Building a brand new neighborhood?

How much housing can we build and how many jobs will we lose in the process? That was always the guiding principle behind the Eastern Neighborhoods rezoning process and it’s about to be manifest in the first mega-project to be approved under the recently adopted Eastern Neighborhoods Plan. It remains to be seen whether the Project Sponsors are building an actual neighborhood or just another bedroom community. 801 Brannan/One Henry Adams is an enormous project being developed on the site of the Concourse Exhibition Center by developer and Concourse owner Bay West Development, which would result in the development of up to 674 residential units and 43,037 square feet of retail space. Under the city’s inclusionary housing laws, 71 of those on-site units would be affordable. Land dedication of 37,800 square feet of the total project site would also allow for development of an additional 150 units of affordable housing by the city. The Project Sponsors will present their proposal to the SoMa Leadership Council next Wednesday, August 17, at 6:00 p.m. in the community room of the Folsom/Dore Apartments at 1346 Folsom Street. Bay West Development was created as the commercial development partner of Bay West Group which was founded in 1979 in San Francisco CA. The company’s focus is on acquiring and developing quality multifamily, retail, and office projects located in the San Francisco Bay Area, according to their website. Over 40% of the apartments will be larger 2-bedroom units. The project also promises to create several new mid-block crossings, consistent with the city’s Better Streets Plan, and promises of more open space. “Ground floor retail uses will enhance neighborhood vitality, convenience and safety,” according to the Project Sponsor. The project will create approximately 445 jobs, mostly construction jobs, and approximately 45 permanent retail jobs. Loss of the Concourse means that we lose 125,000 square feet of exhibition space. The building has catered to annual festivals and events for more than 20 years, holding as many as 6,800 people at once, and providing countless work for hundreds of artisans, promoters and small business owners.