently passed legislation that gives density bonuses for affordable housing, a developer is proposing a 560' residential tower in the Outer Sunset in SF. It would be the city's 12th tallest building. In Boston terms, it's like proposing a 560' tower in Hyde Park.

No idea if it's actually compliant like the developer claims. In any case, I think the odds of this this thing ever breaking ground are slim.



(Mods: I didn't see a good existing thread to add this to. Feel free to move)
 
If it’s compliant and can be built as-of-right, then developers should build as many as they can finance. The sharp blade of zoning cuts both ways and there is infinite demand for new housing in SF. The land use practices in Sunset are appalling, from residential only to single family zoning.
 
They should definitely build it, and then maybe the NIMBYs will be more willing to allow 5-7 story Parisian style apartment blocks. That area of the city is obscene for a high demand, and otherwise dense city.
 
The developer is absolutely going for the throat here. Good on her.



The City will need to approve the project, and they know it. The proposed project at 2700 Sloat is 100% Code compliant (both city and state), including the base density calculation. The project is processing under the SDBL and HAA. It’s really very simple, and we will see it through. The city needs to supply the Outer Sunset area with 11,000 new housing units in just over 7.5 years, and approval of hundreds of small projects is not going to get them anywhere near that state requirement…

The Planning Department has a huge task of motivating Outer Sunset land owners and investors to demolish existing buildings along designated streets to make room for the required 11,000 new housing units. If they try to reduce the housing opportunity on the best development site in the area, that would be broadcasting a message that says our motto is “our way or no way,” and we think that would be the worst message Planning could put out there at this time.


Also, this is the exact kind of "sharp-edged zoning" I mentioned before. Good on them:


Speaking with J.K. Dineen for the San Francisco Chronicle, the city’s Planning Director, Rich Hillis, shared that “a residential project on this west side site next to the street car is exactly what we envisioned in the housing element.” He continued to say, “unfortunately, the developer misrepresents what’s allowed by the planning code and state density bonus.”

In response, the executive director of YIMBY Law, Sonja Trauss, told me, “What allows them to build this tower is the State Density Bonus program. Their plan is to waive the height limit.” Specifically regarding the base zoning project, Trauss shared why she and the project team believe the city is wrong. As Trauss explains, the city says “their code is silent on whether you’re allowed to have more than one tower rising from the base, and therefore it is not allowed. That is not how zoning works.

“If zoning is silent on something, that means you can do it. Like, sorry, too late… They never explicitly prohibited multiple towers because nobody has ever proposed it before. If they want to pass a new rule or ordinance to prohibit more than one tower, then they can do that. But they don’t have that rule right now.”
 
If it’s compliant and can be built as-of-right, then developers should build as many as they can finance. The sharp blade of zoning cuts both ways and there is infinite demand for new housing in SF. The land use practices in Sunset are appalling, from residential only to single family zoning.

If the city actually fucked the zoning up here and this gets built then SF gets what it deserves for years of its stupid zoning and development policies. I do think this is wildly out of scale with the area but totally agree the entire Sunset should be zoned for 5-10 story apartment blocks.

Anywho, Fuck 'em. Build it.
 
Reading through some of the past filings, coverage, and comments (yech) apparently there was an earlier offering of a mid-rise dense block that the neighborhood spit all over, so the developer came with this design and argued they will just build this by-right instead.

It really is the proverbial “find out” phase after the “fuck around” mistake.
 
Renderings Revealed For 50-Story Skyscraper In Sunset District, San Francisco
2700 Sloat Boulevard aerial view with the San Francisco Zoo and Ocean Beach in the background, rendering by Solomon Cordwell Buenz

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https://sfyimby.com/2023/07/renderi...scraper-in-sunset-district-san-francisco.html
 
Hines Gets Loan Extension For 61-Story Parcel F, San Francisco
550 Howard Street:Parcel F Architectural design, rendering by SteelBlue
550 Howard Street

“Permits are approved, and construction was expected to start two years ago, but now the site remains undisturbed while the project developer has received an extension for two loans totaling $80 million. Both JPMorgan Chase Bank and United Overseas Bank have pushed the deadline for Hines through October for two $40 million loans pertaining to the 61-story proposal at 550 Howard Street in SoMa, San Francisco. If built today, the mixed-use tower could become the fourth tallest tower in the city.”

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https://sfyimby.com/2023/07/hines-gets-loan-extension-for-61-story-parcel-f-san-francisco.html
 
^Care to elaborate?

Question: Does anybody remember tent cities in the past?

What is going on in San Fran? 2023 Headlines
Whole Foods closes San Francisco flagship store after one year, citing worker safety concerns- (4/12/2023
Hundreds of government employees in San Francisco told to work from home due to the high levels of crime in the area, report says (8/12/2023)
Park Hotels Stops Payments On $725M Loan, Plans To Hand Back Keys To 2 Hotels (6/5/2023)

The headlines concerning San Fran seem very negative these days.
 

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