Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transbay Block 7 topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
OCII authorizes 75‑year ground lease with Mercy Housing for 120‑unit Transbay Block 7
Summary
The commission authorized a 75‑year ground lease to Mercy Housing for a 120‑unit very low income family housing project at Transbay Block 7, including a 40‑slot childcare center (half the slots subsidized), unit mix and income targeting and marketing rules prioritizing Certificate of Preference holders.
The Commission on Community Investment and Infrastructure authorized a 75‑year ground lease on March 15 with Mercy Housing California for Transbay Block 7, clearing the way for construction of a 120‑unit very low‑income family rental project.
Gretchen Heckman, a development specialist with OCII’s housing team, outlined the project: 120 units including one manager’s unit, with a unit mix of 53 one‑bedrooms, 43 two‑bedrooms and 23 three‑bedrooms. On‑site amenities will include a community room, laundry, bike storage and a 40‑slot childcare center; Heckman said half of the childcare slots will be subsidized for low‑income families. Income restrictions for the project were presented as 36 units affordable at 40% of area median income (AMI) and 83 units at 50% AMI. Marketing and leasing rules give first preference to Certificate of Preference holders and include early outreach obligations and reporting requirements documented as Exhibit S in the loan agreement.
Mercy Housing and OCII staff discussed parking and outreach. Barbara Gualco, Mercy’s director of real estate development for the San Francisco region, told the commission that Block 7 will not have dedicated parking but will share three car‑share spaces with nearby Block 6 and that Mercy has experience operating family housing with minimal parking in transit‑rich locations. OCII staff described enhanced marketing exhibits and a set of six access agencies that developers use to reach and prepare COP holders before the tenant lottery.
Public comment included praise and continued community concerns. Francisco DeCosta reiterated concerns about displacement and indigenous land rights, while other community members and CAC representatives thanked staff and developers for outreach and encouraged moving forward.
Vote and next steps: The commission’s roll call vote was 4 ayes, 1 absent and the ground lease was authorized. Staff said the ground lease and bond approval will next go to the Board of Supervisors and that construction is expected to begin in June 2016, with completion projected in winter 2017 and resident move‑ins in spring 2018.
