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Commission backs conversion of 100 Van Ness to 399 housing units with on‑site affordable housing
Summary
The Planning Commission approved certificate‑of‑compliance and exceptions to permit conversion of the 100 Van Ness tower to 399 residential units, including 60 Below‑Market‑Rate units and a new glass curtain wall; staff required further design refinements to facade color, texture and wind mitigation elements.
The Planning Commission unanimously approved a package of compliance findings and exceptions that will allow the conversion of the former AAA tower at 100 Van Ness Avenue into a 399‑unit residential building with approximately 60 on‑site below‑market‑rate units.
Aaron Hollister of the Planning Department summarized the proposal and staff recommendations, noting the project converts roughly 400,000 square feet of office to residential use, retains and reuses 112 existing off‑street parking spaces, and proposes minor increases to parking and adjustments to lot‑coverage regulations for the Van Ness/Market special use district. Staff recommended several conditions including refinement of the curtain‑wall design to express a more residential rhythm and to lighten glass color to better match the Civic Center context.
Sponsor Emerald Fund chairman Oz Erickson and SCB Architects’ Chris Pemberton presented renderings showing a serpentine ground‑floor glass frontage, rooftop garden amenity and wind‑baffling elements. Community organizations including Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association, SPUR, the Housing Action Coalition and the Civic Center Community Benefit District offered endorsements, praising the adaptive reuse, housing production, on‑site inclusionary units and proposed pedestrian activation of Van Ness.
Public testimony included both technical questions from transportation consultants and strong endorsements from neighborhood groups; staff and multiple commissioners stressed continued work with the sponsor on exterior detailing and glass color. The commission adopted a motion to approve with conditions requiring continued coordination between the sponsor and staff on the exterior skin and other design details.
The vote was unanimous; the sponsor will continue design refinements with staff and proceed to the permit stage. Planning staff noted several conditions will be adjusted in the final conditions of approval prior to permit issuance.
