Despite Budget Crisis, Balboa Park Station Housing Project Funding Intact

Mayor London Breed submitted a revised budget to the Board of Supervisors last week that closed a $246 million deficit for the current fiscal year caused by the outbreak of COVID-19 that preserves funding for the housing development at Balboa Park station.

“Proud to announce despite the overwhelming challenges we face as a City I have worked hard to preserve millions in this crisis for our affordable housing projects,” Supervisor Ahsha Safai posted on Facebook. “The construction of the affordable family housing at Balboa Upper Yards (sic) and the Valenti Funeral Home (4840 Mission) continue to be top priorities for this City and the Mayor’s Rebalancing Plan WILL NOT affect the timeline for these projects to move forward.”

The project will now be funded by the Affordable Housing Bond that passed in November 2019.

The Upper Yard, an acre of land once used by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency to store vehicles, now serves as a temporary homeless center for individuals living in vehicles.

In 2016, the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development awarded Mission Housing Development Corporation and Related California a contract to build a 131-unit mixed-use development that includes a 6,000 square-foot child development center, a 2,400 square-foot non-profit office and a 3,000 square-foot storefront. The developers, in turn, selected Mithun to design the project.

“We look forward to breaking ground on both projects this Fall or little later,” Safai posted.

The development is expected to be completed in 2022, according to Mithun.

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