1188 Mission: 1/20/10 (www.SocketSite.com)

Under cloudy skies, but with sunny dispositions, current residents of Trinity Plaza have started to make their move across the way to Trinity Place (1188 Mission). As we wrote eight months ago about Phase I of the 1,900 unit Trinity Place development:

If all goes as planned, the 440-unit building will open in two phases with residents of the lower twelve floors occupying their new apartments by the middle of January 2010 and residents of the top twelve floors by the end of March.

There’s been good buzz about the design and finishes of the units to be (not to mention the marble and granite lobby). And in case you’re wondering, residents of record as of early January at the current 360-unit Trinity Plaza will get first choice of units and maintain their current rents (and rent control).

In addition to rent-controlled tenants making the move, around 70 market-rate units will be available for rent with corner one-bedrooms ready for immediate occupancy starting at $1,773 per month and upper floor studios following in February or March.

Phase II of the development was originally slated to be 545 units and 21,000 square feet of retail along Market Street, but instead the next phase of development will be 440 units at 1190 Mission, directly west of 1188.

Given the tenuous economy and uncertain housing market, Sangiacomo said it makes more sense to construct a more modest building first. In addition to more units, the Market Street portion of the project requires a massive excavation for a 1,450-car parking garage. In contrast, the Mission Street buildings do not have any underground parking.

Trinity Place Phases 2010

Kudos to Sangiacomo and his team.

34 thoughts on “Trinity Place Opens Up Under Cloudy Skies But Sunny Dispositions”
  1. I bet the owners of the $1M units in SOreMa Grand are so excited that their property value just went up thanks to the brand-spanking-new rent-controlled unit right next door!

  2. What happened to the square “hole” in the building that the concept drawings portrayed. I though that was the coolest part of the design.
    From the photos I’ve seen it looks as if the hole is filled in with habitable space. Of course that makes a lot of sense from the $ aspect, but eliminates a unique feature of the building’s design.
    [Editor’s Note: Patience (and see image added above).]

  3. Don’t know if this altered the property value of the SOMA grand million dollar units or not… but this development covers the entire south side blocking views and the sunlight.
    I know that potential buyers were notified of this but I’m not sure if they realized how different it would be to have a huge building directly outside your window.

  4. Ah, I see. The “hole” comes in phase II. Thanks.
    As for adding value for Soma Grand – anything that brings a larger number of normal residents into this neighborhood should be a positive. The less this area becomes a ghost town, the more pressure there will be to enforce quality of life laws.

  5. How does phase II (the Mission side) have less units than the now phase III (Market side)? The phase II building looks much bigger in the rendering.

  6. Oh no! The place looks tiny, equivalent to a junior 1 br. Not sure it’s apples to apples with actualy 1 brs out there, but at least it’s brand new.

  7. [Editor’s Note: Link updated, same photos, and as furnished.]
    That’s either the oddest photoshopped image of a bed I’ve ever seen or it’s a king-size bed (width-wise) for little people.

  8. “Is this a good thing or bad?”
    Do you really have to ask? Look at the photo – the building speaks of a Soviet-era housing housing. Absolutely awful looking and I won’t hold mt breath on this improving the area.

  9. @Gil Is there anything that can improve the area? It seems sticking an extra 2000 people in the area paying market rent might have at least some positive impact

  10. @BayAreaBum – Sure the area will have more working people, but the area will not change significantly. Introducing more people into a horrible area will not solve the problems of that area – i.e. homeless, drugs, etc. The city would have to introduce loitering laws, and have police enforce the laws on the book.
    There are much better places to live in city at similar prices.

  11. If there is anyplace in the city where high density middle class housing can have a positive impact, it is here.
    The tenderloin crowd (not going anywhere by the way) will appreciate the “involuntary donations” of the new renters. That in turn should revive mom and pop liquor stores which will upgrade to newer flashier displays as well as spanking new security. A virtuous circle in the making.
    What I think will happen: the units will be rented pretty quickly, maybe at a lower price: the Junior 1BR looks 20% overpriced compared to the new units on Mission/6th a friend of mine just managed to reduce. The novelty of the area will be soon replaced by a painful reality check (hello! Crime zone!). A few muggings will push a rush out of the door for people who can leave – these are starter or dead-end places after all. Rents will come down as a result and the building will be known as a cheap alternative to mainstream rental.
    We all know where this goes from there. As long as the city keeps 1000s of crazies/thugs/druggies in squalid SROs all around, this area will not improve.

  12. Another cracker jack Daly brain storm … kinda ugly, kinda too bulky, kinda dumping on SOMA. Mission Street is a no man’s land of noisy traffic, tons of buses, no neighborhood serving business. Now with Market closed at 10th it is worse, I live there and know.

  13. People are crapping on this building’s design, but it’s way better than some of the ugly glass towers often featured here that look awful compared to their renderings. This building looks a TON better than its rendering above.

  14. I feel like I need to be the voice of optimism here. And for me, that might give me a stroke. But here goes.
    I think the design is pretty nice, given what it’s trying to accomplish (high volume, inexpensive housing, with a huge BMR component), the concept even nicer, and it will be a key component of the beginnings of a turnaround for this area – on that will be measured in years or decades, however.

  15. “Do you really have to ask? Look at the photo – the building speaks of a Soviet-era housing housing. Absolutely awful looking and I won’t hold mt breath on this improving the area.”
    Does [not] look much like Soviet era hosuing that I have seen. Its much warmer. I like it and would like to see a few more around SF

  16. wow – I lived in the neighborhood for four years. Walked by this place 2x a day and was never once mugged. Main crime problem in the area is car break-ins. Having 2,000 more residents on the block will actually help reduce that problem as there will be more people out and about. Almost no neighborhood in SF is completely immune from car break-ins.

