When people think of Stonestown Galleria these days, they think more about housing than shopping. In early June, people living in R.V.s blocked an entrance to Stonestown for several hours to protest an upcoming action by the city to clear out their nearby R.V. encampment. Kenneth Cocking, one of the R.V. residents, told San Francisco Standard, “With all of the empty parking lots and space, long enough to where they can accommodate a few R.V.s … they have the means to accommodate the homeless.”
Now say goodbye to the empty parking lots.
In mid-July, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to support a plan to add almost 3,500 new homes — plus childcare and senior facilities, parks, and other open space — on land currently used as parking lots for the Stonestown mall, located on the city’s west side. The project had previously won unanimous approval from the city’s Planning Commission in May. According to San Francisco Planning, “the 27 acres of surface parking lots would be transformed into a predominantly residential neighborhood with up to 3,500 housing units and additional uses including parks and plazas, retail, community amenity space, office, and structured parking.”
The developer is Brookfield Properties, which has spent five years preparing its project. Brookfield envisions a walkable mixed-use environment built in phases; the mall itself would remain open throughout the development process.
The housing would be a mix of rental and owner-occupied units, with 20 percent of them set aside for affordable housing. A “Senior Village” would include a new 7,000-square-foot senior center and 200 units of senior housing with priority given to veterans. A childcare center with capacity for 100 children would also be included.
Real estate developer and manager Brookfield Properties has more than 1,000 properties around the world. In a city noted for vociferous opposition to housing by residents and supervisors, the Stonestown project has been relatively popular. “We’re thrilled with the collaboration and support we’ve received from the neighborhood and the city,” said Christie Donnelly, senior director of development for Brookfield.
In addition to housing and a new neighborhood “town square,” the project is expected to create an annual average of 800 construction and related jobs during development and 1,000 permanent jobs.
In addition to housing and a new “town square,” the project is expected to create hundreds of construction and related jobs and 1,000 permanent jobs.
“Stonestown is the ideal location to add more housing to the westside,” said District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar, whose district includes Stonestown. “San Francisco should be proud of this comprehensive vision to build out Stonestown as a future town center that connects our neighborhoods while investing in union jobs, affordable housing, transit, infrastructure, and amenities such as childcare and senior services that benefit our entire community. “
The supervisors’ approval includes the beginning of the creation of an Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District (EIFD) for Stonestown. EIFD is sort of a self-boosting tool that allows the reinvestment of new property tax revenue created by the development into infrastructure needed for the project.
In a press release, Mayor London Breed welcomed the rare large housing development in the city, which will help San Francisco work toward meeting its state-mandated goal of 82,000 new housing units over the next eight years. “With the approval of this transformative project at Stonestown, we are showing how we can get to yes on housing and create a more affordable San Francisco for all,” said Breed. She said the project will not only provide housing but will act as an “economic engine” in the neighborhood.
In related housing news, on July 18, the mayor announced that she and the Office of Housing and Community Development had a strategy to bring nearly 3,700 new affordable homes to San Francisco by accessing federal funding through the “Faircloth to RAD” program. The first city in California to use the program, San Francisco will tap its resources to help deliver 700 new homes across the city. In addition, a proposed $20 billion regional housing bond for the November ballot would bring as much as $2.4 billion for San Francisco. And in June, city officials and development partners broke ground for a new 90-unit, 100 percent affordable apartment building at 2550 Irving Street in the Sunset neighborhood.
Whether the city can keep up the momentum and meet its mandated housing goals will depend on how many more broadly popular housing projects it can come up with.
