Having successfully petitioned to re-zone the southwestern spur of the former Mission District “Farm” buildings site from Open Space (OS) to Mixed-Use Residential (MUR), with the potential for building up to 55 feet in height, the three-parcel compound known as 1499 Potrero Avenue (which includes the five buildings at 1493-1499 Potrero and 1458 San Bruno Avenue) is now back on the market as a “prime development opportunity.”
Adjacent to the Potrero del Sol Park, which was formerly part of The Farm’s land as well, the marketing materials for the 1.1-acre site tout the potential for over 150 units to rise across that site, a potential which assumes that all the existing buildings – the tenants of which currently include Subterranean Records, the Tiny Telephone recording studio and Goforaloop Gallery and Studios – are leveled.
Keep in mind that no formal plans for the site have been filed, but the development potential for the site was discussed with Planning back in 2010.
I am generally pro development but this is the downside. Subterranean Records has been around since 1979, Tiny Telephone since 1997, and both are an indispensable part of this city’s music history. Hoping that whatever materializes on this site (which, being bounded by ugly freeway ramps, probably isn’t all that attractive anyway) doesn’t displace them.
Do apartments in this development include health insurance for pulmonary disease? Surrounded by such lovely roads and freeways, the nearby air will surely raise the need for medical specialists.
I once had to deal with Bonnie Sherk; could never decide if she was crazy or visionary…probably both. In any case, there’s certainly a colorful history of this parcel of land.
Good luck with the river that runs under it. Diverting that should eat up all the development funds.
Tough location.
If pollution don’t get you then the Potrero hill projects will.
Far removed from the “projects.”
About 5 blocks. The Zuckerberg hospital is helping that area a little but it still pretty gross. Those projects are easily the worst in the entire state.
good lord, I live a block from the projects and hardly notice a thing. I drive through every single day. The projects are so much improved over what they were years ago. Not saying they are perfect, but they are pretty calm.
Excuse me, what? I have friends who have lived for years on Rhode Island between 25th and 26th Street and never had an issue, not once. The worst in the state? I think they’re better than Sunnydale, FWIW.
Whether “worst in the state” or not (very questionable), Rebuild Potrero recently broke [ground] and means to dramatically change those blocks for the better.
What/Who is the subject of that first sentence (paragraph) above?
In other words, who has successfully petitioned for the use rezoning?
I cannot think of a worse location for an apartment building … well, maybe that ghastly idea for one at Pennsylvania and Mariposa.
This really doesn’t make any sense for residential. A dead-end cul-de-sac’ed by a freeway and two major streets, not connected to anything walkable, not transit accessible. Seems completely contrary to all of SF’s development goals. This really should be a PDR location.
. . . 2 blocks to 24th street that has restaurants, markets, bars, and shopping is definitely a walkable location. It’s also only like a 10-15 minute walk to BART from here.
It’s 20 minutes walk to BART (per google maps, and I agree). It’s one mile, which is beyond the “normal” walk shed of a transit station. 1/2 mile is considered the prime commute shed, 3/4 the edge of practical.
For what it’s worth, it gets a Walk Score of 84 (“Very Walkable”) and a Transit Score of 74 (“Excellent Transit”).
walk scores are kind of bogus. Yes, there are services you can walk to, and that’s good. But 84 implies a level of access that it doesn’t really have. It is reasonably close to 24th Street (“Calle Veinte Cuatro”) which has a limited variety of stores and restaurants. but the closest grocery story is Grocery Outlet at South Van Ness – 1 mile away.
There are closer small grocery stores, including Five Markets a short walk away.
It should also be mentioned that this is the home to Meadows-Livingstone School, a small Afrocentric elementary school which has been here for over 25 years. Many local artists have studios here and there are over 25 residents who rent apartments.
This may not be everyone’s ideal place to live, work, or go to school but this is “home” to many. (also of note, Survival Research Laboratories had their shop here until they were forced out by a huge rent increase some years back).
It’s a great community and a special place despite what this distant, aerial photo may show. (and no issues with the housing projects which are on the other side of the freeway and the hill.)
UPDATE: Bonus Plans for a Big Development on the Edge of the Mission