Neighborhood group demands transparency in developing Stanyan St. former McDonald’s

The Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council has called for the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing to implement a “community process” in planning for the development of the McDonald’s site at Stanyan and Haight streets.

On Dec. 13, acting San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced that the city intends to purchase the property at $15.5 million to make way for affordable housing. The number of units that the proposed project is delivering was not announced. Breed has only promised that the development will be comprised of 100 percent affordable homes and that District 5 residents are to be prioritized.

To move forward with development, the Mayor’s Office of Housing then asked for public comments. Aside from HANC, there were 33 other parties who responded. However, only the neighborhood group shared its opinion to the public.

In a letter published via the group’s official website, HANC says that as much as it wants affordable housing, it prefers the future structure to be constructed with less than five stories. This statement has stirred controversy but HANC Land Use chair Rupert Clayton said in a report that all his group wants is for the city to be transparent about what they plan to construct.

“… we want to see what’s going to come out of the design process and we’re not expressing a faith position in either option right now,” he said. “We are not taking a position until we have a design.”

The 3,500-sq.ft. McDonald’s only occupies a tenth of the site, which is considered a prime spot due to its proximity to the Golden Gate Park and Cole Valley.