Mayor London N. Breed today celebrated the groundbreaking of Sunnydale Block 6, a six-story building that will provide 167 permanently affordable homes for low-income families, including 125 apartments set aside for Sunnydale residents living in public housing. She was joined by Senator Scott Wiener, Assemblymember David Chiu, California Board of Equalization Chair Malia Cohen, and Supervisor Shamann Walton.
“Every San Franciscan deserves to live in quality housing, and we are committed to making that a reality through projects like this one at Sunnydale Block 6,” said Mayor Breed. “This new development will provide safe and modernized homes for 167 families in the Sunnydale neighborhood. As we work to build more housing in San Francisco, we must make sure that all our neighborhoods benefit from new construction and investment so that no one gets left behind.”
Once completed, the re-envisioned Sunnydale neighborhood will be affordable for up to 1,700 low- and middle-income families. The neighborhood is being developed according to the non- displacement principles of the Mayor’s HOPE SF initiative. The master developers are Related California and Mercy Housing California, which in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development and the San Francisco Housing Authority, were selected to partner with residents to transform Sunnydale into an inclusive, equitable, and mixed-income community.
“San Francisco has a severe shortage of affordable housing for our low income residents, and we must do more to ensure people have homes they can afford,” said Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco). “This is a great example of what we can do when we prioritize housing for San Franciscans.”
“Today’s groundbreaking is a big step forward for our southeast neighborhoods,” said Assemblymember David Chiu (D-San Francisco). “This historic project will help ensure families are able to remain in the neighborhood they have called home for decades.”
San Francisco’s HOPE SF initiative is the nation’s first large-scale community development effort aimed at disrupting intergenerational poverty, reducing social isolation, and creating vibrant communities without mass displacement. Backed by significant local funding, including the 2015 $310 million affordable housing bond, HOPE SF places residents first, ensuring that the households currently living in the community have the first chance to move into new housing as development progresses. Two of the four HOPE SF sites, Alice Griffith and Hunters View, have largely completed their public housing transformation. The remaining two sites, Potrero Hill and Sunnydale, are at the beginning of the multi-year, multi-phase transformation process.
“With this groundbreaking we take another step forward towards honoring the promises we made to residents of the Southeast decades ago,” said Malia Cohen, Chair of the California Board of Equalization and former San Francisco Supervisor. “During my eight years serving the people of District 10, I proudly fought for the rebuilding of Sunnydale and made it a priority of mine to revitalize this public housing site.”
“The Sunnydale community is the largest public housing site in San Francisco and the most isolated for generations,” said Supervisor Shamann Walton. “We are excited to see the 167 new units and what’s to come. My office will continue to push for more affordable homes across the City and keep developments responsible.”
“No place in the country has made a commitment to community like HOPE SF, so we are thrilled to take this major step forward with the rebuilding of Sunnydale,” said Doug Shoemaker, President of Mercy Housing California.
“The revitalization of the Sunnydale community is about creating a true neighborhood that improves the lives of the current residents while adding new housing for a mix of incomes—two major priorities in San Francisco that we have focused on throughout our 30-year history,” said Bill Witte, Chairman and CEO of Related California.
This affordable housing development at Sunnydale Block 6 is made possible by financing from the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, San Francisco Housing Authority and Wells Fargo. Sunnydale Block 6 has an expected move-in date of fall 2022.