New Building Permits Filed for Affordable Educator Housing at 750 Golden Gate Avenue, San Francisco

New building permits have been requested for the affordable educator housing project at 750 Golden Gate Avenue in the Fillmore District, San Francisco. Once issued, construction can start replacing formerly state-owned surface parking lots with an eight-story infill. MidPen Housing is the lead developer, working with consulting developer Tishman Speyer.

Plans for this affordable housing started in early 2021 when the Department of General Services and the Department of Housing and Community Development selected MidPen Housing to “develop Golden Gate Avenue (both Phase I and Phase II) and its sibling project 850 Turk Street,” according to an executive summary published by the Mayor’s office. The recently filed new building permits will allow MidPen to start construction on the first phase of Golden Gate Avenue, replacing 0.68 acres of surface parking with 75 apartments for educators in the city. Phase two will replace the three-story San Francisco Federal Credit Union building at 770 Golden Gate Avenue and will include 96 units of affordable units. The second phase will be an open lottery without preferential selection.

750 Golden Gate Avenue lobby entrance, design by David Baker Architects and Min Design Studio

The team acquired the surface parking lot at 750 Golden Gate Avenue from the California Economic Development Department. The project has received a significant amount of funding through the city, the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee, the California Department of General Services, California HCD, the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, Silicon Valley Bank, and MidPen. Construction is expected to cost between $50-80 million and could start as early as December this year and finish by 2027, according to prior announcements from MidPen Housing.

The eight-story building is expected to yield around 77,500 square feet, including 50,000 square feet for 75 apartments. Unit types will vary, with 28 studios, seven one-bedrooms, 19 two-bedrooms, and 21 three-bedrooms. The leasing will have a “preference for San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) and San Francisco Community College District (SFCCD) employees,” a targeted attempt to create affordable housing for educators to support the school system.

750 Golden Gate Avenue, design by David Baker Architects and Min Design Studio

David Baker Architects and Min Design are jointly responsible for the design. An illustration published by the development team shows a bare-white facade with a bare concrete exterior above the colorful yellow and orange accent colors. While the developers have yet to publish more descriptive renderings of the project, the team has shared a description of what neighbors and future residents can expect:

The central location allows residents access to ample transit and parks in the neighborhood, and the design maximizes the number of affordable homes on offer, supported by a quiet inner courtyard, play area, and common room. The sculptural facade is punctuated with strategic facets and cuts to bring a sense of playfulness at the street edge, and bright glazed brick enlivens the ground floor. A dramatic ‘canyon’ staircase snakes up the face of the building.

750 Golden Gate Avenue, image via Google Satellite

The 0.68-acre property occupies most of the block bound by Golden Gate Avenue, Elm Street, Franklin Street, and Gough Street. The site is a block from the Van Ness Avenue thoroughfare and its Bus Rapid Transit lanes.

Across Gough Street, residents will find the grassy Jefferson Square Park and the four-block Freedom West housing complex. The 11-acre housing cooperative is currently the focus of the Freedom West 2.0 master plan proposed by Avanath Capital Management and MacFarlane Partners. The developers are seeking to create over two thousand homes across several mid-rise and high-rise towers.

Phase two at Golden Gate Avenue is expected to start one year after the start of phase one, according to Cahill.

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