Members of the development team and local officials gathered earlier this month to celebrate the official opening of new affordable housing at 921 Howard Street in SoMa, San Francisco. The 18-story residential project has brought over two hundred middle-income rental units to the city directly across from the 2022-opened phase one of 5M. Curtis Development and the TNDC are jointly responsible for the project.
The 192-foot-tall structure contains an estimated 205,000 square feet, including some ground-floor retail. Of the 203 units, 33 are studios, 84 are one-bedrooms, 81 are two-bedrooms, and five are three-bedrooms. The development will be priced for households earning between 75% and 120% of the Area Median Income. The average income for future households will be 90% AMI.
921 Howard Street townhouses, rendering courtesy Perry Architects
Mayor London Breed, Supervisor Matt Dorsey, and the heads of both development firms attended the ceremony. Mayor Breed shared with the crowd, “projects like 921 Howard are proof that we can make great things happen when we work together to remove the barriers that get in the way of affordable housing production and focus on delivering housing at different income levels.”
District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey said, “this remarkable 18-story tower, which is providing more than 200 affordable housing units for moderate-income San Franciscans, is a prime example of how we can address the critical ‘missing middle’ housing gap in our City.”
Interim co-CEO Katie Lamont at TNDC shared some background on the project’s financing success, claiming that “921 Howard is one of the most cost-effective affordable housing buildings ever developed in San Francisco.” According to the city, 921 Howard Street costs around $161.8 million, with financing coming from the MOHCD, Federal tax credits, and the state.
921 Howard Street ground level, rendering courtesy Perry Architects
Speaking more about the project’s financing, Charmaine Curtis, Principal at Curtis Development, added that “the project at 921 Howard speaks to Curtis Development and TNDC’s perseverance and commitment to providing affordable housing at a broad spectrum of income levels ranging from the very low-income units supported by San Francisco Housing Authority to the middle-income units supported by the California Housing Finance Agency.” CalHFA dedicated around $10 million for the tower through the Mixed-Income program.
Perry Architects is responsible for the design, with Swinerton as the general contractor. The modest infill is wrapped with a simple alternating window pattern across the black-and-white facade. The exterior is clad with precast concrete panels.
The property had been occupied by a large surface parking lot and a couple two-story commercial structures. Construction started in August of 2021, with concrete reaching above ground-level in early 2022. The project topped out later in 2022 with facade installation well underway. For applicants, the housing lottery took place for 151 of the 203 units in early 2023.
921 Howard Street, rendering by Perry Architects
921 Howard Street is located across from 5M, a mixed-use masterplan led by Brookfield.
Subscribe to YIMBY’s daily e-mail
Follow YIMBYgram for real-time photo updates
Like YIMBY on Facebook
Follow YIMBY’s Twitter for the latest in YIMBYnews
This is great! But the area of the building fronting 5th street is still a parking lot. I thought it was supposed to be a POPOS.
It seems as if we moderate-income San Franciscans are increasingly required to subsidize housing for other moderate-income San Franciscans. It’s one thing to assist the very poor. it is quite another to see our taxes house people who earn the same or more as we do.
If it’s actually an opening and not a groundbreaking then why aren’t you showing real photos instead of renderings? Strange.
To the sfyimby.com administrator, Nice post!
How do I apply and complete an application for the 2 or 1 bedroom