In the works since 2014 but waylaid by the adoption and subsequent extension of ‘Interim Controls’ to limit new market-rate housing, office and retail developments in the Mission, plans to raze the single-story Alpha Bay Builders structure at 3314 Cesar Chavez Street and develop a new six-story building upon its site could be approved by San Francisco’s Planning Commission in mid-January of next year.

As proposed by Zone Design Development, the 65-foot-tall building would yield 58 new residential units over 1,300 square feet of ground floor retail space and a basement garage for 28 cars.

Originally slated for approval in October but facing pushback from neighbors concerned about the mass of the building, the Planning Commission hearing has been twice delayed at the project sponsor’s request in order to continue discussions with the neighborhood groups.

While the project as proposed isn’t likely to win any design awards, eight (8) of its 58 units would be offered at below market rates.

And speaking of neighbors, the adjacent Flyers gas station site, which is also zoned for development up to 65 feet in height, has a lease that runs through the end of 2026, not including two five-year options to extend as well.

10 thoughts on “Waylaid Mission District Development Slated for Approval”
  1. White brackets emulate the neighboring affordable complex built prior. They place some roof greenery, and street trees, but miss the point on how tall is too tall…the impacts of such development means less outdoor space or social areas in these buildings, and no street retail, which would be an improvement at the location since walgreens blocks windows, and currently the area is devoid east-west of any retail improvement and/or needed transit changes (Ex: BRT Van Ness heading south looping on cesar chivez back over to SFGH so people can take public transit to the hospitals in the area).

    Cesar Chavez street was planted but still needs to be “enlivened” out to the T-Line and Potrero areas so that the Pier 70 and Potrero connections and to Bayshore industrial zones becomes a bigger comprehensive change that adequately gets people out of cars and google bus / lyft / uber and onto a public transit shuttle neighborhood friendly alternative.

    Planners need to start to think about comprehensive holistic changes vs. allowing each site to be developed and plopped down without consideration of impacts. Developers cannot pay everything, but the domino effect discussed means there should be assessed $ investment from these developments to generally improve mass-transit linkages.

    1. This site is less than one block away from the frequent 14 & 49 services on Mission, the (slow) 12 and 27 services into SOMA, and less than a ten minute walk to 24th St BART for rapid service to downtown / East Bay and crosstown on the 48. This is about as rich of a transit site as you can get. The reason why there’s no crosstown Cesar Chavez service is because no one ones to go to the warehouses and Muni yards that make up the entire streetscape of Cesar Chavez east of 101.

      I’ll also mention that Van Ness BRT ends at Market; I don’t think we can expect any major improvements to the 49 along Mission besides the tame one-direction red lane, turn restrictions, and stop consolidation we got in 2015, so there’s no BRT to route via Cesar Chavez.

      1. The 27 Bryant is actually a great line downtown, pretty fast, reliable, seldom packed, and goes straight to Market Powell, then to Van Ness/ lower Russian Hill.

    1. Those aren’t day laborers, who instead congregate on Chavez closer to the existing housing. Those Flyer denizens hang out, have suspicious discussions with a parade of cars, drink and/or fight.

      Signed, Lives Within 1 Block Of Flyers. (But yes it’s still funny.)

  2. “While the project as proposed isn’t likely to win any design awards”…

    Understatement of the day, it looks like something my daughter made out of legos on a bad day.

  3. This looks fine. Build it fast. What about the other one on Cesar Chavez close to Guerrero that was on the market instead of breaking ground? Did it sell? If still on the market, the city or a nonprofit should snap it up at a fire-sale price to use for affordable housing — perfect opportunity with a motivated seller.

  4. UPDATE: With the hearing for the development of 3314 Cesar Chavez Street having been continued from last month, an exemption from having to complete a more detailed environmental review has since been secured and the project as proposed is now slated to be approved next week.

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