A shuttered car wash at the corner of Collins Street and Geary Boulevard in San Francisco's Inner Richmond could soon give way to an eight-story building with 38 apartments, according to newly revealed plans for the site. The proposal calls for demolishing the existing former self-service car wash and replacing it with a mixed-use structure rising 87 feet above the 0.11-acre parcel.
The latest site plans, reported by San Francisco YIMBY, describe a building expected to yield around 41,150 square feet, including 38,800 square feet of housing and a tiny ground-floor shop space totaling 300 square feet of commercial retail. The unit mix would include 18 one-bedroom apartments, 19 two-bedroom apartments, and one three-bedroom residence, all available for sale. Parking is planned for 11 cars and 38 bicycles. The outlet's report names 228 Collins LLC as the project applicant and Tim Brown as the property owner.
Four of the 38 units would be set aside as affordable housing for households earning around 80% of area median income, per the same report. The project invokes the state Density Bonus Law and also cites Senate Bill 330, requesting a 24.5% density bonus above base zoning along with waivers covering building height, open space, facade articulation, and dwelling size mix.
A Different Set of Numbers in 2023
The current proposal is a marked departure from an earlier version of the project. Permits filed for the same address in 2023 described a much smaller building, with sfyimby.com reporting at the time that the plan called for 24 multi-family residences, 1,700 square feet of commercial space, and a parking garage on the 5,000-square-foot site. That earlier filing also described a partial basement for utility spaces, bike storage, and the lower level of a parking stacker. The site's evidence does not explain why the unit count and commercial square footage grew in the years between filings, and no construction cost or timeline has been shared for the current proposal.
Kerman Morris Architects designed both versions of the project, the 2023 filing noted, and the firm remains responsible for the design under the newer plans as well. The current design includes an articulated facade with light tan and blue panels wrapped around floor-to-ceiling windows, according to the report. The property sits near the USF Lone Mountain campus and the City Center shopping mall, placing it in a dense pocket of the Inner Richmond.
How San Francisco's Density Bonus Rules Work
The project's reliance on state density bonus law places it within a framework San Francisco has used to encourage denser housing construction. According to San Francisco Planning, the city implements California's State Density Bonus Law through its Individually Requested State Density Bonus Program under Planning Code Section 206.6. That state law, codified at California Government Code Section 65915, allows eligible projects to receive up to 50% additional residential density over otherwise allowable maximums in exchange for including on-site affordable housing.
San Francisco Planning also administers HOME-SF, a separate local density bonus program for housing projects, though the evidence does not establish whether 228 Collins Street is using that specific pathway. Under HOME-SF rules, the agency notes that projects can receive a maximum bonus of two additional stories and relief from density controls, while requiring 7% to 10% of residential units as affordable housing as of this past August.
Part of a Broader Wave Along Geary
The Collins Street corner has a history tied to car washes giving way to redevelopment. A 2021 report from SocketSite described plans to raze a different car wash that had occupied a nearby corner of Collins and Geary for 45 years before shuttering. The current proposal continues that trend, with the longtime car wash use at 228 Collins Street now slated for demolition as well.
The project also joins a string of recent housing proposals along the Geary corridor. San Francisco YIMBY has reported on updated plans for a seven-story apartment complex at 2800 Geary Boulevard in Presidio Heights, preliminary permits for a five-story housing project at 3900 Geary Boulevard in the Inner Richmond, and preliminary plans for an eight-story apartment complex at 5420 Geary Boulevard in the Richmond District. No approval outcome, construction start date, or cost estimate has been verified for 228 Collins Street, and whether the project will proceed as currently proposed remains to be seen.
