New building permits have been filed for the first three structures within the UCSF Laurel Heights campus redevelopment, dubbed the Presidio Highlands, at 3333 California Street, San Francisco. The recent filings look to add 152 residential units, a fifth of the full build-out expected for the former educational space. Prado Group is responsible for the development.
3333 California Street, rendering by BAR Architecture & Interior
The new construction permits have been filed for a five-story building with 61 units at 3333 California Street, a four-story building with 61 units at 528 Laurel Street, and a four-story 30-unit apartment building at 538 Laurel Street.
The full build-out of the campus will produce 744 apartments across 1.4 million square feet of new and adaptively reused buildings, including 1.03 million square feet of housing, 38,100 square feet of retail, and 13,900 square feet for the 175-seat child care facility. Parking will be available for up to 820 cars and 839 bicycles.
538 Laurel Street, rendering by BAR Architecture & Interior
Presidio Highlands site map (left) and permit submittal set (right), illustration by BAR Architecture and Interiors
The Walnut Building is expected to become a 125-unit affordable senior housing complex, according to the most recent planning documents, a decrease from 185 affordable senior units in the 2019-approved iteration. The central four-story mid-century modern medical offices will be split in half, expanded to three floors, and converted for housing.
Urban Planning has been designed by James Corner Field Operations, with architecture from BAR Architects & Interiors, Jensen Architects, and Solomon Cordwell Buenz. BKF Engineer will lead the civil engineering. The two 61-unit buildings are similarly styled, with articulation in cement plaster, fiber cement, and brick veneer. Elevations for 538 Laurel Street show a more regionally inspired design, with the four-story building clad in metal panels and darkened wood shingles.
3333 California Street aerial view looking north, illustration circa 2019, rendering by Steelblue for Prado Group
The project has been buoyed by the city’s approval of an Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District. Prado Group is also overseeing a masterplanned redevelopment of 3700 California Street, a few blocks east of Presidio Highlands. Initial plans estimate construction will be split into four phases, with each phase lasting between 20 and 36 months. The updated cost has not been shared.
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Too bad it’s so small, 5 stories only :/
Is it laughable that the density of this has been reduced to, and even more hilarious, that it could take 12 years to see it wrapped up in full!? 12 years to deliver as much housing as NYC can with a singular tower in just three years MAX.
Say we interject with a most scale-friendly example. Oslo’s Sørengautstikkeren neighborhood has delivered quadruple the density in a timeframe that it’s taken this site to reach the “we are now just about ready to maybe start building” phase. Oh, and the architecture is so much livelier and evokes actual creativity. Sigh…
Sorry to b*tch, folks. It’s just frustrating to see this pace while our own people waste away on the streets.
I’ll take the other side of the argument from Ben and Drew and say that five stories is fine. The surrounding area is generally 1-3 stories, with a few four stories across the street on California St. California St is not planned to be a massive high rise area, that would be Geary a few blocks away. A huge island of high rises in the middle of Presidio Heights doesn’t feel appropriate. The corner of Presidio Ave and California is not a major thoroughfare. If the entirety of San Francisco just upleveled to be 4-6 stories, we’d be in awesome shape. This is great infill.
I’d like the see the entire retail strip next door including Bryan’s Grocery, which is single story retail and huge parking lot, be redeveloped as well. Terrible use of prime land. Demolish it all, and rebuild with five stories of housing. It will happen one day.
If not here, then where is it ever appropriate to add housing to a city? A mile to the east, around Lafayette Park, buildings average 6-10 stories tall. There’s even some 12-15 structure. It’s dense, tranquil, and you wouldn’t even know you’re swimming among some of the richest. Only wish it could be more lively, but a mini United Nations with all the consulates probably keeps the people away.
This site? Front and center to dozens of local businesses. Geary as a major collector and maybe one day a rightofway transit line… This site should have at least 1,000 residences.
I get your point, I’m pro-development as well. The plan is that the Geary/Masonic corner which is only two blocks away being the mega cluster of upwards of 400 feet I believe. Perhaps they didn’t want this project competing with that. My bigger point is that you can blanket the city with a million 6 story buildings and get the density we both want, a la Paris.
You’re saying 6, but this is only 4. So, to your point, even this first phase of five (to last almost 3 years max?) is inadequate.
At the corner of Eculid and Masonic is a 7-story structure…
This building is 4-5. My previous comment said
“If the entirety of San Francisco just upleveled to be 4-6 stories, we’d be in awesome shape.”
We’ll agree to disagree on this one.
This is very small thinking. Where’s that New York mentality when you need it.
A very welcome project that will provide a massive injection of housing for the people of San Francisco. It will also provide a potential boom for the surrounding retail trade and restaurants, generating much needed revenue with both property taxes and sales taxes for the City. The purpose built child care facilities being planned is such an essential and satisfying detail of the overall project that needs to be copied as a model for other projects. At last a great project that makes sense.
Should be taller more high density
I hope they aren’t still planning to put the entry point to the parking garage on that little wedge of Masonic. That’s already a nightmare with the evening commuters driving uphill on Pine with the sun directly in their eyes for half the year.
Also, it will be a terrible shame if they don’t preserve the mature street trees on California. The canopy makes it such a peaceful walk for that stretch of two blocks!
Good news for this to start, but I agree with the others that the project suffered as a result of Nimby, and should have been taller with more stories, in order to help meet the housing need of the area.