Last week, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a nearly $160-million-dollar investment to preserve the state’s existing affordable housing portfolio.
And it’s with great pride that Mission Housing Development Corporation received a $12-million award to rehabilitate Dunleavy Plaza — a 49-unit family development on 16th and Hoff Streets in San Francisco’s Mission district.
“We’re grateful to Governor Newsom and the California Department of Housing and Community Development for their commitment to preserving affordable housing,” said Sam Moss, Executive Director at Mission Housing. “Our mission to create and preserve affordable housing in San Francisco would not be possible without HCD and the support of its director Gustavo Velasquez who have continuously shown up for our community. In a world where new construction gets all the flashy headlines, we cannot undervalue the importance of the preservation work our industry does.”
Built in 1985, Dunleavy Plaza is in a densely populated area of San Francisco’s Mission District. The HCD’s Portfolio Reinvestment Program funds will be used to address critical repairs at Dunleavy Plaza such as replacing the fire alarm and sprinkler head system, replacing insulation to increase energy efficiency, and roof replacement. The funds will also be used for remediation of water damage in the nearly 40-year-old building.
Dunleavy Plaza is an excellent example of how Mission Housing addresses the complex issues created by developing new housing in already established neighborhoods. By utilizing air-space rights over an adjacent city-owned property, Mission Housing was able to nearly double the number of units it could build at the Dunleavy Plaza site back in 1985.
“As California faces a critical housing shortage, it is vital that we use every tool in our toolbox to build more housing faster and preserve affordability for individuals and families struggling with the high cost of rent,” said Governor Newsom. “Every Californian deserves a place to call home, and we are aggressively working to secure more affordable housing throughout the state.”
Of the nine developments who received awards across the state, Mission Housing’s was the largest for a single project in San Francisco.
Read the full press release here.