A single-toilet public restroom planned for San Francisco’s Noe Valley Town Square is expected to take two years to build, but it’s already causing a stink.

The reason: its $1.7 million price tag.

The estimated cost has garnered plenty of headlines for the restroom as well as some backlash from state officials who wanted a better explanation than what the city was giving.

The San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department admits the price tag for the single restroom is attention-grabbing, but officials promise the reason behind the estimate is “more nuanced and less sensational.”

The project is still in the early phase of its timeline and there are no designs for the proposed restroom at the town square, located in central San Francisco. The square hosts a Farmer’s Market and other popular events on weekends.

The proposed single toilet restroom would be in a 150-foot-square enclosure and is expected to be completed by 2025, according to the city.

“We will consider various options, including installing a pre-fabricated restroom,” the city’s parks department said in statement. “In the end, the project may well be delivered for far less, with leftover funding put toward further improvements or maintenance.”

“We estimate high — not because we want to spend more money, but because we want to ensure we can deliver projects to communities even if we are hit with unexpected costs,” officials said.

A planned ceremony for the restroom was canceled this week after Assemblyman Matt Haney (D-San Francisco), who secured state funding for the project, heard the city’s reasoning behind the high cost.

“The cost is insane. The process is insane. The amount of time it takes is insane,” Haney told the San Francisco Chronicle.

The city explains that construction costs have risen in the last two years due to the pandemic, inflation and the global supply chain issues, according to the city’s statement. That includes a rise in costs for fuel, materials and hiring workers who can “earn a living wage and benefit.”

“That’s in a city that is the most expensive in the world in which to build,” the city said in its written statement.

The city is also concerned about unexpected costs from the utility company PG&E. In legal filings, the city and county claim PG&E has stalled numerous projects over the years as it forced its customers to purchase specialized equipment to handle large amounts of electricity.

San Francisco’s public utility owns a power supply system that is then sold to its customers, but the power lines are owned and maintained by PG&E. This January, a federal appeals court directed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to reevaluate PG&E’s requirements for San Francisco customers, according to court documents.

When the town square opened in October 2015, the site featured plumbing for a bathroom, but no funding to build the facility, reports the San Francisco Chronicle.

Haney secured the necessary $1.7 million to build the restroom, which will go toward not just the construction, but also the planning, permits, reviews and management of the project, according to the city.

“They told me $1.7 million, and I got $1.7 million,” Haney said. “I didn’t have the option of bringing home less of the bacon when it comes to building a toilet. A half a toilet or a toilet-maybe-someday is not much use to anyone.”

The project’s 2025 completion timeline would factor in time for architectural plans to be drawn up and time for community feedback. Eventually, the project would make its way to the city’s Recreation and Park Commission and then the San Francisco County Board of Supervisors.

The post San Francisco plans to spend $1.7 million for one bathroom appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

A single-toilet public restroom planned for San Francisco’s Noe Valley Town Square is expected to take two years to build, but it’s already causing a stink.

The reason: its $1.7 million price tag.

The estimated cost has garnered plenty of headlines for the restroom as well as some backlash from state officials who wanted a better explanation than what the city was giving.

The San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department admits the price tag for the single restroom is attention-grabbing, but officials promise the reason behind the estimate is “more nuanced and less sensational.”

The project is still in the early phase of its timeline and there are no designs for the proposed restroom at the town square, located in central San Francisco. The square hosts a Farmer’s Market and other popular events on weekends.

The proposed single toilet restroom would be in a 150-foot-square enclosure and is expected to be completed by 2025, according to the city.

“We will consider various options, including installing a pre-fabricated restroom,” the city’s parks department said in statement. “In the end, the project may well be delivered for far less, with leftover funding put toward further improvements or maintenance.”

“We estimate high — not because we want to spend more money, but because we want to ensure we can deliver projects to communities even if we are hit with unexpected costs,” officials said.

A planned ceremony for the restroom was canceled this week after Assemblyman Matt Haney (D-San Francisco), who secured state funding for the project, heard the city’s reasoning behind the high cost.

