While the market rate condos for the city block now known as Mosaica 601 are on the market (listed under 601 Alabama), pre-applications for 85 of the affordable apartments will be available starting Monday, March 9th (due back by 3pm on March 13th).
Mosaica is composed of 151 new housing units with seventy-two apartments (including 37 three-bedrooms and 2 four-bedrooms) for qualified households at or below 50% of 2008 median income and thirteen apartments for seniors at or below 30% of 2008 median income being offered in this round.
UPDATE: A plugged-in reader calls us out on our use of “BMR” versus “Affordable” to describe the rental units. We have since rewritten in an attempt to more accurately reflect the overall unit mix.
∙ Mosaica 601 (Or 601 Alabama As Far As The Post Office Is Concerned) [SocketSite]
∙ Mosaica Pre-Application Flyer And Qualifying Income Chart (pdf) [SFGov]
except for the nice mid-block alley and the frontage on Florida, the majority of the street frontages are blank walls and service doors, giving this massive project the feeling and aura of a high-security prison complex. (the photo above shows the best corner of the project). it’s very foreboding.
[Editor’s Note: Not by accident (the photo choice) and another has been added as well (corner of Florida and 18th).]
I’ve seen East German prison camps that were more attractive than these.
Hmmmm. Looks like a Dan Solomon design. I’ve seen those moves before.
I live across the street from this development and while it isn’t the most appealing design it is better than a parking lot. Someone smashed a bunch of the street level windows already so these will need repair. So much false pride in this town.
Dan Solomon’s 1980’s clean line vibe did not translate well here. Mosaic does have a certain “barracks” feeling about it.
At least its not a Gary Gee
I’m concerned about the buyer ‘mix’ here. 85 bmr in a 150 unit project? Thats way too many bmr’s for the total. Maybe in 2006 google engineers and hipsters would have brought the market rate units, but today? I’m sensing a mosica turned Valencia Gardens redux fiasco within 2 yrs. Just what the neighborhood needs. Not.
What do the surrounding loft owners think? (the ones that aren’t marxists, that is.)
OK, so lets set the record straight: 1) Its not 85 BMR units — more like 20-something. Plus a mix of affordable family, plus affordable senior — all rental. 2) Agreed its sorta ugly. We call it many things, including “the Incredibly Hulking” (My personal favorite). 3) It is not HUD housing like V-Gardens, its a non-profit that is not liked by the evil-doers at MAC/MEDA, so we like them OK. 4) It has P-A-R-K-I-N-G and a car share pod. 5) It has mixed use on ground level and that is good. 6) Some units are market rate, though in this market they are still priced too cheap and are dragging down our comps. 7) All the for-sale BMR are gone, only rental and a few market rates are to be allocated/sold. 6) Did I mention it is sort ugly?
[Editor’s Note: Actually, not “20-something” but rather 13 market rate condos (don’t forget to follow those links). And as written above, the 85 are in “this round” (although perhaps we could have been more clear). Cheers.]
[Editor’s Note Redux: Well, we definitely could we have been more clear (and make that 21 BMR condos in addition to the 13 market rate). Please note UPDATE above and Editor’s Note below.]
I wonder if the market will one day catch up the BMR rates for some of these developments. That would be the ultimate irony: affordable housing attained through unaltered market pricing!
Editor. Darling. Dearest. Oh busy one I know… not to raid on your statistical parade, but still: BMR = for sale below market rate. There were 20+ of those — all sold. Market Rate for sale: still available (I never said anything about 20 of those). The balance: All affordable rental (the term BMR does not refer to rental, but for-sale stuff), allocated across 2-4 or 5 bedrooms (I think) and the balance is senior affordable…
[Editor’s Note: When we are wrong or unclear please feel free to rain away (see UPDATE above). And as always, thank you for plugging in.]
Misinformation, BMR definitely does apply to rentals: http://www.sfgov.org/site/moh_page.asp?id=35416
Thanks for clarifying the misinformation, “Misinformation”. God, with those initial crazy-ass bmr #’s I was thinking this was a MAC/MEDA sh*t-for-brains project. Me feel better now…it’s time to drink my warm milk.
@anon, in the world of development it [bmr] is not used except to apply to for sale stuff. Affordable is the common reference for rentals. That said, and all technicalities aside, this just gives me one more bone to pick with the dreaded MOH. They are the ones that bait & switched us residents on what the affordability range for this project was going to be in the 1st place. When we called them on it, we were threatened with a law suit. Seriously.