City officials and the project team recently gathered to celebrate the grand opening of 78 Haight Street in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley. The seven-story affordable housing project has added 64 units to a parcel along the former Central Freeway corridor, demolished after the Loma Prieta Earthquake. Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation is the project’s developer, and Guzman Construction Group and Suffolk formed a joint venture to oversee construction.
78 Haight Street, rendering by Paulett Taggart Architects
Of the 64 units, half will be for transitional-age youths exiting homelessness, and half for low-income families. Jennifer Dolin, CEO of TNDC, said during the opening ceremony, “This project represents the very best of TNDC’s mission—deeply affordable housing, dedicated homes for transitional-age youth, strong onsite supportive services through our partnership with Larkin Street Youth Services, and access to opportunities in one of San Francisco’s most resource-rich neighborhoods.”
Paulett Taggart Architects is responsible for the design, and TS Studio is the landscape architect. The white fiber cement-clad structure features sawtooth-style bay windows overlooking the tree-lined Octavia Street thoroughfare.
78 Haight Street window details, image by Brian Ashby
The narrow 0.12-acre property overlooks the tree-lined Octavia Street thoroughfare, which extends from Rose Street to Haight Street. Future residents will be a block from Market Street and four blocks from Patricia’s Green public park.
The development cost an estimated $54 million, of which $21 million came from the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, $4 million through California’s No Place Like Home Program, and additional funding from Silicon Valley Bank and Merritt Community Capital. Guzman Construction Group was the general contractor.
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That is a pretty handsome building. It has taken so long to develop a lot of these vacant freeway lots…I think that stub of the Central Freeway was demolished over two decades ago. Nonetheless, it is good to see some taller buildings to define the edges of Octavia Boulevard.
And there are still plenty of lots left to go. The corner of McAllister and Franklin still has multiple surface parking lots that were once freeway, for example. The corner of Hayes and Octavia is earmarked for housing but IMO that should be made into a grassy park (no more asphalt).
Reminder that Parcel K has long been earmarked for social housing that should absolutely be built that once there is funding for it. The rich residents of Hayes Valley who now rally behind the LuxFit outdoor gym (you can’t make this up) in order to prevent low income people from moving in can take a hike. We need housing. And this site is also literally next to a park. It doesn’t need to be field either.
Slow yrrr roll. There are still a few additional lots that are earmarked and/or in the works to get through before we go tearing up the one slice of public space in Hayes that makes for good community. It’s not like it’s not being used for well-run businesses (not referring the LuxFit), seating and events.
The one slice of public space? It’s literally next to an actual park. Sorry, but just because rich people in Hayes Valley have come to appreciate having an ice cream shop and gym there doesn’t mean it doesn’t belong to the city and is earmarked for social housing.
I disagree. This area is very light on open, public space and this is a tailor-made as a central gathering space. Patricia’s Green is way too small for the number of people there. Octavia should be car-free on that block, and the asphalt should be made into grass. The city should buy one of the auto-body shops nearby and make it affordable housing instead. That particular parcel should be open space.
I still can’t believe there were people genuinely opposed to this so vehemently. Glad people are slowly getting more housing options.
I don’t think they’re opposed to housing, I think they’re opposed to who lives in that housing. A 100% concentration of 16th st & mission types is concerning.
Just say you hate poor people.
You’re right about that. The halfway house for “transition aged youth” that Hillary Ronen welcomed to 16th St near Valencia has enriched the neighborhood with drug sales and overdoses.
The city bends over backwards to bring dirt poor people in. Developers work to bring wealthy tech people. What about everyone in between? We need middle income people. Seriously, we cannot become a city of ultra wealthy tech workers and step-above homeless people. City planners are trying to play god over demographics and it won’t help anyone.
It is a beautiful building though, some height coming off of 80 into Octavia is a great way to greet drivers entering the city.
There are tons of affordable housing projects focused on middle income people. For example, both the DMV lot and 650 Divis will be offered for people making 30-80% of the Area Median Income which is like 40-100K per year for a family of three.
And when are we ever going to see these projects??
Both of those should be done by 2035 at the latest. DMV has a published timeline, it’s going to be done in stages.
Well said Dean. Meanwhile Detroit and Pittsburgh have massive excess housing stock and have never recovered their 1950 population levels.
Hats off to the hardworking Middle Eastern immigrants who have accepted moving to the michigan area.
If they are willing to relocate to a place where their means match the market, why are we, here in the bay area, so supportive of giving handouts to folks who feel entitled to live in the most expensive metro area in the U.S.?
Cheap, affordable housing exists. It’s just not in a 7×7 water locked peninsula. I don’t understand the entitlement people have to living here.
Rich people need baristas, handymen etc to serve them. Until we have three tubes from the East Bay to SF running all night a la Manhattan to other boroughs, I’m fine with some percentage of housing being lower-mid income for society’s benefit.
Baristas and servers are not step-above homeless teens. They are exactly the productive members of society all these housing non-profits and city bureaucrats completely ignore. More housing to homeless youth and to LGBT seniors though. Beautiful system.
It’s not a question of “bringing” any of these people in. They are here. The question is whether or not they have housing. Reducing the number of poor people living on the streets is a good thing for everyone, including rich and middle income people.
Soylent Green?
Lol not like that. I mean housing the unhoused improves everyone’s quality of life. I meant to post that as a response to Pean Dreston above.
Has anyone actually seen this building in person? It’s horrid looking. I still support it, doubly so now that I’ve learned it’s affordable housing, but it’s a bleak millennial gray/beige color at ground level.
Bahahaha. Hardly horrid. It has relatively high-quality finishes given the price point. The gray you’re referring to is actually tile, which is far better than I can say for the lauded Saitowitz across the street.
Yes. I live in the building. I have a corner unit that faces twin peaks and also a double view of city hall. The finishes on the soft close cabinets and hardwood floors give it a great luxury feel. I have a full kitchen and fridge as well as a full tub bathroom. I am middle income so I do pay for the unit it’s only 1,245$ monthly and no utilities. The property manager is so nice and attentive and there is 24hr concierge at the desk!
24 hour concierge seems like a poor use of money for a building this small.
So was it that grimy, chain-linked chunk of pavement used as open-air storage that really gave the neighborhood its warm, fuzzy, comforting vibe? Nothing screams neighborly like a decades-old empty plot of land.
NIMBYs say the most absurd stuff. Do you actually believe this is a downgrade?
Drew relax, every person in this thread has said they support the project
Projection much?
I live In the building and was number either 9-10 to move into my unit. I am the first resident in my unit which is amazing! I moved in Oct 30th of 2025. It’s been open. Most occupants are teens which live on the bottom and working adults (like me) live more at the top. The kids are well behaved and pretty much stay to themselves. The walking adults are so busy at work they are barely home. We have a 360 rooftop. washer and dryer laundry In house. A club room. On the roof and bike storage. Also a lounge on the second floor and social space!
May I ask what you do for a living and the process for getting this unit? Keep it anonymous and broad strokes of course, but curious as to how getting this unit plays out for someone like yourself.