The surface level parking lot at 344 Fulton in Hayes Valley is set to be transformed. The lot is being split into two parcels, one home to the new Boys and Girls Club facility and the other into residential units. The new four-story, 33,500 sq.ft. recreational clubhouse will replace the existing center in the Upper Haight that's been there since 1952. The shift in location is due to changes in demographics – back in the 50s there were lots of kids living in the Haight, but today the little ones are found more in Hayes Valley, and the new location will allow more kids to walk to and from the center or take nearby public transit. The new spot will feature a competition-sized swimming pool, gymnasium, art center, middle school and high school services, and a landscaped courtyard. The six-story residential project will include 69 studio and two-bedroom apartments with ground floor retail space and a landscaped roof deck. Think lots of varied materials on differing elevations, like brick tiles, cement plaster, and batten cement board. The apartments are designed by David Baker + Partners Architects with Tom Eliot Fisch designing the Boys and Girls Club (who recently redesigned the Alabama Street Boys & Girls Clubhouse). Tomorrow's Planning Commission hearing will see the projects, and there's only been one opposing neighbor, with complaints of loss of light and open space (as a parking lot? Whatever). The Planning Department doesn't like the dark color tile and wants it lighter, but nonetheless is recommending approval.
· Boys & Girls Clubs Eye Hayes Valley for New Center [Hayeswire]
· Conditional Use Application – 344 Fulton (pdf) [SF Planning]