News

City announces development teams for nine 100% affordable housing sites across San Francisco

Nearly 900 new affordable homes will be built across the City in the coming years
May 27, 2021

The City announced today that nine new affordable housing sites have taken a major next step in the construction planning process with the selection of development teams. Building and developing these new homes is a key pillar of the Mayor’s COVID-19 recovery strategy and will be crucial to revitalizing the City’s economy while addressing the community’s need for new housing. The homes will serve seniors, families, formerly homeless individuals and families, and HIV+ households among other populations. 

The nine sites span numerous neighborhoods in the City including 967 Mission Street, which is part of the SoMa 5M development plan, and 772 Pacific Avenue in Chinatown, the former home of New Asia restaurant which will be the first new 100% affordable housing development in that neighborhood in over two decades. 1939 Market Street, located on the border of the Castro and Upper Market neighborhoods, will add critical LGBT+ affirming senior housing. 

On November 30, 2020, the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD) issued a Request For Qualifications (RFQ) to develop affordable housing on nine sites in San Francisco. The selected developer teams are the result of a competitive procurement process and were evaluated by a selection panel that included City department staff with expertise in affordable housing as well as community members

Developer Teams Selections for the 9 new affordable housing sites in the RFQ

Senior affordable housing
772 Pacific Avenue: Chinatown Community Development Center (CCDC) and Catholic Charities
967 Mission Street: Bayview Hunters Point Multipurpose Senior Service (BHMPSS) and The John Stewart Company (JSCo)
1939 Market Street: Mercy Housing and Openhouse

Family affordable housing
1515 South Van Ness Avenue: Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA), Chinatown Community Development Center (CCDC), Catholic Charities
88 Bluxome Street: Jonathan Rose Companies and Young Community Developers (YCD)
Pier 70, Parcel C2A (address unassigned): Young Community Developers (YCD), Chinatown Community Development Center (CCDC), Catholic Charities
160 Freelon (598 Brannan Street): San Francisco Housing Development Corp (SFHDC) and Related California

Permanent Supportive Housing
71 Boardman Place: The John Stewart Company (JSCo) and Conard House
725 Harrison Street: Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corp (TNDC) and Community Housing Partnership (CHP)

Developer teams had to include at least one San Francisco-based non-profit development organization and had to demonstrate recent experience building and owning qualifying affordable housing in San Francisco as well as recent experience managing and providing supportive services in a qualifying affordable housing project.

All sites are anticipated to qualify for ministerial approvals from the Planning Department through SB35, which may be used in conjunction with the State Density Bonus Program or the Affordable Housing Density Bonus Program.

The City anticipates starting construction on the first of the nine-sites in 2023 following two to three years of pre-development. The completion of these projects will depend on availability of local funding and competitiveness for tax credit and bond financing. 

Once complete, the apartments created will be rented through San Francisco’s online affordable housing portal, known as DAHLIA. All renters will have to qualify under set income limits, and all units in a project will be available at an unsubsidized average of no more than 80% of the average San Francisco Area Median Income (AMI). Eighty percent of the San Francisco AMI is currently $74,600 for an individual, and $106,550 for a family of four. Qualifying households can expect to pay around 30-percent of their yearly income on rent. Beyond this overarching affordability goal, some portion of the apartments at each site will be reserved for extremely low-income renters making 30% AMI or less ($28,000 for an individual, $39,950 for a family of four).

At least five apartments per site, and 10 at the Pier 70 site, will be available for referrals from the City’s Plus Housing list for low-income residents living with HIV with rents set at no more than 50% AMI ($1,166 for a studio, $1,333 for a one bedroom). To find and apply for affordable housing in San Francisco, visit https://housing.sfgov.org/.