SAN FRANCISCO—On Thursday, May 28, the San Francisco Planning Commission approved a development agreement for the Balboa Reservoir project, a residential development project that will include the construction of up to 1,100 housing units to the west of the City College of San Francisco (CCSF) Ocean campus.
According to the Balboa Reservoir website, the development would include over 4 acres of space dedicated to parks and greenways, a public garage large enough to meet the demand generated by students of City College, and a childcare center capable of caring for up to 100 children. Of the 1,100 homes that would be built, up to 50% of them would be affordable housing units.
If it receives final approval, the project will be developed on 17 acres of land that is currently a parking lot, according to the project’s website. The project timeline on the site predicts that the first phase of construction should start in 2022 and the second phase of construction should be finished by the end of 2026.
Some groups, such as the CCSF Collective advocate that the land should be used entirely for affordable housing. There are also concerns about increases in traffic as new residents move into the area and the parking spaces that are currently there are removed.
Both the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Commission will weigh in before the project can receive final approval. It will also need to be approved by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. They are expected to vote on it in July or August.
