Files show new details have surfaced about plans to convert a burned-down San Francisco bar into housing.
A project proposal states that the 3300 Mission St. building, which formerly housed the 3300 Club bar that was badly damaged in a 2016 fire, could be converted into a 21,800-square-foot, six-story building with 35 affordable studios, a shared community area, and commercial or retail space on the ground floor.
According to a press release from the building’s new owner, Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center, each studio would have its own bathroom and kitchen.
The units would be offered for rent According to the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, rent ranges from 30% to 80% of the area’s median income, with the average rent being affordable for those earning about 60% of the area’s median income, or $60,500 per year for a single-person San Francisco household. Construction is expected to begin in February 2025, with tenants expected to move in by 2027.
The building’s historic three-story facade along Mission Street and 29th Street would be preserved, but the remainder of the building is beyond salvage and will be demolished, the application said. According to public records, the building was constructed in 1900.
District 9 Overseer Hillary Ronen said the project is “a long time coming” and is excited that it is moving forward.
“That’s the best-case scenario,” Ronen said. “It will be 100% affordable and they will keep the facade. It’s a beautiful building.”
According to PropertyShark, the building was sold to Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center on June 5 by Oak Impact Group for $3.85 million.
Ronen said Oak Impact Group was unable to secure the financing needed to build housing on the site, which motivated the company to sell the building.
The project is a joint venture between Bernal Heights Housing Corporation, a subsidiary of Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center; Mitchelville Real Estate Group; and Tabernacle Community Development Corporation, the press release said.
The project is part of the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development’s Dream Keeper Initiative, a city program launched in 2021 that invests $60 million annually in developing the workforce, arts and culture, and home ownership for impoverished San Franciscosians, as well as advising BIPOC-owned housing developers.
The 3300 Club, which opened in the ’50s, was devastated by a fire in 2016 that also severely damaged the 28-room Graywood Hotel, located on the two floors above the bar. The fire-damaged building was put up for sale by its owner in 2019 for $3.15 million.
According to housing department spokeswoman Anne Stanley, the city will contact the former tenants of the Graywood Hotel who were evicted by the fire to determine if they are eligible to apply for units at 3300 Mission St. or other affordable housing.
Stanley said the project is in the preliminary planning stages and it will be “a few years” before people can apply for an apartment at 3300 Mission St.
The city announced in June that it would fund the acquisition of 3300 Mission St., along with four other properties, with plans to build more than 550 affordable homes for low-income seniors, families and formerly homeless people. Buying property, along with building new homes, is one way to meet the government’s target of building 82,000 new homes over the next eight years.
