In an effort to preserve affordable housing for longtime San Francisco residents, Mayor London Breed and Supervisor Gordon Mar on Friday celebrated the acquisition and preservation of a six-unit building in the city's Outer Sunset neighborhood.
The building at 3544 Taraval St. was recently acquired by the city's Small Sites Program, making it just one of a handful of properties acquired by the program in the city's Westside.
The move will help ensure that the six multi-generational families that live in the six two-bedroom units can stay in the area, without fearing displacement.
"As we work to build more affordable housing, we need to also preserve the affordable housing we already have," Breed said in a statement.
Under the program, she said, "six longtime Outer Sunset families will be able to stay in their neighborhood -- without worrying about rising rent."
Mar called the move "a significant turning point" for his supervisiorial district, District 4, which has the lowest number of homes acquired under the program.
"As we work on new construction projects like the Francis Scott Key Educator Housing, we also need to preserve and protect existing affordable housing and longtime residents -- our senior, immigrant, and working class neighbors -- so they keep the Sunset a place where complete communities thrive," he said.
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The apartments at 3544 Taraval St. serve low- to moderate-income households with an average income of 62 percent of the area's median.
The property was acquired by the city's Small Sites Program after Mar identified the site and engaged it with the Mission Economic Development Agency, which then moved to acquire it this month.
The acquisition was financed with a $2.48 million loan from the San Francisco Accelerator Fund.
Rehabilitation of the building is projected to cost $400,000, consisting of unit upgrades, seismic strengthening, fire system installation, exterior renovations, water heater replacements, electrical system upgrades and refurbishing of kitchens and bathrooms.
"As retired seniors with limited income here for 28 years, we couldn't sleep since this building went up for sale, worried a developer would evict us older tenants," said building resident Ming Yong Lee. "We are thankful for Supervisor Mar and Mayor Breed for choosing our building so we can continue living in the Sunset, where it is safe, where we can shop at Chinese businesses, and where there are places to walk and senior services nearby."
