San Francisco awarded $37 million for affordable housing in the Mission

California Construction News staff writer

San Francisco has been awarded more than $37.9 million from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) to complete Casa Adelante, a 168-unit affordable housing project located in San Francisco’s Mission District.

The new development at 1515 South Van Ness Avenue will create 168 affordable homes to low-income families, formerly homeless families, and persons living with HIV earning between 25-80% of the San Francisco Area Median Income (AMI). The project is expected to provide family-friendly amenities and ground floor community-serving commercial spaces.

“This funding unlocks our ability to move on building affordable housing units for families in San Francisco at a crucial time,” said Mayor London Breed. “We understand the level of need for more housing that is accessible, and like the state, the City continues to face a challenging budget cycle.

“1515 South Van Ness is a good example of what can be achieved in San Francisco when you have strong community partnerships and an unwavering commitment to deliver on critical needs for our residents.”

Previously owned and occupied by McMillan Electric Company, the city and County of San Francisco purchased the property in June 2019 with the intent of building new affordable housing. In November 2020, the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD) released a Multi-site Request for Qualifications (RFQ) seeking qualified developers to build affordable housing on the site, and subsequently selected Chinatown Community Development Corporation (CCDC) and Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) in May 2021 to develop the site. The project is expected to begin construction in winter 2025.

“MEDA is honored to be the recipient of the state’s HCD MHP award in order to complete the funding for Casa Adelante,” said Luis Granados, Chief Executive Officer at MEDA. “This is a competitive funding stream, and to have been awarded this allotment affirms the state’s commitment to affordable housing and commends MEDA’s impact as a community developer in San Francisco.

“We are excited to be in partnership with CCDC, yet again, and for the opportunity to develop intergenerational affordable housing in the City’s Mission District.”