Plans to levels the one-story warehouse building on the northeast corner of Arkansas and 17th Streets and develop a four-story dorm for students enrolled at the California College of the Arts on the Lower Potrero Hill site are closer to reality, with San Francisco’s Planning Department having just granted the project an Eastern Neighborhoods Plan-based exemption from having to complete a lengthy environmental review.
The proposed building, which is being designed by Leddy Maytum Stacy (LMS) Architects, would rise up to 48-feet in height at 75 Arkansas Street. And while technically only 30 units of housing across the top three floors, each multi-room unit includes a small living/dining room and kitchenette and the 30 units would be outfitted with a total of 228 beds.
The ground floor of the building includes 7,400 square feet of retail space on the corner, a large multi-purpose room for the students, and a storage room for 80 bikes.
And if approved by San Francisco’s Planning Commission, the project will take an estimated 14 months to complete from the time it breaks ground, the building permits for which have already been requested and triaged.
LMS does great work, should be a nice addition to the ‘hood and much needed for the student population at CCA. The ground floor retail should be subdivided to encourage up and coming local businesses — 7,400 sf seems like a lot to bite off unless you’re looking for a large restaurant tenant.
There will be smaller retail spaces available as part of 1601 Mariposa and whatever Daggett Place is called now, plus several other places around this neighborhood (Onyx retail space isn’t fully occupied yet). I don’t think smaller local businesses are short on prospective locations, and we do need some bigger ones too.
[Editor’s Note: California College of the Arts Inks Potrero 1010 (a.k.a. Daggett Place) Lease.]
A dormitory’s residents would definitely use a cafeteria.
UPDATE: Potrero Hill Dorm Development Rendered and Slated for Review