What started out as a congenial gesture from a developer is on its way into evolving into a full-on shitstorm. Earlier this year, the land at 900 Innes Street was donated to the Tenderloin Housing Clinic by local developer Joe Cassidy—whose generosity is surely only surpassed by his tax breaks—for the purpose of building housing for Bayview residents. Sounds great so far, right? Here's the rub: on that land sits a Shipwrights Cottage, which may be the last Victorian workers' cottages on the San Francisco waterfront. Cue preservationists and let the battle of the nonprofits begin, as some want to relocate the cottage and turn it into a maritime museum, while others say that moving it would strip away its historical significance. If the cottage is landmarked, however, the development will lose 12 housing units. As of yesterday, that's exactly what will happen: the Board of Supervisors did recommend landmark status for the site, albeit with the understanding that it will eventually include affordable housing. Perhaps the most sound argument against the landmarking came from the aptly-named Stormy Henry, an area resident who, invoking the ghosts of longshoremen, claimed "The people who once lived at 900 Innes Street would want us to use this site."
· Supes Back Preservation, Housing at 900 Innes [Beyond Chron]
· Bayview Development Actually for Bayview Locals [Curbed SF]
[Image via India Basin]
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