Mayor London N. Breed today joined Supervisor Matt Haney and Mercy Housing for a ceremony celebrating the opening and formal dedication of the Sister Lillian Murphy Community, a 152-unit, 100% affordable housing development in the heart of Mission Bay. The development is part of the Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure (OCII)’s Mission Bay Redevelopment Plans, which have brought more than 6,000 units of housing, including more than 1,500 units of affordable housing, to the neighborhood since 2000.
“While we are always excited to celebrate new affordable housing opening in our city, these 152 units are a little extra special because of their dedication in honor of Sister Lillian Murphy, a true champion of affordable housing in San Francisco,” said Mayor Breed. “The Mission Bay neighborhood is continuing to grow and thrive thanks to projects like this that not only bring resources and programs but provide opportunities for San Franciscans to remain safely and stably housed.”
The new affordable homes range from studio to 5-bedroom units and serve households that annually earn up to 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI)—$74,600 for a one-person household, and $106,550 for a family of four. Of the 152 units, 28 have been prioritized for residents in the Mission Bay area through the Neighborhood Resident Housing Preference Program, and 38 are home to residents of the Sunnydale HOPE SF site, which is currently undergoing extensive renovations. The Sister Lillian Murphy Community also includes space for a ground-floor childcare facility, Kai Ming, that will offer subsidized placements for residents of the community, and an arts and activities area that will be utilized by Blue Bear School of Music, a local non-profit that provides music classes for families and children.
“The Sister Lilian Murphy Community will go a long way in helping fulfill our need for more affordable housing in the City,” said Supervisor Matt Haney. “Having affordable housing that incorporates subsidized childcare offers vulnerable families the stability they need and deserve. It also means low-income families can continue to live in San Francisco. I hope that more projects like this can happen across the City.”
The Sister Lillian Murphy Community was completed in January 2021 and reached 100% capacity in September 2021, providing nearly 2,000 construction jobs as San Francisco was just beginning to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Of those, 80 were placed through the CityBuild local workforce training program that is overseen by the Office of Economic and Workforce Development.
OCII provided funding for the project in the form of a permanent loan. Additional funding came from the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee, Bank of America, California Community Reinvestment Corporation, and the California Department of Housing and Community Development.
“OCII applauds the work of our partners in bringing this beautiful and critically needed housing to fruition,” said Jim Morales, Interim Executive Director, Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure. “Sister Lillian Murphy Apartments provides affordable homes for families to thrive in. Thoughtfully designed shared spaces and the Kai Ming childcare center provide opportunities for residents to connect with each other and the greater Mission Bay neighborhood.”
The Sister Lillian Murphy Community is dedicated in honor of the late Sister Murphy, who served as Mercy Housing’s CEO for nearly 30 years. Born and raised in San Francisco, she grew the organization into one of the nation’s largest affordable housing developers and owners.
“Sister Lillian Murphy’s contribution to San Francisco is a story that should be known to more people,” said Doug Shoemaker, President of Mercy Housing California. “Born at San Francisco General when it was still a Mercy hospital, she went on to change both health care and affordable housing as we now know them in San Francisco and across the country. Mercy Housing is celebrating their fortieth anniversary this year. It is impossible to talk about Mercy Housing’s 40 years of success without talking about Sister Lillian.”
The Mission Bay Redevelopment Plans, overseen by OCII, have brought 6,060 new housing units—1,456 of which are permanently affordable—to the neighborhood, as well as the 18,064-seat Chase Center, the 60.2-acre UCSF Mission Bay campus, more than 5.1 million square feet of office and lab space, and more than $700 million in public infrastructure and safety improvements.