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Commission approves 12‑story, 155‑unit infill at Mason and Turk with neighbor support
Summary
The Planning Commission unanimously approved a 12‑story, 155‑unit residential infill project at 19–25 Mason Street after design revisions and negotiations with adjacent residential hotels. The developer reduced massing near neighboring windows and provided landscaping and enhanced bike parking; TNDC expressed support.
The Planning Commission unanimously approved a downtown project authorization on April 16 for a 12‑story residential infill at 19–25 Mason Street that will replace a 63‑space surface parking lot with a 155‑unit building and ground‑floor retail.
Staff (Elizabeth Waddy) said the project requires exceptions under Planning Code section 309 (rear yard, ground‑level courtyards and off‑street loading) and a variance to allow 63 units to face an interior courtyard. The department recommended approval with conditions, noting extensive outreach and coordination with TNDC, which owns adjacent residential hotel properties.
Sponsor representatives and the architect described design revisions that moved massing back from the Ambassador Hotel courtyard and increased separation from windows in adjacent buildings; the design includes 43 studios, 79 one‑bedrooms and 33 two‑bedrooms, 68 mechanical parking spaces and 132 bike spaces. The architect said the top two levels are set back to preserve skyline and corner views and that the project provides more than double the required bike parking as part of an enhanced Transportation Demand Management program.
Community representatives including TNDC and the Alliance for a Better District 6 said the sponsor engaged stakeholders and agreed to mitigations for adjacent tenants during construction. Commissioners praised the design response and voted 7‑0 to approve the project with the recommended conditions.
