Parkmerced Redevelopment To Begin Construction In Early 2016

The long-planned redevelopment of Parkmerced on the southwestern edge of San Francisco is finally set to kick off in February. When the two to three-decade project is finished, it is expected to turn what is now an aging housing complex into a community with new housing, retail and public space. Construction will start next year on two subphases of the development that include five residential complexes, each designed by a different firm. All of the designs were presented to SF's Planning Commission yesterday. The buildings range from two cylindrical 14-story towers designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill to two glassy buildings from Kwan Henmi. Other buildings are from Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects, Fougeron Architecture, and Woods Bagot.These initial subphases will build in total around 1,000 of the 152-acre site's eventual 8,900 units, 5,679 of which will be new.

Parkmerced has been through a number of setbacks in its redevelopment, from the mortgage default of its former owner to an environmental lawsuit last year. Now, however, it appears to be in stable hands. The project's overall vision was approved back in 2011, but it must receive Planning approvals for each individual phase before beginning construction. The 152-acre complex will include 15 percent below-market-rate housing in each of its phases, and all 1,538 rent-controlled units that currently sit there will be replaced. Plans also call for the developer to design and pay for the re-routing of the M-line Muni streetcar through the site and for 68 acres of new publicly-accessible open space, including an organic farm.

· Look: Curving Towers, 1,000 Units to Rise on S.F.'s West Side in February [SF Business Times]
· Parkmerced Project [SF Planning]
· Not So Stellar: Parkmerced Drama Continues [Curbed SF]
· Legal Grounds [Curbed SF]