“The cost is insane. The process is insane. The amount of time it takes is insane,” Haney told the San Francisco Chronicle.

The city explains that construction costs have risen in the last two years due to the pandemic, inflation and the global supply chain issues, according to the city’s statement. That includes a rise in costs for fuel, materials and hiring workers who can “earn a living wage and benefit.”

“That’s in a city that is the most expensive in the world in which to build,” the city said in its written statement.

The city is also concerned about unexpected costs from the utility company PG&E. In legal filings, the city and county claim PG&E has stalled numerous projects over the years as it forced its customers to purchase specialized equipment to handle large amounts of electricity.

San Francisco’s public utility owns a power supply system that is then sold to its customers, but the power lines are owned and maintained by PG&E. This January, a federal appeals court directed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to reevaluate PG&E’s requirements for San Francisco customers, according to court documents.

When the town square opened in October 2015, the site featured plumbing for a bathroom, but no funding to build the facility, reports the San Francisco Chronicle.

Haney secured the necessary $1.7 million to build the restroom, which will go toward not just the construction, but also the planning, permits, reviews and management of the project, according to the city.

“They told me $1.7 million, and I got $1.7 million,” Haney said. “I didn’t have the option of bringing home less of the bacon when it comes to building a toilet. A half a toilet or a toilet-maybe-someday is not much use to anyone.”

The project’s 2025 completion timeline would factor in time for architectural plans to be drawn up and time for community feedback. Eventually, the project would make its way to the city’s Recreation and Park Commission and then the San Francisco County Board of Supervisors.

The post San Francisco plans to spend $1.7 million for one bathroom appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

A single-toilet public restroom planned for San Francisco’s Noe Valley Town Square is expected to take two years to build, but it’s already causing a stink.

The reason: its $1.7 million price tag.

The estimated cost has garnered plenty of headlines for the restroom as well as some backlash from state officials who wanted a better explanation than what the city was giving.

The San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department admits the price tag for the single restroom is attention-grabbing, but officials promise the reason behind the estimate is “more nuanced and less sensational.”

The project is still in the early phase of its timeline and there are no designs for the proposed restroom at the town square, located in central San Francisco. The square hosts a Farmer’s Market and other popular events on weekends.

The proposed single toilet restroom would be in a 150-foot-square enclosure and is expected to be completed by 2025, according to the city.

“We will consider various options, including installing a pre-fabricated restroom,” the city’s parks department said in statement. “In the end, the project may well be delivered for far less, with leftover funding put toward further improvements or maintenance.”

“We estimate high — not because we want to spend more money, but because we want to ensure we can deliver projects to communities even if we are hit with unexpected costs,” officials said.

A planned ceremony for the restroom was canceled this week after Assemblyman Matt Haney (D-San Francisco), who secured state funding for the project, heard the city’s reasoning behind the high cost.

“The cost is insane. The process is insane. The amount of time it takes is insane,” Haney said.

The city explains that construction costs have risen in the last two years due to the pandemic, inflation and the global supply chain issues, according to the city’s statement. That includes a rise in costs for fuel, materials and hiring workers who can “earn a living wage and benefit.”

“That’s in a city that is the most expensive in the world in which to build,” the city said in its written statement.

The city is also concerned about unexpected costs from the utility company PG&E. In legal filings, the city and county claim PG&E has stalled numerous projects over the years as it forced its customers to purchase specialized equipment to handle large amounts of electricity.

San Francisco’s public utility owns a power supply system that is then sold to its customers, but the power lines are owned and maintained by PG&E. This January, a federal appeals court directed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to reevaluate PG&E’s requirements for San Francisco customers, according to court documents.

When the town square opened in October 2015, the site featured plumbing for a bathroom, but no funding to build the facility, reports the San Francisco Chronicle.

Haney secured the necessary $1.7 million to build the restroom, which will go toward not just the construction, but also the planning, permits, reviews and management of the project, according to the city.

“They told me $1.7 million, and I got $1.7 million,” Haney said. “I didn’t have the option of bringing home less of the bacon when it comes to building a toilet. A half a toilet or a toilet-maybe-someday is not much use to anyone.”

