1st New Affordable Housing Development In San Francisco's Mission District In Over A Decade Opens
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – The first new affordable housing development in the Mission District in more than a decade celebrated its grand opening on Thursday.
Officials said the development located on 1296 Shotwell Street will be home to more than 90 seniors, including those who were formerly homeless.
"These 96 new affordable homes represent a new chapter for the residents who have moved in," Mayor London Breed said in a statement. "Housing is more than a place to live—it's stability, community, and as we have seen so clearly during this pandemic, it's also essential to public health."
The nine-story building includes studios and one-bedroom apartments. Among the features include rooftop terraces with shared garden plots, bicycle storage and a solar hot water system. 1296 Shotwell also incorporates a "state-of-the-art seismic design" that would allow for residents to stay in place following an earthquake.
"It is, as most great wins are, the fruit of powerful and persistent advocacy, a partnership between community and the City," said Supervisor Hillary Ronen, who represents the Mission District.
Completion of 1296 Shotwell was years in the making. The parcel itself was acquired by the Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD) from the developers of the Vida Condominiums project in 2013, officials said. Two years later, the office selected the Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) and Chinatown Community Development Center to develop, own and operate the development.
Construction began in early 2018 and was completed in late 2019, with all apartments being fully leased in May. Major financing for the $54.2 million project was provided by the MOHCD, which contributed $27.6 million, city officials said.
Breed touted that there will be six more affordable housing developments that will open in the area in the next three years.