With a temporary certificate of occupancy (TCO) in hand, interested individuals can now peruse the inside (as opposed to the outside) of Soma Grand (1160 Mission) without risking a hardhat induced bad hair day (of which we’ve previously fallen victim). And the biggest surprise: the views (but don’t forget to factor in the future Trinity Plaza next door).
Thirty percent (30%) of the 246 condos are either in contract or reserved; an invitation only official “unveiling” of the building (prior to which we think they should wrap it like a Christo) is scheduled for the end of this month; and the first wave of closings and move-ins will begin in early December (let’s not forget those invitations to the housewarmings/New Year’s Eve celebrations).
Condo prices currently range from the “low $500,000’s to $2.7 million in the penthouse floors” with parking (either valet or deeded) being offered a la carte (the pricing for which we’re at the mercy of a plugged-in reader/tipster). And we do have to note that only the top two penthouse floors offer central air conditioning, so check the natural ventilation of any lower floor units that will attract an abundance of direct sunlight (hey, it’s a mixed blessing).
∙ Dorothy Lenehan’s “Realm” Is Rising Over At The Soma Grand [SocketSite]
∙ The Soma Grand: The SocketSite Straight Scoop [SocketSite]
∙ Trinity Plaza: Just One Signature (And Around Three Years) To Go [SocketSite]
Those views look awesome! Great building, great project. Can’t wait for the Mid-Market area to start shaping up!
If 30% are “reserved or in contract” does that mean no deposit was required? Reserved usually just means your name is on a list, whereas “in contract” means you have put down a deposit and agreed to purchase a unit. I would be interested in knowing how many units have deposits on them. At these prices and HOA’s, combined with a blah building, unimpressive finishes, and dreadful location, this building will see major price reductions and a long, long time to sell out.
Also, there is a lot of residential development slated for this area- the new Trinity project even has a condo map for more than 1000 of the proposed units. I think a buyer should be worried that future development in this vicinity could come in and undercut the value of SG.
[Editor’s Note: We actually believe that the vast majority (if not all) of that 30% are in contract with hard (i.e., non-refundable) deposits. The “or reserved” was a catch-all as we’re not privy to the exact breakdown.]
With a TCO and only 30% reserved, I would be a little weary if I were the developer. The bank is gonna want their money sooner than later.
PS I did do a hard hat tour on the 9th floor and did check out the nice corner units facing south. I would be a buyer but the price (and HOA)of a 1 br is still too high.
I like the bench-cabinet solution below the windows. They took a very ugly problem and made it into a very attractive solution. I assume this is an “extra” that an owner would have to pay for?
The last time I went to the sales office in the summer, the price of deeded parking was $20K. This was during a conversation regarding one bedroom units so unclear if the price is different for other units. You do get valet parking a la ORH.
I used to live at 8th/Minna. My loft was on the top floor and was facing south, with the sun directly beating on my unit. It would get so hot (80’s) that I couldn’t sleep, then I would open the windows and listen to the homeless arguments that would take place in the middle of the street to put me to sleep. Hopefully these units have proper ventilation. There is a reason they are moving in during the winter, they couldn’t sell those units in the summer.
What is the point of buying new construction when you do not even get air conditioning? How insulting! I thought the whole point of this project is that what the neighborhood lacks, the building would make up for. Instead, they are now trying to offer less than other projects in better neighborhoods. I know San Francisco is not Pheonix, but I have lived in a high rise in this city and know that even with blinds closed, my unit can cook inside even on a 70 degree day depending on the exposure and breeze. A.C. is a must in a high rise.
I don’t care about anything negative regarding this project. The units in the pictures are amazing! They look nicer than the pics of millenium tower which were already great.
I was told from the sales staff that both floors of the penthouses (ones with the large outdoor terraces facing the city skylines) have been claimed since last March.
And, honestly, I’m not surprised by the pictures above. I knew the views would look amazing, but the neighborhood was just too hard to ignore. You can’t possibly feel safe walking around that area at night.
” And we do have to note that only the top two penthouse floors offer central air conditioning, so check the natural ventilation of any lower floor units that will attract an abundance of direct sunlight (hey, it’s a mixed blessing).”
If you are below floor 7, you better hope you don’t have proper ventilation, unless you like to smell feces and urine and hear homeless people fighting.