The project’s 2025 completion timeline would factor in time for architectural plans to be drawn up and time for community feedback. Eventually, the project would make its way to the city’s Recreation and Park Commission and then the San Francisco County Board of Supervisors.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The post San Francisco plans to spend 2 years, $1.7 million to construct single-toilet public restroom appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

Etsy announced it will close its satellite office in downtown San Francisco after a significant number of its staff said they did not plan to go back following a shift to a hybrid work model.

“Many who are currently remote have told us they do not plan to return to an office in the near future,” Kim Seymour, chief human resources officer, wrote in a news release shared on Etsy’s website Monday. “As a result, we are closing our offices in Hudson, NY and San Francisco, CA, where employee office utilization has been extremely low.”

A spokesperson for Etsy confirmed to SFGATE the office will close in September.

The San Francisco branch of the online makers marketplace was on the third floor of 20 California St. in the Financial District, according to Glassdoor. Seymour said Etsy would consolidate its operations to “a few key office ‘hubs’ in centralized regions,” including the company’s headquarters in Brooklyn, New York, as well as offices in Dublin and Mexico City.

Employees based out of the San Francisco office will be expected to transition to a fully remote model. “We’ll continue to ensure they are supported, able to work productively, and can effectively collaborate with colleagues,” Seymour wrote.

Over 7,800 square feet of office space on the third floor of 20 California St., including a reception area, two conference rooms, two breakout rooms and four call rooms, will be available for lease later this October, according to Loopnet. Offices on the second, fourth and seventh floor of the building were also on the listing.

The news comes after Etsy received “overwhelmingly positive” feedback from staff in this year’s company-wide employee engagement survey, with more than 80% of employees favorably responding to the flexible work model policies and nearly all of them stating that they felt productive and part of a team, including remote employees, Seymour wrote in the news release.

“One of our guiding principles is minimizing waste, and operating offices that go predominately unused is in direct opposition to that principle — wasting energy, capital and internal programming efforts,” Seymour wrote.

Etsy follows a long line of Bay Area tech companies shuttering their downtown offices. On Wednesday, Twitter said it would terminate its office lease in Oakland in addition to vacating its remaining office space at 1 10th Street in SoMa, where it leased several floors. And earlier this month, Salesforce listed nearly half its office space at 50 Fremont St. for lease.

Meanwhile, Block, formerly known as Square, said in June that it would not renew the lease on its former headquarters in the Mid-Market neighborhood. And in April, PayPal said it would close its office at 425 Market St. between First and Fremont streets.

“The pandemic, in particular, has taught us there are many ways in which we can work effectively while providing our employees with flexibility,” PayPal told SFGATE at the time.

The post Etsy broadcasts plans to shut its San Francisco workplace appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

New 154,000-square-foot facility will provide a West Coast center with a focus on research, innovation, and commercial collaboration across corporate and program areas

TOKYO other SAN FRANCISCO, July 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Astellas Pharma Inc. (TSE: 4503, President and CEO: Kenji YasukawaPh.D., “Astellas”) today announced plans to create an integrated biotechnology campus in South San Francisco as its West Coast innovation and research center. The new 154,000-square-foot building at 480 Forbes Boulevard will allow for the co-location of several Astellas business units and functions currently located independently throughout the san francisco area.

Astellas plans to create an integrated biotechnology campus in South San Francisco as its West Coast innovation and research center.

The new innovation and research center will include employees across research, technical operations, medical and development, commercial, and relevant administrative support functions. Astellas will invest approximately $70 million to create the new state-of-the-art facility, which will provide lab and co-working spaces to accommodate future growth as it advances a range of innovative cell and gene therapies for patients with limited or no treatment options, including rare diseases and cancer.

“By uniting our business units in the Bay Area, we are creating a dedicated West Coast center in the vibrant South San Francisco corridor alongside other leaders in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry,” said Yoshitsugu Shitaka, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer at Astellas. “Similar to the Astellas Biomedical Innovation Hub located in the greater Boston area, this new facility will foster even greater levels of collaboration amongst our world-class, multi-disciplinary teams working in cell and gene therapies, development of business opportunities and all those who support our endeavors to create value for patients.”

