New permits have been filed requesting a meeting with city officials regarding the 17-story residential proposal for 550 O’Farrell Street in the Tenderloin, San Francisco. Earlier this year, the developer shifted gears on a previously approved project, increasing the scale by four floors and 30 units. Palo Alto-based Sandhill O’Farrell LLC is the project sponsor.
The pre-application submitted in May invokes Senate Bill 330 to freeze the planning code, ensuring new laws can’t be drafted to prevent the project. The new application uses the State Density Bonus program to receive a 50% density bonus, increasing the allowable capacity from 94 to 141 apartments. Across the structure, 19 units will be designated as affordable. Of that, 14 units will be for very low-income households, two for low-income households, and three for moderate-income households.
550 O’Farrell Street rear facade, elevation by HGA
The proposed 170-foot tall structure contains 141,150 square feet, with 139,870 square feet for housing and 1,280 square feet for commercial retail. Apartment sizes will vary, with 79 one-bedrooms, 32 two-bedrooms, and 30 three-bedrooms. Demolition is proposed for the existing parking garage and its historic facade. Parking will be included for 149 bicycles and no cars, a move that will promote local public transit and reduce congestion in the neighborhood.
Presidio Bay Ventures had led the prior application process. The team received planning commission approval in 2021, with new building permits filed in September 2020 and demolition permits filed in April 2022. Those permits have yet to be issued.
HGA is now responsible for the design. The previous plans were drafted by Oakland-based brick., an architecture firm that has since merged with HGA. Facade elevations from the studio show some insight into the proposal, with three levels of terracotta cladding establishing the base and the remaining 14 floors wrapped with precast concrete.
Demolition will be required for the existing century-old two-story garage. According to the 2017 Historical Resource Evaluation drafted by Carey & Co, the group determined that the 1924-built garage may be eligible for historic listing under Criterion 3 as a good example of the Gothic Revival style. The style was prevalent across San Francisco from the 1850s through 1925, often expressed through plaster finishes scored to appear like ashlar masonry patterns, buttress piers, and blind quatrefoil panel parapets.
550 O’Farrell Street garage existing condition, image via Google Street View
The 0.27-acre parcel is in the center of O’Farrell Street between Leavenworth and Jones Street. Future residents will be in the heart of the densely-built neighborhood, surrounded by restaurants and shops. The property is just over a block from the Hilton San Francisco and three blocks from Union Square.
City records show the property last sold in 2002 for over $3.1 million. The estimated cost and timeline for construction have yet to be shared.
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17 storys. A big improvement.
This property is a contributor to the National Register-listed Uptown/Tenderloin Historic District. At the very least its street facade should be preserved because design-wise, what they propose to replace it with is absolute dreck.
building ornamentation is a victim of heavy building regulation and architectural reviews. Cities have complicated metrics that builders have to hit (x number of windows or no more than x square feet of a wall in one color etc.) This leads to builders designing exactly what the code requires for fear of getting their permit rejected. Gothic ornamentation isn’t mentioned in the strict codes so they avoid. Also, when they have to hire planners and lawyers to navigate those strict building and zoning codes they pull that money from the architecture budget. If SF continues to ease building restrictions we may see more money spent on interesting architecture in the future.
Absolutely correct. The new proposal makes the building appear like a storage facility. At least the prior proposal was somewhat attractive, with at least one setback and preserving the original facade. Plus, with the current problems in the Tenderloin, what moron would want to pay “market rate” when “very low income” people are living in the same building and the attendant problems they might present? I know I wouldn’t.
It’s just plain ugly.
If there was ever an opportunity to preserve an existing facade without much impact on the new building design, this would be it. Preserving this facade would also certainly make the new design way more interesting, as it stands it’s extremely bland (and that’s saying something for new construction in SF). Love the density and height, but I swear these architects need to at least make an attempt to be more creative with their proposals.
Agreed on the façadectomy. Otherwise a great project.
I think preserving buildings, such as the Russ Building, is important. However, this seems like a reach? Why not just hire architects to redesign the bland 17 story building into a neo-neo-gothic building? Would probably be just as expensive as preserving the facade lol
It’s going to take a long time, but eventually the Tenderloin will improve. No new SRO buildings are being constructed, but every year hundreds of market rate units are coming online in the TL. These new citizens will be demanding better street conditions. The non-profit industrial complex is also starting to come under scrutiny. I think the worst is over for the TL.
The worst is over for the Tenderloin? Have you been there lately. It’s only gotten worse, even with much community involvement. I know because I live there.
The previous design (can be seen in the post from April this year) was better by a mile. This looks hella value engineered. *womp womp*