“Also, there is a lot of residential development slated for this area- the new Trinity project even has a condo map for more than 1000 of the proposed units. I think a buyer should be worried that future development in this vicinity could come in and undercut the value of SG.”
I have to agree with this. the residents of the newer buildings will be taking a lesser risk on the area and should be cheaper by the time the market finishes its haircut. The residents of the SOMA Grand will be looking across the street at nicer units that are 15% cheaper and that they helped pave the nighborhood for. i wouldn’t want that kind of resentment.
The Trinity project and other developments in the area will have a positive impact on the value of these units not negative.
ottoman and anonhirisedweller are correct about needing a/c. i lived in the Met facing south for a year, and it baked all day. my place now also faces s/sw and it bakes, too. even with a really nice solar film from 3M on the windows, it gets hot (but not nearly as bad as before when it would be in the 80’s inside, even in winter!)
that’s so lame that the builder only installed a/c on the top 2 floors. i know that a/c is not ‘green’ but unless you have windows that open more than 5 inches or a sliding door to balcony, realistically it will bake the occupants.
From my experience it depends on layout. I’ve lived in southern-facing places as well. To the extent you can open windows on opposite ends or in different rooms, you’re usually OK because the air moves through. But if you only have windows on one side…or your windows don’t take a lot of air in…it does tend to get toasty. And in this area, leaving windows open at night might not be possible unless you’re pretty insensitive to noise.
I live in the Met as well, facing west. You can’t keep the windows open because it’s too noisy from the constant traffic, so you have to have the AC running. I didn’t believe you’d ever need AC in SF, but there you are.
“To the extent you can open windows on opposite ends or in different rooms, you’re usually OK . . . .”
My experience in an SF high rise w/o AC and windows on one wall only was that residents prop their front doors open days and evenings so as to get x-ventilation. It’s fun. You’ll feel like you’re back in your freshman dorm.
“And in this area, leaving windows open at night might not be possible unless you’re pretty insensitive to noise.”
Take a hint from your, uh, downstairs neighbors: Drugs and alcohol can help with this.
“Also, there is a lot of residential development slated for this area- the new Trinity project even has a condo map for more than 1000 of the proposed units. I think a buyer should be worried that future development in this vicinity could come in and undercut the value of SG.”
Good economics problem and one that we’ll need to see how it plays out. Although the addition of the Trinity units will add supply (and thus tend to depress prices), there’s also the very real possiblity that they will also increase the demand for units in the area, having upward pressure on prices.
I witnessed vast amounts of land in Chicago (west side, south side) transformed from desloate areas that no-one would dream of living into thriving urban residential and commercial districts. Adding units in these instances only drove up prices in the first years of the transformation.
This buildings design makes The Hayes look avant garde.
No A/C in a building this size is serious design design flaw.
I live in a unit on catherdral hill that is south facing and when ever it gets hot, we just open the window and get a nice breeze. No need for a/c in my opinion. The air outside it very cool so opening a window fixes the problem immediately. Now, can you open the windows in this building?
Even in the photos, those rooms at SOMA Grand look hot. I lived in a 10th floor unit in a South-facing building on Lower Nob Hill and even with windows that opened wide, I had to leave solar and blackout shades down during the day to keep the unit from heating up. I now live in a North-facing unit on Nob Hill (no A/C) and my unit is nice and cool all of the time. But, my neighbors across the hall who face South report that their units are like ovens year-round. I think people need to cut the SOMA Grand some slack. I don’t think much of the area or architecture, but I do think it’s nice that the concierge-service concept is being offered at a more accessible price than the Four Seasons or St. Regis.
I live in a south-facing eighth-floor apartment. I work at home pretty often so am here during the day. Over the past year, I’d say there have been about ten days where the apartment has got too hot from the direct sunlight. My windows open and I have a small deck, so that helps. I don’t think I’d want to live in a south-facing apartment where the windows didn’t open or where it wasn’t practical to open the windows.
New highrise buildings can only swing the windows open 5-6 inches. It’s really not enough to produce a breeze that’ll make a difference.
I live on the 9th floor of a midrises at Mission Bay. My unit faces east so it doesn’t get the afternoon sun. But it still gets warm on the sunny day. Opening my windows 5 inches doesn’t do much. Luckily I have a balcony and can open the door wide open. That makes a HUGE difference.