Astellas expects to complete the building and be operational in summer 2023. Astellas will be the sole occupant of the new building and will spend the next year equipping the interior with state-of-the-art research labs, office spaces, and other amenities specifically designed to accommodate the West Coast employees of Astellas Gene Therapies, Xyphos Biosciences, business development, Rx+® Business Accelerator, and the planned future growth within those units. In addition, the co-location of these businesses allows for more efficient use of space by combining the lab and office facilities into one new building, compared to current independent locations.

Astellas’ VISION is to be at the forefront of healthcare change and to turn innovative science into VALUE for patients. Under this vision, Astellas is focused on bringing life-changing cell and gene therapy treatments to patients suffering from diseases that lack treatment options.

Astellas has already reflected the impact from this matter in its financial forecast of the current fiscal year ending March 31, 2023.

About Astellas
Astellas Pharma Inc. is a pharmaceutical company conducting business in more than 70 countries around the world. We are promoting the Focus Area Approach that is designed to identify opportunities for the continuous creation of new drugs to address diseases with high unmet medical needs by focusing on Biology and Modality. Furthermore, we are also looking beyond our foundational Rx focus to create Rx+® healthcare solutions that combine our expertise and knowledge with cutting-edge technology in different fields of external partners. Through these efforts, Astellas stands on the forefront of healthcare change to turn innovative science into value for patients. For more information, please visit our website at https://www.astellas.com/en.

About Astellas Gene Therapies
Astellas Gene Therapies is an Astellas Center of Excellence developing genetic medicines with the potential to deliver transformative value for patients. Our gene therapy drug discovery engine is built around innovative science, a validated AAV platform, and industry leading internal manufacturing capability with a particular focus on rare diseases of the eye, CNS and neuromuscular system. We will also be advancing additional Astellas gene therapy programs toward clinical investigation. We are based in san franciscowith manufacturing and laboratory facilities in South San Francisco, Calif.and Sanford, NC

About Xyphos Biosciences, Inc., to Astellas Company
Xyphos Biosciences Inc., located in South San Francisco, Calif., is at Astellas Center of Excellence for Cancer Cell Therapy developing medicines to cure solid tumors with a precision, off-the-shelf “Standard Pharmaceutical like Cell Therapy” platform, which can be easily tailored to the needs of individual patients and adapted to multiple disease targets. Utilizing a deep understanding of cancer biology and the tumor microenvironment, we are developing a flexible and versatile platform to direct the body’s immune cells to target single or multiple tumor antigens to fuel a stronger immune response, while avoiding immune rejection. By combining our ACCEL technology, a universal CAR (chimeric antigen receptor), and Universal Cells’ Universal Donor Cells (UDC) technology, we aim to create a unique platform that offers greater speed and flexibility compared to currently approved chimeric antigen receptor cell therapies and expands potential value for as many cancer patients as possible.

Cautionary Notes
In this press release, statements made with respect to current plans, estimates, strategies and beliefs and other statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements about the future performance of Astellas. These statements are based on management’s current assumptions and beliefs in the light of the information currently available to it and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: (i) changes in general economic conditions and in laws and regulations, relating to pharmaceutical markets, (ii) currency exchange rate fluctuations, (iii) delays in new product launches, (iv) the inability of Astellas to market existing and new products effectively, (v) the inability of Astellas to continue to effectively research and develop products accepted by customers in highly competitive markets, and (vi) infringements of Astellas’ intellectual property rights by third parties.

Information about pharmaceutical products (including products currently in development) which is included in this press release is not intended to constitute an advertisement or medical advice.

SOURCE Astellas Pharma Inc.

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Builder Joey Toboni was swimming in the bay a few years ago when he looked back at Aquatic Park and took in the scene.

Among the walkers and joggers he noticed a class field trip led by a few teachers. There was a home health care aid pushing an elderly woman in a wheelchair and a crew of National Park Service workers doing landscape work. He thought about the wide range of jobs that it takes to make a city function — and the wide gap between what those jobs pay and what it costs to live in the city.

