Today, the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD) announced the selection of Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) and Mission Housing Development Corporation (Mission Housing) to lead development of new permanently affordable rental housing at 1979 Mission Street.
“This project will support people living in the Mission and strengthen the surrounding community. We need projects like this across our city, while also working to make it easier to build housing at all income levels in all neighborhoods,” said Mayor London Breed. “I'm excited to see the work that MEDA and Mission Housing will do to build this project and provide hundreds of affordable homes in the heart of the mission.”
Located near the southwest corner of the intersection of 16th Street, Mission Street, and Capp Street in San Francisco’s Mission District, the 57,325 square foot site is currently occupied by a vacant commercial building and unutilized surface parking lot. Based on current capacity estimates, the site is expected to deliver approximately 350 new affordable homes serving low-income and formerly homeless households as part of a multi-phase development process. Upon completion of all development phases, 1979 Mission Street will be one of the largest 100% affordable housing projects in San Francisco.
“We are now one step closer to making the hard-fought Marvel in the Mission project at 16th and Mission Street a reality,” said District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen. “For years, we worked alongside community to make this site 100% affordable for our working families and unhoused Mission neighbors. Congratulations to the development team and our community partners who will continue the job of delivering hundreds of affordable housing units to the Mission.”
"After a decade-long struggle, the working-class community of the Mission celebrates a great victory that for some was an unattainable dream This fight was possible because of power, community action, commitment and the hard work of listening to our communities about their urgent needs for a decent and 100% affordable housing at 16th and Mission,” said Brenda Cordova Madrigal of the Plaza 16 Coalition. “All of this unity and solidarity made it possible to build that consciousness in our community that housing is a right and not a privilege. This triumph shows that when the community comes together it can defeat great monsters that cause our families to be displaced from their homes. We will continue to fight for the homes our communities deserve.”
MEDA and Mission Housing, along with partners Caritas Management and Lutheran Social Services, were selected to develop, own, and operate the housing and associated improvements proposed for the 1979 Mission Street project through a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) issued in August 2023. The RFQ called for a phased development plan that would include two separate buildings serving a broad range of affordable housing needs, including housing for families with dependent children, and permanent supportive housing for small households that are currently unhoused. The development team’s selection was informed by an evaluation by a panel of expert staff, as well as ongoing engagement with Mission-based stakeholders and community leaders.
"What an honor it is for MEDA to be one of the two organizations selected to lead the development for 1979 Mission Street. Working together with Mission Housing on such an extensive development project shows the incredible impact of community advocacy,” said MEDA CEO Luis Granados. “It’s because of the grit and tenacity of our Mission community - specifically the Plaza 16 Coalition - who organized and fought for this site’s development that hundreds of people will one day be able to permanently call San Francisco their home as it is transforms into a 100% affordable housing site. This is an incredible victory. Here’s to the 'Marvel in the Mission’.”
“Mission Housing is honored to be a part of the development team at 1979 Mission Street. We share this joy with MEDA and we’re grateful to the community advocates who brought us together for this project. We make a commitment to you all to work as one to bring The Marvel to life," said Mission Housing CEO Sam Moss.
“Mission Housing appreciates the work of our staff — past and present — along with the numerous community advocates who are reflected in the Plaza 16 Coalition who have made this victory for the Mission possible," added Marcia Contreras, Deputy Executive Director of Mission Housing. "Our partnership with MEDA is founded in the service and love of the community. It’s this love that will guide us through the process of building The Marvel.”
Due to the project’s location adjacent to the 16th Street BART station, the development team will work in collaboration with BART to support the project and potential improvements to nearby BART plazas. In addition to BART regional public transit service, the site is served by several public transit services operated by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), including the 49-Van Ness/Mission bus line, the 14-Mission bus line and its 14R-Mission Rapid limited stop counterpart, the 22-Fillmore bus line, the 55-Dogpatch bus line, and the 33-Ashbury/18th Street bus line.
“BART is excited to continue our collaboration with MOHCD after the successful delivery of the recent Balboa Park Upper Yard Affordable Housing and BART Transit Plaza projects and to potentially help deliver more affordable housing in the Mission,” said BART General Manager Bob Powers.
The selection of the development team represents the beginning of the housing development process. MOHCD will begin working with the development team to determine structural feasibility of developing over the BART station, as well as an initial predevelopment investment to advance architectural design and community engagement. The development team will also partner with MOHCD on securing state, federal, and private resources to fully finance the project. Pending the availability of necessary gap financing, the first phase of the project may start construction as early as 2026, with residents moving in by the end of 2028.
Building more affordable housing in all neighborhoods of San Francisco is a key element of Mayor Breed’s Housing for All Plan and support’s the City’s goal of building 82,000 new homes over the next eight years. The developer team has been directed to utilize streamlined ministerial approval processes, such as those outlined in SB 423 and AB 2162, and maximize density per as-of-right zoning. The projects will also benefit from local site permit reforms and other Housing for All legislation brought forward by Mayor London Breed and the Board of Supervisors.