The corner of Geary Blvd. and Beaumont Ave., which is currently home to a Mel's Drive-In and its accompanying surface parking lot, may be getting denser at some point in the near future. It appears that the architects at Ian Birchall and Associates, the team behind the ultra-controversial 1601 Larkin project, are hard at work designing a brand new residential building for the site. Plans indicate that the new development will feature 23 units spread across thee stories above ground-floor retail. The design is similar in massing and coloring to the firm's proposed project across town on Larkin, but is unlikely to encounter the same level of fierce opposition. The architect's website claims that construction could begin as early as summer of 2014, which means that fans of greasy burgers and 50s kitsch should promptly start planning for their final pilgrimage to this Mel's location.
·1601 Larkin [Curbed SF]
· 3355 Geary [Ib+a Architecture]