“It dawned on me that none of these folks had a path to stay in San Francisco,” he said.

While that revelation was hardly groundbreaking in one of the world’s most expensive cities, for Toboni it became the seed of an idea he couldn’t shake.

“In that moment I realized there was nothing preventing me from being audacious and trying to tackle that problem,” he said. “I went home that night and started writing a business plan.”

What Toboni, 37, settled on was an idea maybe as challenging as it was simple: to build workforce housing for the middle class without accepting the sort of public subsidies — tax credits and affordable housing bonds — that finance most of the city’s affordable housing. In bypassing the red tape required for public subsidized housing, he figured he could be nimble and streamlined.

Toboni came up with a name — the Affordability Project — and scoured the city for a site on which to launch the concept. He enlisted fellow city native Tim Szarnicki — they played basketball at St. Ignatius College Preparatory — who had spent seven years in various leadership roles at Immaculate Conception Academy, a low-income Catholic school in the Mission District.

On Thursday the Planning Commission voted 6-1 to support the Affordability Project’s debut offering: a 100-unit rental project at 5250 Third St. in the Bayview District.

Tim Szarnicki (left) and Joey Toboni, who played basketball together in high school while growing up in San Francisco, have started a new affordable housing development company that does not take public money.

Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle

On paper the project looks like a typical HOME-SF project — a density bonus program where developers get an extra two floors of heights in exchange for making 30% affordable to a range of low- and middle-income families. What makes the project unusual, however, is that the developer is also committed to restricting an additional 40% of the units to families earning between 80% and 140% of area median income, or $110,000 to $194,000 for a family of four. So the entire project will have 70% deed-restricted units.

The project received some opposition from building trades organizations that have clashed with the Toboni Group, a housing builder founded by Joey Toboni’s father. Toboni, who focuses on building single-family homes in his for-profit business, said that the Affordability Project is entirely separate from other family businesses. He said that he can’t commit to making the 5250 Third St. project an all-union job but that he hopes future developments will be.

In a city where an affordable unit can cost $750,000 to build, Toboni is hoping to build for less than $350,000 a unit. The cost savings come in part from the land as the Affordability Project was able to buy the parcel for $3 million, or $30,000 a door, about a 90% discount from what other land has sold for in San Francisco.

In addition, the group will save time and money by privately financing the development through philanthropy, which Toboni says will be far more efficient than going to the time-consuming and competitive process of competing for tax credits and affordable housing bonds.

“The point of this organization is to get workforce folks into housing now,” said Toboni. “We believe a private organization can be much more efficient than the government is.”

A notice for a past public hearing is seen on a fence on a site on Third Street that Tim Szarnicki and Joey Toboni are hoping to develop into affordable housing.

Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle

The project will be a benefit to Bayview businesses, according to Earl Shaddix, executive director of the Economic Development on Third, who lives in a below-market-rate unit at 4800 Third St. In the past 10 years only 20 units have been added along the heart of the Bayview’s commercial district, he said.

While the neighborhood’s business district is doing better — vacancy rate has dropped from 30% to 10% in the past few years — additional foot traffic is needed to make sure the small businesses survive. New businesses opening recently include Feline Finesse Dance Co., Gratta Wines and U3Fit fitness gym — with several more expected to open in the coming months.

“There is a tremendous desire for more foot traffic and more lights on the corridor at nighttime,” Shaddix said. “We desperately need that, and the way we do it is through increased density. We know housing will mean more people on the corridor.”

Toboni said the plan is to build 2,000 workforce housing units in the next 10 years.

“Tim and I both realize that goal is extremely ambitious,” he said. “But if you don’t set a high goal, there is nothing to reach for.”

Affordability Project has raised much of the money and has a commitment from a bank to provide a construction loan, although the group must raise another $6 million before breaking ground. The hope is to be under construction next spring.

Toboni said it’s too early to say what the exact income eligibility will be of the additional 40 affordable units, but that the rents would be set to ensure that essential workers like teachers and police officers qualify. Any profits from the project will be reinvested into the next affordable development.

A rendering of the proposed affordable housing project at 5250 3rd St., which would be built with zero public money.

