The formal application has been filed for a residential development at 3900 Geary Boulevard in Inner Richmond, San Francisco. The proposal is still looking to add nine apartments while retaining a Burger King restaurant as the anchor tenant. Sunny Ghai, a prolific franchisee of Burger King and Taco Bell across three states, is listed as the property owner filing through 1429 Main Street LLC.
3900 Geary Boulevard overlooking 3rd Avenue, rendering by RG Architecture
Construction will retain the existing three-story structure, remodel the existing restaurant space, and convert the upper-floor offices into residential units. New construction will produce a floor-and-a-half vertical addition.
The 61-foot-tall structure is expected to yield around 14,050 square feet, including 1,600 square feet for retail and 7,500 square feet of housing. Parking will be included for 10 bicycles. Of the nine apartments, one will be deed-restricted for households earning around 80% of the area’s median income. Unit types will vary slightly, with six one-bedrooms, two two-bedrooms, and one three-bedroom dwelling.
3900 Geary Boulevard pedestrian view, rendering by RG Architecture
RG Architecture is responsible for the design, with ACIES involved with MEP Engineering. The overall design scheme has remained mostly unchanged since the preliminary filing in January of this year. The exterior will be clad with fluted rainscreen panels, including rounded edges at the corner of Geary Boulevard and 3rd Avenue. The retail space will be accented with wood-look fiber cement textured panels and dark-gray brick veneer.
The narrow 0.07-acre property is located at the corner of Geary Boulevard and 3rd Avenue. The site is close to the Clement Street commercial thoroughfare, and the expansive Golden Gate Park is just about four blocks away.
3900 Geary Boulevard vertical cross-section, illustration by RG Architecture
3900 Geary Boulevard, image via Google Street View
Sunny Ghai is overseeing the project through the firm Ghai Management, based in Livermore, Alameda County. The application estimates construction could cost over $5 million and start as early as next year.
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Wow, $5 million? Surprising that it pencils out.
How old is the building it’s replacing?
It’ll be an improvement over what’s there now.
Yes, please. This is the type of development that should be built along Geary Boulevard. But at the same time, could we please think about building a subway? Or at least a fully dedicated BRT line?
Horribly ugly.
yeah, the existing building is ugly. the new one is beautiful
I agree! Love the big windows and minimal style. It’s elegant.
But the Burger King remains. Sounds Awful.
This is a great location for a giant tower–it’s right at the intersection of highly-trafficked transit lines. Oh well. Maybe in 2100.
I feel like the appropriate location for a “giant tower” is walking distance from a BART station.
Particularly if the tower doesn’t include much parking.
I’ve ridden the 38 and 38R during normal commute hours and they’re often standing room only once the bus crosses Park Presidio heading downtown.
Ugly and out of scale. Looking to capture views? BK your way?
And what scale would that be? The original structure, as ugly as it is, pushes 3+ stories with its decorative, tacky elements. There are numerous 4-story buildings in the area, and a structure that’s 2 blocks away has been around for over a decade and is 6 stories tall.
So what bs scale narrative are you trying to fish for?
What about parking for tenants of these future apartments? Or are they expecting everyone to rely on the damn 38 bus?
We are really leading ourselves down the garden path if we think that all the residents of these minimally-garaged buildings won’t own cars.
We built this city on rock & roll. This modern update is refreshing break from older outdated rental inventory in the neighborhood. A real city needs juxtaposition between classic and futuristic
Ben, pretty much agree on the need (& benefits) for this city having a mix of architectural design/style and building of mixed height/bulk (esp. on a street like Geary). But this design is hardly “futuristic” – it seems closer to straight up ‘late modern’ or even ‘brutalist’ in overall form and style (i.e. basically similar to a lot of late 60’s /70’s architecture).
Regarding facade detail and exterior finish, that’s another matter. I’m withholding judgement till when/if its built. The article mentions “fluted rainscreen panels”. There are beautiful examples of such facades done with terracota or GFRC panels (not cheap), but when you zoom into these renderings it looks more like corrugated metal…
Sunny, you need to upgrade your taste buds! There are so many great franchises that offer much better food than Burger King/Taco Bell!
I will like to know about the application for those kind of apartments because we are looking forward to getting a place together me and my wife
You have quickly thought up such matchless phrase?