San Francisco Mayor London N. Breed was in high spirits as she announced opening an 18-story building dedicated to affordable housing at 921 Howard Street. According to the City and County of San Francisco, this new development in the South of Market (SoMa) neighborhood is set to provide 200 "missing middle" homes for residents who earn between 75% and 120% of the Area Median Income (AMI).
The new 205,000-square-foot tower isn't just a place to live. It's part of a much larger plan that Breed and City officials hope will help address the city's housing crunch. The grand opening, celebrated with community leaders and housing advocates, underscores the City’s ongoing commitment to broader affordable housing strategies. It includes the City’s Housing Element, which calls for increased funding for affordable housing projects, and Mayor Breed’s Housing for All Executive Directive to reach a goal of 82,000 new homes by 2032. Incidentally, progress is measurable, with eight affordable housing projects finishing up in the 2023-2024 timeframe and another eight on the horizon for the next two years.
Residents of 921 Howard have more than just a roof over their heads to look forward to. The development is also part of the Fiber to Housing program, which offers free, high-speed internet to low- and moderate-income San Franciscans. "Internet is a necessity to ensure that kids can keep up in school, people can find jobs and participate in online work opportunities, and senior residents can access remote medical care", Michael Makstman, City Chief Information Officer and Executive Director of the Department of Technology said, as per the City and County of San Francisco. The initiative is a collaboration between the San Francisco Department of Technology (SFDT) and the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD), poised to contribute a service benefit estimated at $400 million over two decades.
Breaking ground in more ways than one, 921 Howard is the result of a partnership between the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation (TNDC) and Curtis Development. The mixed-use project is greatly lauded for its commitment to sustainability and achieved a GreenPoint Gold-Rated certification. But, it's not just the eco-friendly aspects grabbing headlines, the role of the developers has also been in the spotlight. "The project at 921 Howard speaks to Curtis Development and TNDC’s perseverance and commitment to providing affordable housing at a broad spectrum of income levels ranging from the very low-income units supported by San Francisco Housing Authority to the middle-income units supported by the California Housing Finance Agency," said Charmaine Curtis, Principal at Curtis Development, as reported by the City and County of San Francisco.