  17. “What I think will happen: the units will be rented pretty quickly, maybe at a lower price: the Junior 1BR looks 20% overpriced compared to the new units on Mission/6th a friend of mine just managed to reduce. The novelty of the area will be soon replaced by a painful reality check (hello! Crime zone!). A few muggings will push a rush out of the door for people who can leave – these are starter or dead-end places after all. Rents will come down as a result and the building will be known as a cheap alternative to mainstream rental.”
    Agree. Over time this will become more housing project than desired rentals. You forgot to mention the terrible winds on the surface streets in the area.
    THe boosters say yeah, but its close to public transportation. Yup, I suspect folks living here will need that to get out of the area when they leave their apartments and head for better more service oriented hoods to shop/hang out in.
    The rents seem way too high (‘cept of course for those with the rent control deal). Rents have come down in many much nicer part of the city and are not much more than this.

  18. Geez – I feel that most of the naysayers just don’t travel into this area at all.
    This is a positive step. While nothing is going to displace the social “services” in the area in the short term, this type of development will alter both the number and mix of people on the street in a positive way. The new market will draw new businesses to cater to its needs, filling out empty store fronts and pushing out certain businesses for higher uses. This is a continuation of a trend exemplified by nearby businesses such as Heaven’s Dog, Bossa Nova, the Bloodhound, Fondue Cowboy, Urban Market, and whatever that Italian Deli will be named on Russ and Folsom.
    What’s more, these effects are compounded as other developments come in – like the oft commented upon project for Fifth and Clementina and the project on the Golden Gate Transit lot on 8th and Harrison. Also, while it is anecdotal, my walk down Eighth from the Civic Center Muni to Folsom has gotten much better around Mission with the additional development.
    Every project in this area gets shat upon by you all with the same litany of negativity. Changing a neighborhood is like losing weight. If you expect to be 20 lbs lighter tomorrow, you fail. If you discount ideas like skipping the morning latte, you fail. It takes time and a lot of little steps that, taken together, make for a measurable impact. Some days will down, some up, but the path is to a better outcome.

  19. Wow, wow. Your data point is powerful. What an amazing inference you can make on the basis of that data point.
    http://www.crimemapping.com/map/ca/sanfrancisco
    Now perhaps you can make an educated comment. Is the area crime-y? Yes. Is a lot of it homeless/druggie on homeless/druggie or 2:15 am Saturday, drunk, looking for a fight crime? Yes. Car break-ins? Yes. Something that can change if the mix of people in the neighborhood changes? Yes.
    Do any of you know anything about South Beach or Third Street? That Third Street was Skid Row? That the walk from Caltrain to Union Square used to be *really* scary? Give me a break. Development changes neighborhoods.

  20. Your arguments are just as pursuasive as saying “We can’t build in the Marina – that area is underwater and people will drown.”

  21. Dude, there is no where for that element of the population to go. Where are they going to go when all those people go there? I don’t get it. Putting a condo building/apartment complex in the area does not solve the underlying problem.
    Drive around that area at 11pm, and see if you feel uncomfortable. Better yet, ask a family member to walk around that area at 11pm, and see how safe they feel.
    Why wouldn’t anyone want to spend $700k (i.e. Soma Grand) or rent there only to be the guinea pig for that area

  22. SFRE – how can your statement be any different than what was said about South Beach/Yerba Buena prior to redevelopment?
    Look, I live in the area and am not always happy about what I see. I think, however, that there are signs of life and an increased density of upstanding residents could push the process further along. Besides, the more voters we have that live with the problems of our current city policies, the more likely it is that we implement and enforce policies that demonstrably reduce “that element of the population.” There are places, after all, for “that element” to go. Mental health facilities, drug programs, the middle class, Los Angeles. It’s our policies that helps perpetuate the problem.

  23. I work across the street from here. The building is gorgeous and it makes SOMA Grand look all that much worse.
    That’s it.
    I concur, until the incredible density of social services are relocated, you can add market rate units forever but that won’t remove the drugged out zombies who walk up and down Market, 8th, Mission, Grove, etc. screaming to themselves, chasing anyone who looks them in the eye, shitting in any corner they can find, all behaviors I’ve personally witnessed in the last 3 years.
    There is a particularly nasty social agency on Stevenson behind the Federal Building that made using the carshare pod at SOMA Grand very unpleasant until I realized I could access the car from Mission. I won’t use that pod after hours if I have to walk down Stevenson.
    This is definitely a pioneer neighborhood. If 1 Polk Fills up and the hole in the ground at 10th/Market actually gets the planned units it could change.

  24. @ Mr E. That’s my whole point. There are no policies in place, or on the horizon, that will take care of that element in the area. The social services will not be relocated, police will not enforce laws, and the thugs/druggies/crazies will not leave on their own. So why buy/rent there, given what many who live/work in the are actually say about that section of town.

  25. There are many nice neighborhoods in SF near bad ones. While 6th amd Mission will remain bad for the foreseeable future, 8th and Mission can change once a few thousand middle class homeowners and renters claim their turf.

  26. wow, wow your one data point obvious shows the neighborhood has no hope of ever improving.
    Of course you can also go and look at all homicides from 2007-2009 and see how the neighborhood is actually improving. Nah, why do that when it doesn’t fit your judgment that there is no hope for that hood.
    http://www.sfgate.com/maps/sfhomicides/
    Pretty dramatic improvement in 2009 for that section of SOMA. Most the homicides were north of market or over by 3rd st in 2009 (for the area).

  27. @ Rillion – You only show homicides, why not assaults and thefts as well. That area of the city is very dangerous. And I bet the reason why there are not more homicides is that people are wising up and not walking alone or stepping out of there house after 10pm.

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