Having been approved by Planning back in the second quarter of 2018, building permits for the skinny 8-story Central SoMa hotel and group housing development to rise at 744 Harrison Street, which extends to 29 Rizal along Lapu Lapu Street, were in the works.
But with the project team having gone dark and the City moving to cancel its application to proceed, the team is now seeking a three-year extension of its entitlements to break ground.
The vibrancy of SF’s tourist industry is not what it once was. Even before Covid the filthy streets and crime were a national story and did not help the industry. Conventions were less willing to come to SF. Some canceled their recurring visits. The hotel on Howard (skinny too) never went forward. It was first proposed around 2013. The Oceanwide condo/hotel tower was abandoned prior to Covid. IIRC a hotel was proposed for the Folsom/Second St area. It was approved a while back but appears to be in limbo. The fact that HSR will never come to the TTC puts another damper on hotel projects in the TTC area – does the hotel component of the Parcel F project make sense now? For that matter does that project make any sense now?
Well, this project probably does not make sense, which is why the project sponsor is trying for three-year extension of its entitlements.
The City should push back, the notion being that five years is an adequate amount of time to sit on a project, and if you can’t make that time frame, perhaps it’s high time you sell the property to some other entity who has the wherewithal and the desire to actually move the project to completion.
It’d be a perfect spot for low income housing.
Not a boutique hotel.
SF’s tourism was at all time highs in dollars spent and number of visitors before the pandemic. You’re referring more to headline-grabbing articles than actual trends.
A lot of that was related to tech shows and conferences that rationally will never be at that level again in SF.
Tech is a diaspora now.
Whatever its use will be I like the design. Its a great example of contexual massing and rhythm with contemporary details. For me it has achieved the sweet spot. I wish more new construction in the Bay Area could be like it.
agree – hope it gets built. I think there is going to be huge pent up demand for travel post-vaccine rollout, as the professional class has been raking in money without being able to safely spend it on faraway vacations.
This sounds like “a prayer” or a hope.
But the thing is, even if you believe there will be a huge pent up demand for travel, in order to support the construction of yet another hotel you have to also believe that the professional class that has been raking in money without being able to safely spend it on faraway vacations will want to spend said money touring S.F. post pandemic and stepping over the drug addicts living in tents on sidewalks and roadway medians.
I wouldn’t call that a safe way to spend my discretionary dollars, but then again I grew up here, so it wouldn’t count as a “faraway vacation” and I also am not part of “the professional class…raking in money”.
I like the design. Reminds me of Tokyo. Hopefully it gets built after all the silliness is over.
The last thing this area needs is more low income housing. There is too high a concentration of low income and homeless facilities in the area. Give us a chance to survive here.