I would highly suggest anyone buying in a new highrise get one with a balcony. Being able to open a door to the outside makes a world of difference…
SomaGrand really did their buyers a dis-service by not including air-cond. They say they’re a luxury residence, and yet couldn’t spend a couple thousand per unit for air-con?
I used to live in Soma and dealt with the heat in a highrise without A/C problem. The dirt and soot that came in next to the windows and vents was downright scary. Seriously, I’d much rather have A/C.
Also, you can do A/C on a large, industrial scale in a very environmentally friendly way. With the cold air temps in SF and some basic heat exchangers, there’s no reason you couldn’t centrally liquid cool a big building while using very little power (gravitional potential energy FTW) or bad stuff in the atmosphere.
I think the reason only the penthouses have AC is due to the mechanics of installing AC in the units. AC units are typically roof mounted outside so I think it would be quite difficult (read expensive) to give each unit AC on the lower floors. I think a typical solution is for a natural air vent to each unit that can bring in natural air without the street noise. Do the rest of the SOMA high rise buildings have AC (Brannan, the Met, ORH, Infinity, etc)?
I can’t believe in 2007 air conditioning is thought of as a luxury in a urban high rise. Only in San Francisco I guess? MOST buildings use a boiler fed heat system that provides heating to all individual units. An additional loop provides chilled water to each unit and thermostats then adjust which is drawn from the central system. I lived for years in the 1950’s built 910 North Lake Shore Drive by Mies in Chicago and even THAT building used this “green” system back then and had amazing air conditioning. My energy bill was only for lights and running the fan, and the homeowners bill included the boiler-chiller operation. There is no reason why this was not provided for units in the Soma Grand other than greed. If the units have heaters, adding a.c. should only require another coil, UNLESS, they are using radiant electric heaters next to the floor which would be insulting at $1000 a sq. ft.
I don’t know about Brannan and Met, but I believe Infinity will have individual, room controlled air-cond.
Rincon should have air-cond as well…
Does Al Gore’s unit at the St Regis have air conditioning? Temperatures are going up, aren’t they?
“I can’t believe in 2007 air conditioning is thought of as a luxury in a urban high rise. Only in San Francisco I guess? MOST buildings use a boiler fed heat system that provides heating to all individual units. An additional loop provides chilled water to each unit and thermostats then adjust which is drawn from the central system.”
anondesigner, you’re right, on this one — “OISF” and for a good reason: our summer design temperature is 71 degrees F = we have a very unique climate and it is possible, with good design, to live comfortably without AC.
But you’re wrong on “MOST buildings”. In SF, you’d be correct to say “most office buildings” have a boiler/chiller system like you describe. Most residential towers have no central heating (our winter design condition is 40 degrees F — so it doesn’t get that cold either) or cooling system. We also have CA Title 24 Energy Code requirements that minimize space conditioning needs and some new construction performs better than code.
One component of the “good design” qualification above is adequate mechanical ventilation. This typically consists of “Z-vents” located in perimeter walls, that when combined with a variable speed fan located inside the unit which exhausts air through a chase to the building’s roof or service floor, the system is capable of delivering multiple air changes per hour without the need to open windows.
Now you’d think with all the HOA saves by not needing to feed that boiler/chiller that one could afford the fees at SOMA Grand and the like, but that’s a whole other topic . . . .
Agree with almost everything you wrote except when I meant “MOST” buildings, I was not talking about San Francisco buildings, but residential high rise buildings in America. My problem with a building like the Soma Grand is that it is not in Sea Cliff, so the idea that you can open the window to fresh cool clean air is not going to be an option for those on the lower floors. BTW, in 2005 in my unit in Chicago, the association fee portion for HVAC was about 35 dollars, and my utility bill for the 2bd unit was only about 60 dollars, even in August or January.
this building needs A/C!
AC can be done in a more eco friendly way, especially if the building was designed to accommodate passive solar issues/benefits. Clearly, this building was created with only one purpose, maximize profit. I wouldn’t be surprised if they could care less that only 1/3 of the units have been sold since their margins were huge.
I find it interesting that the developer of storage units sits on the staff of AGI. There’s nothing more profitable than owning storage rentals.
A fool and his money is soon parted. No AC? Should’ve asked for the “climate controlled” storage, I mean residential units…