San Francisco is set to get a boost in affordable housing with a major project approved for the Mission District. The city's Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD) has tapped Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) and Mission Housing Development Corporation to lead the construction at 1979 Mission Street, which stands to be one of the city's most extensive affordable housing endeavors to date, according to a recent announcement by the Mayoral Office.
"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," Mayor London Breed stated in a press release. The planned development, occupying a lot that includes a vacant commercial building and a disused parking lot, is eyed to provide roughly 350 new homes geared towards low-income and previously homeless individuals.
The announcement marked a significant victory for community groups that have championed affordable housing in a district with its fair share of displacement and gentrification struggles. "After a decade-long struggle, the working-class community of the Mission celebrates a great victory that for some was an unattainable dream," Brenda Cordova Madrigal of the Plaza 16 Coalition elucidated, recognizing the collective efforts of the community and advocacy groups.
Accommodating a range of housing needs, such as units for families with dependent children and permanent supportive housing for small unhoused households, the project's architectural design and community engagement stages are set to roll out following the rigorous selection process. The partnership with MOHCD aims to rally state, federal, and private resources to finance the build, Mayor Breed's office confirmed. In the meantime, the site's proximity to the 16th Street BART station means collaboration with BART is also in the cards to potentially improve transportation in the locality.
Should the financing be secured on time, shovels could be in the ground by 2026, with doors opening to residents by the close of 2028. MEDA CEO Luis Granados expressed the significance of the partnership and community's role in achieving this goal: "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 transforms into a 100% affordable housing site." In tandem, Sam Moss, CEO of Mission Housing, shared a pledge towards the Mission's future: "We make a commitment to you all to work as one to bring The Marvel to life".
This housing push forms part of a broader strategy to erect 82,000 new homes over the next eight years in San Francisco, a key piece of Mayor Breed's housing blueprint to ensure livable conditions for all residents across the city.
