Project of the Month

Absolutely Affordable

San Francisco housing project to draw middle class residents

By Robert Carlsen

Developer AF Evans is making it easier for middle-income San Franciscans - definitely a vanishing breed -- to buy housing with its innovative 888 Seventh Street project in the Mission Bay district of the city.

Bay Area officials and the Oakland-based developer put together the $75 million Bay Area Workforce Equity Fund in June that allows fund-financed housing to be sold at approximately 15 percent below market prices. The fund is investing $1.2 million in the 224-unit, mixed-use 888 Seventh Street project, which will include 170 Below Market Rate units and 54 Workforce units in studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom configurations.

The project is 100 percent Area Median Income-based, which are housing purchase prices that are determined by San Francisco's Mayor's Office of Housing.

According to AF Evans, banks and financial institutions invest in the fund and then the fund invests in the projects to lower equity cost of the overall project financing. No public funds are used.

"One of the main advantages of this type of housing is that it is more attractive to buyers, which makes it more attractive to the investors," said Jaqui Braver, assistant project manager for AF Evans.

888 Seventh Street is a $50 million project at the corner of Seventh and King streets across from the Showcase Square design warehouse complex. It also connects at DeHaro and Berry streets, with an angled corner hitting at DeHaro and King.

"This is not a square site," acknowledged Jim Glueck, project superintendent for the general contractor, James E. Roberts-Obayashi Corp. of Danville. The tightness of the layout, coupled with a "tricky design," was the major challenge, he added, not counting last winter's heavy rains that caused some severe flooding while crews were driving piles.

advertisement

The project, designed by David Baker & Partners of San Francisco, features two stories of above-ground parking and four stories of townhouses and flats in multiple buildings with plazas in between. As it sits on a segment of the Mission Creek greenbelt and bikeway, David Baker added a half-acre of public open space to the site.

"There's about two acres of parking, which could have been a detriment to the urban fabric, but the building hides that almost completely by having two-story townhouses or retail space wrapping about 90 percent of the perimeter of the garage," said lead architect Daniel Simons. "This not only hides the parking, but also provides pedestrian activity for the surrounding streets."

The retail component will be 7,200 sq. ft., including an anchor café at the angled corner. Above the oval-shaped café will be two two-story townhouses, which Braver and Simons said would be very much sought after.

Simons added that the housing is organized around two large courtyards, which, although they are on the third floor, have access directly to King Street and the bike path/park by large, exterior ornamental stairs.

"It was a challenging site because of its proximity to the freeway (Highway 101), a waste transfer station, and railroad tracks," said Simons. "We had to be very careful with acoustic isolation."

"The location is great," said Braver. "The Mission Bay campus and all its amenities is nearby, the Showcase Square design area. It has an edgy, industrial feel to it."

Glueck said the site was once the home of two warehouses. During the demolition and clearing, archeologists made their civically required visit but found only a few old bottles and railroad ties. "We were lucky. King Street has produced some valuable items from settlers and businesses dating from the 1850s," he said.

Completion is scheduled for next fall. Glueck said he hopes to have the concrete work finished this month and the project totally covered by January.

The Project Team:

Owner/developer: AF Evans Development
General Contractor: James E. Roberts-Obayashi Corp.
Architect: David Baker & Partners
Major subcontractors: Anning-Johnson Co., Broadway Mechanical, Galletti and Sons, and MDE North Electric.