TNDC Proposes 122-Unit Affordable Housing Complex For Turk & Larkin

TNDC Proposes 122-Unit Affordable Housing Complex For Turk & LarkinKahn & Keville auto shop's beloved billboard at the corner of Turk and Larkin. (Photo: Andy K./Yelp)
Brittany Hopkins
Published on August 16, 2016

Big changes are in the works for the corner of Turk and Larkin.

The Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation has submitted plans to construct 122 units of affordable housing at 500 Turk St., the San Francisco Business Times reports today.

The preliminary plans call for replacing the existing Kahn & Keville tire and auto service shop, and its beloved billboard on the corner, with an eight-story, 79-foot mixed-use residential building that's 100 percent affordable.

These mechanics are honest to a fault

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If approved, the residential complex would include two commercial spaces fronting Larkin Street, a courtyard with a garden and play space for residents at the back of the property (adjacent to the Phoenix Hotel), a rooftop garden and a publicly accessible community room along Turk Street.  

According to the Business Times, this is one of the largest sites available for development in the Tenderloin, with potential capacity for 300 individuals. Units will be reserved for those making 60 percent of the area median income (less than $64,600 per year for a family of four), with 25 units being set aside for formerly homeless families earning up to 15 percent of AMI (less than $16,150 per year for a family of four). Given the focus on affordable housing, pushback from existing Tenderloin residents is not expected.

The ground-floor site plan for 500 Turk. | Image: TNDC via SF Planning

However, TNDC still needs to purchase the property—and, more importantly, the affordable housing developer must raise the millions of dollars in public funds needed to see the project through.

Donald Falk, executive director of TNDC, told the Business Times that the projected budget for the project is $78 million. The firm is applying for $30 million in funding from the $130 million housing bond that voters passed last fall. The remaining funding could come from "a mix of state and federal sources, and possibly a construction loan."

Work on the development could begin in two or three years, once all approvals and financing are secured.

That means neighbors have at least 730 more days to enjoy Kahn & Keville's billboard insights on neighborhood happenings and life in general.

Oooh, sick burn from #kahnandkeville !!

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