Lea Suzuki/The Affordability Project

Former Supervisor Katy Tang, who drafted San Francisco’s HOME-SF density bonus legislation, is on the board of the Affordability Project.

As a veteran of the city’s development battles, Tang said she realizes that building housing in San Francisco requires patience, money and political finesse. While the Affordability Project has a tough road, it’s worth trying, Tang said.

“If we don’t try it, it absolutely won’t work,” she said. “The largest group of families leaving the city are middle-income families.”

Tang said she has talked to many Bayview businesses.

“What they keep asking is how can we get more people to visit the small businesses on Third Street? There is not currently a level of foot traffic to sustain local business.”

Toboni said he continues to be motivated by that realization that he had while floating in the bay — that the families he grew up alongside in the Richmond District have no place in the current city.

“My best friend’s parents growing up were an iron worker and a teacher,” he said. “There is a zero percent chance that people working those professions could afford the Richmond today.”

JK Dineen is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jdineen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfjkdineen

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A sparkling seven-story building on 12th Street could soon play a key role in not only getting homeless families into housing, but helping them avoid displacement outside of San Francisco.

Earlier this month, Mayor London Breed announced The City’s plans to buy City Gardens, a residential building South of Market that would provide permanent supportive housing to families experiencing homelessness.

If the Board of Supervisors approves the deal, it would be the first building The City has purchased and dedicated exclusively to families under Breed’s plan to add 1,500 units of permanent supportive housing to The City’s growing portfolio by June.

It’s long overdue, according to advocates and service providers for homeless families. Permanent supportive housing is a model that ensures tenants an affordable place to live, for as long as they would like, coupled with an array of social services such as mental health treatment.

For many families, permanent supportive housing can be preferable to options like rapid rehousing, a different support that provides short-term financial help to a person or family experiencing homelessness so that they can find a new home in the private market.

Rapid rehousing is intended as a quick fix that steps in when someone has an unexpected major issue, such as loss of a job or medical event that results in homelessness. While effective at mitigating homelessness in the near term, rapid rehousing has unintended consequences, advocates for homeless families point out.

Mary Kate Bacalao, director of external affairs and policy at Compass Family Services, said rapid rehousing can amount to “state-subsidized displacement.”

Because the financial assistance is temporary, it’s possible they could find a place in San Francisco but would be unable to pay for it once the money runs out, risking homelessness over again.

This issue is well-documented in high-cost housing markets in San Francisco. In 2018, the San Francisco Public Press reported most families that received rapid rehousing assistance were moving to more affordable housing markets throughout the Bay Area.

Rapid rehousing clients can end up as far away as Sacramento, according to Kyriell Noon, CEO of Hamilton Families, a nonprofit like Compass that connects families with rapid rehousing support. The distance makes it difficult to stay engaged with clients and ensure they’re connected to support services, Noon said. And, because people of color are disproportionately in need of housing support, the consequences are especially dramatic, Noon said.

“Rapid rehousing inadvertently is hastening the exodus of Black and brown low-income folks out of The City,” Noon said.

Advocates say rapid rehousing has its place, but it’s not the best fit for everyone. “The most vulnerable families need supportive housing,” Bacalao said.

And yet, in the absence of adequate permanent supportive housing, it’s the most vulnerable families that rise to the top of the priority list and thus are directed into rapid rehousing, Bacalao said. That’s why The City’s purchase of the building at 333 12th St. would be pivotal.

There’s a communal lounge and laundry room on every floor, an outdoor courtyard and even a place to store bicycles.

The building won’t come cheap — the proposed deal totals $145 million — but it’s essentially brand new, opening just last year. And it could be ready for new tenants in a matter of months.

Built as a co-living space, where single rooms are rented out and tenants share common spaces like kitchens, it’s replete with 200 units that The City views as a good fit for families experiencing homelessness.

And in San Francisco, there are hundreds of such families, often invisible because they’re living in cars or crashing on couches.

According to the most recent Point-in-Time Count, the biennial census of The City’s homeless population, there were 208 homeless families in 2019.

