170 Homes Planned for Former San Francisco Homeless Shelter Site

Nearly 200 affordable homes could be built on the site of a former homeless shelter, new planning documents show.

The housing plans for 1515 South Van Ness Ave. have been in the works for years, but a fresh planning application shows the total number of planned homes has increased from 157 to 170.

The mix of homes will include seven studios, 62 one-bedrooms, 49 two-bedrooms, and 52 three-bedrooms, all of which will be for rent.

Under earlier plans, 25% of the homes would have been listed as below market-rate; now units are slated to be 100% affordable, available to renters making between 30% and 80% of the Area Median Income.

The project is being co-developed by the nonprofit developers Chinatown Community Development Center and the Mission Economic Development Agency. Chinatown CDC was contacted for comment.

The former site of the McMillan Electric building was originally purchased by the city in 2019. The old shelter will have to be demolished before a new project can break ground. The construction costs are estimated at $112 million.

MEDA spokesperson Christopher Gil said in an email that tenants should be able to move in by the end of 2025.

Former plans to develop the site into market-rate housing failed in 2016 after community pushback.