The refined plans for a seven-story building to rise up to 70 feet in height upon the former City Paints building site at 1088 Howard Street, a Western SoMa site which is actually zoned for development up to 85 feet in height, have been newly rendered by Schaub Ly Architects and the project team is seeking a minor variance to proceed.
The refined plans would now yield 24 residential units (a mix of 12-one bedrooms and 12 twos) over 2,600 square feet of new retail space behind the existing building’s façade (which would be preserved as a historic resource) along with off-street parking for 24 bikes but no cars.
Another important historic resource preserved by our planning overlords. This habit of preserving 2 story auto-shops as resources has got to stop.
Cannot believe that little shack is a “historic resource.” This city’s planning regulation is a JOKE.
Also the setback requirement uses space that could have allowed for an amiable air well for the 11 interior apartments adjacent to this project. See architectural drawings.
I wish they weren’t building something so generic. What’s wrong with building something a little more attractive and with a SF flair?
Nothing, in and of itself. Then multiply that preference/demand by hundreds of different projects, then it’s a problem. How do you decide what projects can/should be built as subjectively generic vs subjectively unique?
Why ugly?
Is this a contest for who can build the most tedious mundane building? Historic base notwithstanding, this is a contestant. Wouldn’t be so bad if that area didn’t have so many of these non-descript flimsy forgettable structures.
Wait am I being unduly harsh?
Way too short. Western soma should be upzone to 130 ft and this should be 12 floors and double the units
I agree this design leaves a lot to be desired but also have no doubt that the blandness, in some part, is a result of the cost of building medium rise projects in SF. Sad, really.
They managed to meet the high level of mediocrity of the design of the building next to it which is quite a feat in itself.
Gotta ‘stay in context’, am I right?
Couldn’t they make a little more beige?
UPDATE: Approved. Permitted. And…Not About to Break Ground