The newly refined plans for a 371-unit development to rise up to seven stories in height on Harrison Street, upon the Western SoMa parcel currently occupied by the German Motors Collision Center building, between Langton and Berwick Place, are slated to be presented to San Francisco’s Planning Commission next week.

As designed by BDE Architecture for The Hanover Company, the proposed development now includes a mix of 131 studios, 90 one-bedrooms and 150 two or three-bedroom apartments; 12,900 square feet of amenity space and leasing space (including the gym, dog spa, bike lounge, and lobbies); 6,600 square feet of commercial/residential flex space fronting both Harrison and Berwick Place, divided into six (6) storefronts; parking for 420 bikes; and an underground garage for 170 cars.

A 30-foot-wide publicly accessible, but gated, pedestrian passage through the middle of the development would connect Harrison to Hallam Street.

Portions of the existing building’s brick façade, along Hallam and Berwick Place, would be saved and incorporated into the new development.

The width of the sidewalk along Harrison, between Langton and Berwick, is to increase from 8 to 15 feet, reducing the number of travel lanes on Harrison between 7th and 8th from five to four.

And if approved, Hanover is expected to break ground by the end of this year and finish construction in mid-2021.  We’ll keep you posted and plugged-in.

25 thoughts on “Big SoMa Project Slated for Approval (And to Break Ground)”
  1. That’ll vastly improve the pedestrian experience on this forlorn block. Having attempted to bike on Harrison, I welcome any traffic calming, even just removing a lane. Three cheers for new housing that makes the street better as well!

    To complete it, a new signalized crosswalk at the alley gate would be lovely.

    1. Harrison would be such an easy spot to add a bike lane since the existing travel lanes are overly wide already (and usually half empty). Here’s hoping the increase in residents pushes the SFMTA to do so.

      1. The street may be “half empty” in that blocl but one block further on after the off ramp from the Bay Bridge feeds traffic onto the street it’s far from empty.

        1. So what? Aside from the (often packed) lane adjacent to the freeway, there are 4 other lanes. One should be for buses, one for bikes/scooters, and the sidewalk should be widened. This is the center of our city—there’s already a freeway if you want to speed through SF; streets with housing on them need to be for people.

          1. Totally agree. Harrison and Bryant are like pseudo-freeways today, and it makes the effect on the neighborhood so much worse than if we just had the actual freeway, and normal neighborhood streets on either side.

          2. I can’t agree at all that Harrison is “such an easy spot” for a bike lane. It will always be a ramp to the freeway one way or another. But aside from that, how you envision a bike lane across 9th and Harrison “easy” is beyond me. Harrison is a freeway, and 9th is a freeway—those choices have been made.

          3. sculpey, The City made a decision to design those streets for maximum automobile through traffic rather than for safety or walkability. We can make a different decision today. SoMa has transitioned from industrial to a growing residential neighborhood, which makes it the right time to rethink these choices.

          4. I quite agree with that, Scott. But I think inserting bike lanes into “surface freeways” is getting it backward. Let’s find a way for those streets not to be freeways, then the rest will follow. SOMA is a cut-through for many long trips that are not bike-able. Just look at the big rig traffic on 9th, say.

          5. a bike lane here would only add to congestion by taking away a lane. this is a freeway onramp strret. there are better options for bike lanes. cars are not going away

        2. But the highway can’t handle the traffic from all the lanes which makes turns Harrison into a buffer or car storage with capacity of 10 or so vehicles.

          That’s probably true for most of Harrison and Bryant.

      1. I think you mean 5 into 4, and yeah, that’s exactly what we’ll be doing on most streets in the future. See: Van Ness, Mission, Valencia, etc. Start taking the bus, walk, bike, or deal.

      2. ‘Traffic calming’
        ‘Clearly confused’
        ‘Deafening silence’
        ‘Only choice’
        Oxymorons all.
        But the building looks great. It is is a lot of much needed units plus parking for 420 bikes!

  2. “and 150 two or three-bedroom apartments”

    Was a breakdown not given, or are they billed as flexible with a room that could be either a den/office or a bedroom? Guessing it’s the former.

  3. Wow what a creative design. Inspired no doubt by its twin at 18th & Bryant and siblings sprinkled in dull suburbs everywhere.

  4. This is just another “behemoth” rectangular box. The original façade was better as it managed to break up the boxy feel and included a more articulated roofline which gave it a less squat, more interesting, appearance.

  5. Safe designs get built. Why would a developer try and do something interesting or great when they know “progressive” NIMBYS are out for blood.

    371 housing units is much needed but this is another missed opportunity to add much needed housing (both affordable and market rate).

  6. How is this getting financed if they plan to rent out the units? The ROI isn’t great these days for new construction units in SF as rentals; especially since rents on the high end have taken a hit and construction costs and city fees (affordable requirements among others) are way up. Makes more sense to sell them off as individual condos.

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