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Commission grants office authorization for Central SoMa project that dedicates land for park and affordable housing
Summary
Commission approved an office development authorization for 598 Brannon (Phase 2) allowing ~211,600 sq ft office and dedicating ~40,000 sq ft for a one-acre park plus a parcel to MOHCD for future 100% affordable housing; project will draw from Prop M/central SoMa office allocation and includes PDR/childcare and community benefits.
The Planning Commission unanimously approved an office development authorization on Dec. 3 for Phase 2 of the 598 Brannon project in Central SoMa, enabling about 211,601 gross square feet of office space, roughly 11,054 square feet of retail and PDR space, and a 5,546-square-foot child-care facility.
Planning staff said the project provides public benefits including the dedication of roughly 40,000 square feet of land for a public park and a parcel to the Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development for the construction of a future 100% affordable housing building. Linda Ajelo Hoagland said the project satisfies criteria to draw from the Central SoMa incentive reserve and that approving Phase 2 would exhaust the city's existing large-cap office allocation (about 149,000 sq ft) and pull the balance from the Central SoMa reserve.
Carl Shannon, regional manager for Tishman Speyer, described extensive community engagement, a parcel swap with the SF PUC that enabled the park site, and commitments to below-market rents for some commercial tenants and to park programming and maintenance.
Community partners including West Bay Filipino Multi-Service Center, United Playas, and Soma Filipinas voiced support for the park and community commitments; one nearby resident urged careful siting of the affordable housing parcel to avoid shading of small residential properties. Commissioners questioned market demand (no buildings preleased), phasing flexibility and the process to assure the affordable housing parcel will be transferred to MOHCD; sponsor and staff said the project is fully capitalized, could be phased to build Building 3 first if needed, and that MOHCD had issued an RFP for the affordable housing site.
Zoning staff explained tracking and revocation procedures for office allocations and that the commission retains tools to recapture unused allocations. After discussion, the commission approved the allocation with conditions 7-0.
