The new Natalie Gubb Commons provides 120 affordable homes along with a child-care facility in downtown San Francisco.
Michael O'Callahan Photography
Natalie Gubb Commons is providing income diversity in what is becoming one of San Francisco's wealthiest neighborhoods.
Developed by Mercy Housing California, the community is part of the city’s new Transbay neighborhood that replaces an old transit terminal and is home to some of the world’s most-valued companies, including Salesforce’s new office tower.
Residents are within walking distance to the Financial District, Chinatown, Union Square, and other popular areas.
“We are part of the wave of residential that is trying to create the building blocks of a neighborhood,” says Doug Shoemaker, president of Mercy Housing California.
That meant identifying and filling in the missing pieces. As a result, developers not only built affordable housing but included a needed child-care center for residents and others in the neighborhood.
PROJECT DETAILS
Developer: Mercy Housing California
Architect: Santos Prescott and Associates
General Contractor: Cahill Contractors
Major Funders: Wells Fargo; Wells Fargo Affordable Housing Community Development Corp.; California Department of Housing and Community Development; Strategic Growth Council; San Francisco Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure; California Community Reinvestment Corp.; California Tax Credit Allocation Committee; California Debt Limit Allocation Committee
To reduce costs and shorten the construction time, Mercy Housing utilized a prefabricated structural steel frame system to build the project, which features 53 one-, 44 two-, and 23 three-bedroom homes for residents earning 40% and 60% of the area median income. Twenty-three families that previously lived in public housing have moved into the new property. An earlier phase delivered 70 additional units.
“I love that we are able to create housing opportunities for a wide range of families in this neighborhood that is surrounded by extremely high-end luxury properties and adjacent to so many jobs and transportation,” Shoemaker says.
The development, which has earned GreenPoint Rated platinum certification, includes several green features, including a green roof, a solar hot water preheat system, and energy-efficient appliances and building systems.
The $65.3 million project is also meaningful because it’s one of the last project that Natalie Gubb, Mercy Housing’s longtime attorney, worked on before she died in 2016.