Advocates warn the actual number is probably much higher, as the Point-in-Time Count uses the narrow definition of homelessness set by the federal department of Housing and Urban Development.

Still, the 200 new units of supportive housing would be a welcome start.

“It’s not perfect, but it’s great and I’ll take it,” Noon said.

ashanks@sfexaminer.com

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It’s not only the tech giants that are shedding Bay Area office space.

The State Bar of California plans to sell its 250,000-square-foot San Francisco headquarters at 180 Howard St. as the organization transitions to a hybrid work model, as first reported by the San Francisco Business Times.

Employees will be able to work from home three days a week, according to a spokesperson, and the agency will seek space elsewhere in the Bay Area.

The arm of the California Supreme Court that licenses and regulates attorneys purchased the 13-story building in 1995 for $22.5 million, but no sale price has yet been released.

While the news is important when thinking about the future of San Francisco office space, the agency had reportedly been considering selling the building since 2014 and the pandemic sped up its plans. Office occupancy is currently just 35.5% of 2019 levels, data from real estate services firm JLL shared with the Business Times showed.

The organization also told the Business Times they struggled to lease out floors within the building and there were maintenance expenses it wouldn’t be able to handle due to the “way the agency is funded,” spokesperson Teresa Ruano said.

The State Bar did not return SFGATE’s request for comment.

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A sparkling seven-story building on 12th Street could soon play a key role in not only getting homeless families into housing, but helping them avoid displacement outside of San Francisco.

Earlier this month, Mayor London Breed announced the city’s plans to buy City Gardens, a residential building South of Market that would provide permanent supportive housing to families experiencing homelessness.

If the Board of Supervisors approved the deal, it would be the first building the city has purchased and dedicated exclusively to families under Breed’s plan to add 1,500 units of permanent supportive housing to the city’s growing portfolio by June.

It’s long overdue, according to advocates and service providers for homeless families. Permanent supportive housing is a model that ensures the tenant an affordable place to live, for as long as they would like, coupled with an array of social services like mental health treatment.

For many families, permanent supportive housing can be preferable to options like rapid rehousing, a different support that provides short-term financial help to a person or family experiencing homelessness so that they can find a new home in the private market.

Rapid rehousing is intended as a quick fix that steps in when someone has an unexpected major issue, such as loss of a job or medical event that results in homelessness. While effective at mitigating homelessness in the near term, advocates for homeless families point out rapid rehousing’s unintended consequences.

Mary Kate Bacalao, director of external affairs and policy at Compass Family Services, said rapid rehousing can amount to “state-subsidized displacement.”

Since the financial assistance is temporary, it’s possible they could find a place in San Francisco but would be unable to pay for it once the money runs out, risking homelessness all over again.

This issue is well-documented in high-cost housing markets in San Francisco. In 2018, the San Francisco Public Press reported most families that received Rapid Rehousing were moving to more affordable housing markets throughout the Bay Area.

For Hamilton Families – a nonprofit that, like Compass, connects families with rapid rehousing support – a rapid rehousing client can end up as far away as Sacramento, according to Kyriell Noon, CEO of Hamilton Families. It’s difficult to stay engaged with a client that’s so far away and ensure they’re connected to support services.

Because people of color are disproportionately in need of housing support, the consequences are especially dramatic.

“Rapid rehousing inadvertently is hastening the exodus of black and brown low-income folks out of the city,” Noon said.

Rapid rehousing has its place, but it’s not the best fit for everyone.

“The most vulnerable families need supportive housing,” Bacalao said.

And yet, in the absence of adequate permanent supportive housing, it’s the most vulnerable families that rise to the top of the priority list and thus are directed into Rapid Rehousing, Bacalao said.

That’s why the city’s purchase of the 12th Street building would be so pivotal.

There’s a communal lounge and laundry room on every floor, an outdoor courtyard, and even a place to store bicycles.

The building at 333 12th Street won’t come cheap – the proposed deal totals $145 million – but it’s essentially brand new, opening just last year.

And it could be ready for new tenants in a matter of months.

Built as a co-living space, where single rooms are rented out and tenants share common spaces like kitchens, it’s replete with 200 units of housing that the city views as a good fit for families experiencing homelessness.

