City Gives Final Planning Approval to Marina Safeway's 848-Home Redevelopment
Planning staff told Align Real Estate on Nov. 6 that the Marina Safeway project qualifies for AB 2011 streamlining. Opponents' federal lawsuit continues.
By the Bay Area Brief staff · Edited by Seamus McKenna · · 2 min read
The Ferry Building and Bay Bridge at night, seen from Pier 1 in San Francisco. Photo: Daniel L. Lu / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped, resized and color-graded). Archive photo of the area; not a photo of the events in this story.
San Francisco planning staff have given final approval for Align Real Estate's plan to replace the Marina Safeway with an 848-home project under Assembly Bill 2011 streamlining.
The San Francisco Standard reported that a Nov. 6 letter said the project qualifies for ministerial approval, skipping a public hearing and CEQA review. A density bonus for 86 low-income units lets the towers exceed the site's 40-foot height limit; Safeway would return with a larger ground-floor store. The San Francisco Chronicle said the complex includes towers of about 22 and 18 stories and that Align principal Dave Balducci called the approval "one step closer" to new homes and a new store.
Why it matters: Neighbors and others have sued the city, Align and PG&E in federal court over contamination and due-process claims. Both outlets note that lawsuit is ongoing even after the planning sign-off.
Sources
This article is an original summary based on the following reporting. We encourage readers to visit the original sources for full coverage.
The day's Bay Area housing, business and neighborhood news, plus the world headlines that matter, in one short email. Free, and you can unsubscribe anytime.
We use your email only to send the Brief. Details in our privacy policy.
Align Real Estate has asked a federal judge to dismiss a due-process claim brought by Marina residents and the YesAnd Foundation, who argue they were wrongly denied a hearing on the 848-home Safeway project.
A Nov. 10 Planning Department report, required under San Francisco’s 45-day data-center moratorium, says a 50-megawatt facility could use as much power as more than 25,000 new homes. The report does not recommend whether to extend the ban, which expires Nov. 30.
The Board of Supervisors voted 11-0 Tuesday to allow residents to cook and sell food from home kitchens, including from carts and wagons, under a state MEHKO program already used in several Bay Area counties.
Mayor Daniel Lurie announced a Homekey+ award to rehabilitate the Nob Hill building, with 44 permanent supportive units and 19 transitional Safe Haven units operated by Swords to Plowshares.
An initial $39 million would go to projects in SoMa, the Mission, Bayview-Hunters Point, Potrero Hill and downtown, subject to city approvals. The rest would be identified over the next year.
