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San Francisco

SF to replace shipping container shops with homes in Hayes Valley

Proxy, a temporary retail center, proves popular in resistance to affordable development

SF to Replace Shipping Container Shops With Homes
San Francisco supervisor Dean Preston; Envelope's Douglas Burnham; Proxy, on Octavia Boulevard between Hayes and Linden Streets (Envelope, City and County of San Francisco, Getty)

The clock may be running out for Proxy, a quarter-acre assortment of shops in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley earmarked for dozens of affordable homes.

The city-owned “town square” for local residents on Octavia Boulevard between Hayes and Linden streets has been targeted by Supervisor Dean Preston for up to 75 affordable apartments, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

The parcel is one of seven created after the removal of the Central Freeway following damage from the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. In 2000, San Francisco set the parcels aside for affordable housing. 

But when the money didn’t come through, the city temporarily allowed architect Douglas Burnham of Envelope to create Proxy, a collection of eight shops in shipping containers and kiosks on an asphalt-and-gravel lot across from Patricia’s Green park.

The Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development is now preparing to issue a request for a nonprofit housing group to submit a plan to replace the Proxy with 50 to 75 units.

That’s what upsets local residents, who have come to value it as a community gathering spot, with movie nights and an annual carnival. They support more market-rate and affordable homes in Hayes Valley — just not on the Proxy site.

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“That is a piece of valuable, critical open space of Hayes Valley,” Jen Laska, president of the Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association, told the Chronicle. “If we take that away, we are not going to get it back.”

In a statement, Preston said he wanted 100 percent affordable housing at the site. 

“I recognize there are strong feelings about the future of the Parcel K site in Hayes Valley, and it’s a testament to the success of the interim use that many in the community want to preserve it,” Preston said. 

“But this site was promised for affordable housing more than 20 years ago, and I’m committed to delivering affordable housing there,” he said. “We need places to live for working-class people and their families, and that means taking advantage of every opportunity, particularly on city-owned property.”

The city is talking to Proxy about extending its lease, which now is month-to-month, according to the Housing and Community Development, during plans and analysis needed for new homes.

— Dana Bartholomew

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ProxyDean Preston