OCII conditionally approves schematic design for Candlestick Point Block 10A, preserves 156 affordable units

The Commission on Community Investment and Infrastructure on Dec. 5 conditionally approved the schematic design for Candlestick Point North Block 10A, a 156-unit, 100% affordable family rental building in the Bayview Hunters Point redevelopment area.

OCII development specialist Gretchen Heckman presented the project program, saying the parcel will include 156 permanently affordable rental units, including 35 units reserved for formerly homeless households (five of those further reserved for young parents ages 18 to 24). "These units will be restricted to households earning 30% or less of the area median income," Heckman said, and she added that 121 units would be targeted to households at or below 60% AMI.

The project includes ground-floor retail, two on-site family child-care units, a community room, property-management offices and a central courtyard. Staff recommended preserving the full 156-unit count and maintaining a 0.54-to-1 parking ratio. Heckman warned that increasing the parking supply would raise per-unit costs and could make the project ineligible for tax-credit and tax-exempt bond financing: "The cost of the existing parking places a burden of $30,000 on each of the project's units," she said.

Architects described a human-scaled design with active retail frontage, concealed parking, interior gardens and a rooftop solar array. Yaqui Askew of YA Studios said the community space is being envisioned for after-school programming and could host a YMCA-style operator.

Two members of the public spoke in favor and offered community requests. Oscar James, a Bayview Hunters Point resident, said he supported the project and urged hiring and training of local residents for child-care jobs: "I am in support of this project," he said, and asked that certificate-holder preference be honored and that training be provided so local residents can staff child-care centers. Another commenter, Ace Washington, expressed qualified support but pressed for closer scrutiny of developer histories and alleged conflicts: "They are in conflict of interest, they're in total violations," he said; staff neither accepted nor rejected that allegation at the meeting.

Commissioners focused much of the questioning on parking and timing of transit and neighborhood amenities. Commissioner Singh said he was concerned residents would lack sufficient parking; OCII staff replied that the choice to limit parking is driven by financing and by anticipated BRT and express bus service to be phased in as the neighborhood builds out.

The motion to conditionally approve the schematic design and adopt the staff-recommended CEQA findings was moved by Commissioner Rosales and seconded by Commissioner Singh. The roll call vote was Rosales: Yes; Singh: Yes; Chair Mondejar: Yes; Vice Chair Bustos: absent. The motion carried (3 ayes, 1 absent).

Next steps outlined by staff: the development team will apply for tax-exempt bond allocation this month, pursue remaining financing over the following year, return to the Commission mid-2019 for gap-financing and ground-lease approvals, and—if financing closes—start construction at the end of 2019 with estimated completion at the end of 2021 and full occupancy in 2022. Conditions of approval include detailed material specifications, physical mock-ups of key building elements, and further cost studies (including a review of the solar structure and a partial seventh-story option).