The landscape of Lower Nob Hill is to drastically change as demolition makes way for ElevenEleven, a 22-story, 303-unit residential tower destined to take the place of the former Halsted N. Gray-Carew & English Funeral Home at 1101-1123 Sutter Street. The work, as reported by SF YIMBY, began after the demolition permits were listed as complete in late July, with new building permits issued in mid-October. The project, developed by Martin Building Company, aims to introduce not only living spaces but also 2,800 square feet of commercial area and facilities, such as a childcare center, across the property's 0.68-acre site.
To address investor hesitancy and bolster such developments, the project's developer has successfully secured funding from a diverse range of sources, including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the California Housing Finance Agency, and the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust. "It’s a market-rate project and a below-market-rate project," Patrick McNerney, CEO of Martin Building Co., told the San Francisco Chronicle. By bifurcating the project into two separate entities, Martin Building qualifies for various tax credits and state and federal funds.
The new structure, designed by David Baker Architects, will comprise a range of units, from studios to four-bedroom apartments, with 102 units designated as deed-restricted affordable housing. Adding to the structural complexity, the site will incorporate the façade of a neo-classical former automotive-repair shop, which will be preserved and repurposed for parking. This decision not only nods to the area's historical significance but also strategically reduces construction costs by foregoing the need for a subterranean garage.
The development of ElevenEleven comes at a time when the San Francisco housing market is navigating a post-pandemic world, one where priorities have seemingly shifted. Project architect Pedram Farashbandi, a principal with David Baker Architects, related that the sentiment towards such large projects had changed, sharing with the San Francisco Chronicle, "The attitude changed during the pandemic. I started getting emails from people asking, ‘Why are you not starting construction?’" Now that the financial hurdle has been addressed, and with the intention of replicating the mixed-income model in future projects, McNerney expressed pride in having reached this stage of development.
