OCII recommends Mercy Housing and Young Community Developers for Transbay Block 4 West

The Commission on Community Investment and Infrastructure heard a staff recommendation on Tuesday to advance predevelopment negotiations with a Mercy Housing California–led team, in partnership with Young Community Developers (YCD), to deliver 100% affordable housing at Transbay Block 4 West.

Jasmine Kuo, an OCII development specialist, told commissioners the request for proposals sought a development that prioritized Certificate of Preference holders and proposed roughly 300–325 units; the recommended Mercy–YCD team’s concept envisions 312 affordable homes for families and seniors, with about 20% of units set aside for households experiencing homelessness and a ground-floor space for community-serving uses.

Kuo said the RFP process included broad outreach and an eight-person evaluation panel; the recommended team includes Kennerly Architecture and Planning and SCB as the architect team, Mercy and Episcopal Community Services for resident services, and Mercy as the proposed property manager. Kuo said OCII expects to return early next year for approval of a predevelopment loan and an exclusive negotiations agreement and to return with schematic design in the summer.

Tiffany Bohe (Mercy Housing California) expressed gratitude for the selection and emphasized alignment with OCII goals on affordability, local investment and economic inclusion. "This project reflects not only a rare and incredible opportunity to build high-density, deeply affordable family-serving and senior-serving housing in San Francisco, but it will also exemplify our shared commitment to equity, local investment, and economic inclusion," she said.

DJ Brookter of Young Community Developers reiterated commitments to workforce development and inclusion of historically underserved contractors, saying the team would prioritize outreach to Bayview Hunters Point and certificate-of-preference households. Mercy development staff also told commissioners they plan to add a hyperlocal architectural partner to provide opportunities for smaller local firms to participate on a project of this scale.

Commissioners asked about design details to make the area family-friendly, ground-floor retail and community uses, and timeline. Director Kozlowski said the agency expects to return with a predevelopment loan and exclusive negotiations agreement early in 2026 and that design work would follow, likely six months to a year after that milestone. He pointed to nearby parks and interim activations that will help shape corridor and ground-floor use decisions.

Commissioners and public commenters applauded the team’s stated commitment to local hiring and SBE goals while also urging continued attention to recruiting transitional-age youth and foster-care–aged young adults. Resident and community speaker Oscar James, who spoke earlier regarding workforce access, was singled out and thanked by developers for representing community voice.

OCII will return to the commission for a predevelopment loan and an exclusive negotiations agreement early next year; schematic design and additional project details will follow as the team enters negotiation and design phases.