San Francisco's Dogpatch neighborhood is soon to welcome the Sophie Maxwell Building, a new affordable housing complex that aims to address the needs of the city's "missing middle class", a demographic that includes teachers, government employees, and community organizers. The building, christened after the former city supervisor who played a pivotal role in shutting down the Potrero Power Station and revitalizing the area, will officially begin to accept tenants starting November 1. According to CBS News San Francisco, the housing complex is part of a waterfront master plan that encompasses not only residential units but also public open space and retail and commercial opportunities.
With a total of 105 units ranging from studios to two-bedroom apartments, the Sophie Maxwell Building represents a tangible step towards making San Francisco more accessible for those whose incomes do not align perfectly with low-income qualifications or market-rate options. "We said working people -- carpenters, electricians, nurses, teachers. People that sometimes get left out because they are not in the very low and they're not in the very high (income bracket). These are the people that make the city work," former Supervisor Sophie Maxwell told ABC7 News. Community excitement mirrors this sentiment, as residents anticipate the benefits of having a more diverse economic population. The master plan also includes an additional 2,000 housing units, a hotel, a UCSF Cancer Center, and 7 acres of open space.
As noted by J.R. Eppler, president of the Potrero Boosters Neighborhood Association, the blend of residential and former industrial spaces contributes to the eclectic energy of the area. Eppler's comments to CBS News San Francisco reflect the local desire for developments that bolster both the local economy and the community fabric. Renting in the Sophie Maxwell Building will require residents to work and earn at least twice the monthly rent, a move praised by Mayor Daniel Lurie for sending a strong message of inclusion for those who contribute daily to the city's vitality.
"When we open doors like these, we send a message to the people who make this city work. That you belong here. That your kids can grow up here and that they can build a future in a place and a city that they love," Mayor Lurie said in a statement covered by CBS News San Francisco. Further emphasizing the project's impact, Theo Ellington of the Ruth Williams Bayview Opera House highlighted the importance of creating housing to effectively serve those who are integral to the city's function. Prospective tenants are to eagerly await the results of a lottery later this month to determine who will have the opportunity to call the Sophie Maxwell Building home.
