Amendment for Approved Haight Street Project Suddenly Sought
November 1, 2021
As we outlined in August, the proposed 18-unit building to rise up to 57 feet in height upon the former Lee’s Meat and Popular Market site at 478-482 Haight Street was slated to be approved with Planning’s support.
While the project includes the demolition of an existing, older dwelling unit on the site, “which [are] generally considered more affordable than more recently constructed units,” the development will result in a net increase of 17 dwelling units, “including two on-site below-market rate units for rent, which is a goal for the City,” a one-bedroom and a two-bedroom, as pledged by the project team and noted by San Francisco’s Planning Department in support of the project, which was approved by San Francisco’s Planning Commission on September 2.
On September 3, the project team then submitted the paperwork to amend the conditions of the project’s approval, to reflect a sudden change in the pledged implementation of its Inclusionary Affordable Housing Program obligations, “by paying an in-lieu fee rather than by providing on-site below market rate [(BMR)] units.”
And with San Francisco’s Planning Department having found that “the proposed changes to the Conditions of Approval do not affect the Project’s consistency with the Objectives and Policies of the General Plan, and the Project is, on balance, consistent with the Objectives and Policies of the General Plan,” San Francisco’s Planning Commission is slated to approve the sudden change, and prior selling point for the 480 Haight Street project, this week.
Comments from Plugged-In Readers
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Are the in-lieu fees high enough to actually build the same amount of BMR units in another location?
As long as they are, then this seems like a nice addition to the neighborhood, though it is too bad that it isn’t allowed to be as tall as the building next door.
Good question. I assume they are and that the reason so many developers don/t include on-site BMR units is that they feel it is easier to market a building that is all market rate than just partially so?
No. In-lieu fees are based on the residential gross square footage of a project, not the number of BMR units which would have been required otherwise. And based on the approved plans, the in-lieu fee for this project would be around $350,000, in total.
Wouldn’t it make more sense if the fees for new affordable housing were charged to people who are not adding to the housing stock of the city, instead of those who are building more units?
I wonder which approach would encourage more people to build housing?
I can only imagine living across the street from a CVS with a bus stop. Ugh.
The CVS will probably close soon given the rampant shoplifting.
You just have to look ahead to the brighter future without pharmacies in the city.
we will all be buying our pharmacy items from shoplifters soon. their inventory probably > than CVS or Walgreens
I prefer this 4-story proposal for this site compared to the 5-story version that had less housing for people and more off street housing for cars, but the lack of onsite BMR is a BUMMER.
It looks as mundane as Schaub Ly projects tend to be…. No understanding of ground floor design and less on the details… needs a once over quick before it gets built…..
Wasn’t Lee’s Meats in the corner storefront a few years ago?