Symphony Towers has launched a new website (including floor plans) and has hung a banner advertising “City Homes from the $300,000s.” (All of a sudden, “from the $400,000s” seems so 2006.)
Expect a sales office for the 130 condominiums in the not too distant future.
∙ Symphony Towers (724 Van Ness Avenue) [SocketSite]
∙ Symphony Towers Website [symphonytowerssf.com]
∙ The Potrero (451 Kansas): From The Low $400,000s [SocketSite]
∙ New Condos Starting In The $400,000s? [SocketSite]
Yay! At last, prices that are starting to look reasonable!
Any tips on whether or not there will be parking included? At those prices I’m guessing no…
Anyone know when construction is supposed to be complete? ‘Progress’ link on their site is a nice collage of pictures that doesn’t say anything about completion.
Before too much excitement mounts and the prices are judged so reasonable (or low), you may want to check out the location and appearance of buildings under construction.
I think the prices say more about unit size than location. Sizewise, the studio looks like a chopped up Fox Plaza cell without the balcony. On the plus side, however, I doubt that this building will duplicate Pox Plaza’s very special atmosphere.
What’s wrong with the location, SeeHsee? Are you referring to the Tenderloin on it’s border? I guess that’s a concern for some — but the pricing puts it comparable or perhaps even lower than nearby Opera Plaza, 140 South Van Ness or the Cathedral Hill buildings (Daniel Burnham, Sutterfield, etc..), so it could be a very good product and value for buyers at a more moderate level.
I’m not knocking the building or the fact that it may be a good value. However, in all aspects, it appears to be a “budget” development, which I won’t argue against San Francisco needing at this point. With reference to my comment about mounting excitement, though, I’m very familiar with the exact location, and it’s certainly a more gritty area than the 140 SVN, OP, DB or especially the Sutterfield. As Lurker points out, the units look very tiny. I’m still trying to figure out where the “Plus” is in the “One-Bedroom +” model.
Yay for lower priced developments!
Not everyone is in the market for a luxury condo.
It’s nice to see a new condo addressing a different part of the market.
The neighborhood isn’t so bad. And being so close to transportation, movie theaters, shopping, museums… it’s a pretty convenient spot.
Units have parking according to the sales office. And it’s no Pac Heights, but it’s from the $300’s…
If it was between Van Ness, Lombard or Mid Market I would choose this location, especially with the parking! I am curious about the design of the exterior, but at this price who cares, Opera Plaza is not exactly award winning design and look at what those units are going for.
it looks like there is a new project going in one block North of this building. Does anyone know anything about that project? Is that a better or worse block than Symphony Towers’ block? Personally, I like the idea of a nice condo or loft which is not South of Market.
I’d be surprised if they included one parking space per unit here – especially if they are going for the affordable market. It’s a pretty high density development and one of the ways to sell units in the $300’s is to make them very small and not include parking. This development is one of the first high rise projects you’re going to see on the Van Ness corridor as they upzoned the area a few years ago to encourage more high density residential along Van Ness. I think the Kinko’s copy store farther north on Van Ness has been proposed for a high rise development too.
Any location that is a block or two from a Peet’s Coffee and a good bookstore (Books Inc) is fine with me. Little Saigon is also just around the corner.
Does “from the $300’s” mean $399,950? 🙂
“From the $300,000’s” Does anyone know if there are BMR units?
Geroge – Did you look at the original Socketsite post? “(~16 BMR)”
Sorry, I did not look at the original posting but thank you for letting me know. Very much appreciated.
“Does “from the $300’s” mean $399,950? :-)”
Good point. Judging from the floorplans, the studio looks like 500-600sqft tops.
At $399k, that’ll come out to $800/sqft for a 500sqft studio. Doesn’t look like a very good deal to me given the location and existing inventory out there…
I don’t understand why some feel this location is so wrong compared to parts of SOMA? WIth the changes now allowed in zoning residential along Van Ness, I think this area will continue to get better, and this location already has a lot of things nearby which are what San Francisco is all about. I would rather be able to walk to Peets, Zuni and the Opera House than Target or Costco.
You have to be creative to see beyond what a neighborhood is today and imagine what it might be like in the future. To buy in one of these “up and coming” locations takes risk. All new areas get a lot of criticism.
“You have to be creative to see beyond what a neighborhood is today and imagine what it might be like in the future….All new areas get a lot of criticism.”
While I agree on the one hand, on the other hand, this is not a new area. I’m a longtime SF resident and have both lived and worked off and on over the years in the area of Symphony Towers. I can attest first hand that the less-than-desirable elements of the area are quite entrenched and not likely to see change soon. If someone is willing to invest a considerable amount of time to see change, I say go for it. But I wouldn’t expect much improvement in a 5-year time frame. I sort of think you’d have to accept it for what it is now and know you’re OK with that for the long term.
It is interesting that the civic center, the seat of government for the city, along with state and federal buildings, can still have such “entrenched less than desirable elements” as SeeHsee mentions. I think Frank Lloyd Wright said it best when he talked about how if it were not for the incredible natural setting of San Francisco with its hills, bay views, and ever changing light and sky, none of the bad design and run down areas would be tolerated. Why couldn’t the city use this area as an experiment for getting things right? There needs to be a whole new master plan for the entire civic center area that helps to create more safety for residents and visitors, as well as a more dynamic night time enviroment.
SeeHsee, I think the “+” just means to click (like on the Neighborhood page).
Having lived in a number of “undesirable” locations in the Bay Area (off MLK in Oakland, SOMA, Lower Haight), the area around Symphony Towers is cake. Plus it’s an easy commute downtown. Anyone know when it opens?
The website now has a tag on the homepage saying it opens in the Spring and the building amenities page is active.
Parking is listed and I asked one of the construction workers about a banner on the building for Klaus Multiparking and he said there are regular and automated spaces in the garage.
I walked by it today – I think a spring opening is optimistic – early summer seems more realistic – but I live in hope it will be $375,000 or less for the lowest priced units. As far as the area – it’s not that dicey in my book. I’ve had friends at Opera Plaza for six years – they love it – you just don’t go west of Gough if you can avoid it, until you’re down at Hayes anyway.
I see another open construction pit a block or two away from this. Does anyone know what is going on there. It is very deep, so I am thinking they are building something high, like “Condos” 🙂