And in San Francisco, there are hundreds of such families, often invisible because they’re living in cars or crashing on couches.

According to the most recent Point-in-Time Count, the biennial census of the city’s homeless population, there were 208 homeless families in 2019.

Advocates for the homeless warn that the actual number is probably much higher, as the Point-in-Time Count uses the narrow definition of homelessness set by the federal department of Housing and Urban Development.

Still, the 200 new units of supportive housing would be a welcome start.

“It’s not perfect, but it’s great and I’ll take it,” Noon said.

The post San Francisco plans to buy 200 items to accommodate homeless households appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

A sparkling seven-story building on 12th Street could soon play a key role in not only getting homeless families into housing, but helping them avoid displacement outside of San Francisco.

Earlier this month, Mayor London Breed announced the city’s plans to buy City Gardens, a residential building South of Market that would provide permanent supportive housing to families experiencing homelessness.

If the Board of Supervisors approved the deal, it would be the first building the city has purchased and dedicated exclusively to families under Breed’s plan to add 1,500 units of permanent supportive housing to the city’s growing portfolio by June.

It’s long overdue, according to advocates and service providers for homeless families. Permanent supportive housing is a model that ensures the tenant an affordable place to live, for as long as they would like, coupled with an array of social services like mental health treatment.

For many families, permanent supportive housing can be preferable to options like rapid rehousing, a different support that provides short-term financial help to a person or family experiencing homelessness so that they can find a new home in the private market.

Rapid rehousing is intended as a quick fix that steps in when someone has an unexpected major issue, such as loss of a job or medical event that results in homelessness. While effective at mitigating homelessness in the near term, advocates for homeless families point out rapid rehousing’s unintended consequences.

Mary Kate Bacalao, director of external affairs and policy at Compass Family Services, said rapid rehousing can amount to “state-subsidized displacement.”

Since the financial assistance is temporary, it’s possible they could find a place in San Francisco but would be unable to pay for it once the money runs out, risking homelessness all over again.

This issue is well-documented in high-cost housing markets in San Francisco. In 2018, the San Francisco Public Press reported most families that received Rapid Rehousing were moving to more affordable housing markets throughout the Bay Area.

For Hamilton Families – a nonprofit that, like Compass, connects families with rapid rehousing support – a rapid rehousing client can end up as far away as Sacramento, according to Kyriell Noon, CEO of Hamilton Families. It’s difficult to stay engaged with a client that’s so far away and ensure they’re connected to support services.

Because people of color are disproportionately in need of housing support, the consequences are especially dramatic.

“Rapid rehousing inadvertently is hastening the exodus of black and brown low-income folks out of the city,” Noon said.

Rapid rehousing has its place, but it’s not the best fit for everyone.

“The most vulnerable families need supportive housing,” Bacalao said.

And yet, in the absence of adequate permanent supportive housing, it’s the most vulnerable families that rise to the top of the priority list and thus are directed into Rapid Rehousing, Bacalao said.

That’s why the city’s purchase of the 12th Street building would be so pivotal.

There’s a communal lounge and laundry room on every floor, an outdoor courtyard, and even a place to store bicycles.

The building at 333 12th Street won’t come cheap – the proposed deal totals $145 million – but it’s essentially brand new, opening just last year.

And it could be ready for new tenants in a matter of months.

Built as a co-living space, where single rooms are rented out and tenants share common spaces like kitchens, it’s replete with 200 units of housing that the city views as a good fit for families experiencing homelessness.

And in San Francisco, there are hundreds of such families, often invisible because they’re living in cars or crashing on couches.

According to the most recent Point-in-Time Count, the biennial census of the city’s homeless population, there were 208 homeless families in 2019.

Advocates for the homeless warn that the actual number is probably much higher, as the Point-in-Time Count uses the narrow definition of homelessness set by the federal department of Housing and Urban Development.

Still, the 200 new units of supportive housing would be a welcome start.

“It’s not perfect, but it’s great and I’ll take it,” Noon said.

The post San Francisco plans to buy 200 items to accommodate homeless households appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.