A joint venture led by the Fifth Church of Christ, Scientist has resurrected a controversial apartment project in the Tenderloin after agreeing to a legal settlement with the City of San Francisco.
The church, along with partner Forge Development, received environmental approvals for 450 O’Farrell Street, a project that has generated pushback from several neighborhood groups, according to a notice from San Francisco’s Planning Commission. The amended plans for the project call for the construction of a 17-story, 261-unit apartment complex with 8,850 square feet of church space and 1,660 square feet of ground floor commercial space. To make way for the proposed structure, Forge plans to demolish the existing church at 450 O’Farrell Street as well as a one-story commercial building at 474 O’Farrell Street.
The joint venture previously proposed a 13-story group home with 316 micro-units. The project received approvals from the city’s Planning Commission in June 2021.
According to a previous report from the San Francisco Chronicle, the Tenderloin Housing Clinic, a group that provides legal and housing services to low-income residents, filed an appeal. The city’s Board of Supervisors upheld Tenderloin Housing Clinic’s challenge, pointing to the possibility that the proposed units, which would average around $3,000 per month in rent, may become “tech dorms” for transient workers.
Critics of the plan also argued that the Tenderloin needs family-sized homes with full kitchens and private bedrooms, not micro-units. On its website, Forge disputed these claims, saying that the project is “designed for small families.” The company also said that the proposed units would have cooking areas and individual bathrooms.
The approval comes just a month after the two sides agreed on a settlement over a complaint that the church filed last year. In the lawsuit, city officials were accused of causing “extreme and unreasonable delays” to the project. The church also argued that the Board of Supervisors’ rejection of the development amounted to violations of freedom of speech and housing laws. The two sides formalized the settlement during a hearing on March 24, court records show.
Alexander Zucker, an executive at Forge, did not respond to a request for comment.