OCII selects Mercy Housing to build 140 affordable units and childcare at Mission Bay Block 6 West

The Commission on Community Investment and Infrastructure on Feb. 21 approved selecting Mercy Housing California with Paulette Taggart Architects to design, develop and operate 140 affordable rental units, including one manager—s unit and a childcare facility, at Mission Bay South Block 6 West.

OCII development specialist Gretchen Heckman presented staff—s recommendation, saying the evaluation panel ranked Mercy highest with 97 out of 100 points based on design, financial feasibility and team experience. "This approval will allow OCII to move forward with another affordable housing development that provides housing opportunities to certificate of preference holders as well as San Francisco families in need," Heckman said.

Why it matters: the project responds to OCII—s Mission Bay affordable housing policy and will set aside 80 percent of units for households at or below 60 percent of area median income (AMI), with some units affordable to households at roughly 25 percent of AMI. Twenty percent of units will be reserved for a to‑be‑determined special‑needs population (for example, formerly homeless families or households relocating through Hope SF), and staff said service plans will be attached when the population is defined.

Key details: Mercy—s proposal includes a childcare space larger than the RFP—s 40‑slot minimum, about 28 parking spaces in an on‑site podium garage (0.2 spaces per unit) to be allocated by lottery, secure bicycle storage, roughly 1,000 square feet of community space (with a potential tenant, Blue Bear School of Music), and a design that OCII staff said best met Mission Bay—s design‑for‑development guidelines.

Commission discussion focused on the narrow scoring margin, parking allocation and operational preferences. Commissioner Singh asked why Mercy outscored the next applicant; Heckman said Mercy scored two points higher on design and massing. Housing program manager Jeff White explained parking allocation: "It's done through a lottery process," and said reasonable accommodations can be made to prioritize seniors or people with disabilities for parking.

Public comment: Longtime community speaker Ace Washington said he supported the project but urged greater recognition of African‑American contributions to Mission Bay and more outreach to displaced communities. Liz Jackson Simpson, executive director of Success Center San Francisco, described workforce and contracting services her organization would provide to support local hiring and SBE participation during construction and operations.

Outcome and next steps: Commissioners moved and unanimously approved the staff recommendation (roll call: 5 ayes). Staff will return in coming months to seek approval for an exclusive negotiations agreement (ENA), predevelopment loan and later schematic design and financing approvals. Construction is scheduled to begin in spring 2019 under the current schedule, with completion expected approximately two years later.