Mixed-Use Development Slated For San Francisco’s Potrero Hill

By Jeffrey Steele, Contributing Writer

San Francisco—Multifamily developer Related California has announced plans to develop a mixed-use property in the city’s Potrero Hill district. The project, which will be built on a 3.36-acre site now occupied by commercial and industrial buildings, will deliver 320 residential units and 10,000 square feet of commercial and retail space. Construction is scheduled to begin in mid 2014.

The rezoned proposed site is part of the City of San Francisco’s Eastern Neighborhood Plan process. It will provide more than twice the open space required of such developments, and is ideally situated near Jackson Playground.

The community will frame the edge of the 18^th Street corridor, the main retail street, providing additional patrons and increased retail options for the community. It will also greatly boost quality affordable and market-rate options in the neighborhood.

A range of floor plans, from studio units to three-bedroom residences, will be provided by the development. Amenities and retail uses are still being programmed. Completion of the project is anticipated in 2016.

“The local housing market is very strong, and we like this particular site because of its location in a well-established neighborhood that does not have a lot of other options for institutional-quality apartment living,” Lydia Tan, executive vice president of Related California, tells MHN. “This site affords us the ability to provide the needed market-rate and affordable housing along with desired retail and commercial.”

The site is a classic San Francisco site, Tan reports, and features a number of grade changes that represent both a design challenge as well as an opportunity. “We also will be working closely with the very active neighborhood groups to help shape the design as it evolves,” she says.

Related California recently filed the Environmental Evaluation application, and will soon be launching the environmental review process.

“Related is deeply committed to working with Bay Area communities on a wide range of housing projects,” says Bill Witte, Related California’s president and CEO.

“This opportunity to develop on a parcel this large and to include mixed-use and mixed-income is key to what Related believes most improves neighborhoods,” adds Tan. “We can really make a significant difference in a classic San Francisco neighborhood, and will work with the Potrero residents to bring it to life.”