Planned Housing, Retail Development Sparks Outrage in San Francisco's Mission District

Plans for a new housing and retail development in San Francisco's Mission District sparked chaos at a community meeting held Wednesday night.

Hundreds of opponents of the plan attended the meeting and shouted at representatives from Maximum Real Estate Partners, making it clear they do not want what they call a monster development to replace existing businesses.

"I'm worried about them wanting to tear down my building and put up more condos," Cynthia Crenshaw said.

Joe Arellano, a spokesman for Maximus, said the new proposal provides options for low-income people currently being priced out of the trendy Mission area.

"We think it's a good compromise," Arellano said. "We're going beyond what other developers have done, coming up with housing that's not just for rent, but for sale -- middle-class housing."

The plan includes 290 apartments for rent and 41 for sale at prices ranging from $280,000 to $350,000.

Money from the sale of units would be used to build 49 below-market rental units off site. People who quality would pay between $510 and $1,335 a month.

But not everyone in the Mission District oppose the planned development. A business owner said she welcomes the change.

"I think it'll be good for all businesses," Roxanne Romero said. "We definitely need some housing. We need development. We need refacing."

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