From Brookfield Properties:

San Francisco Board of Supervisors Approves Plans by Brookfield Properties to Transform Stonestown Galleria from a Retail Center to Town Center with 3,500 New Homes

Underutilized parking lots around the mall will become new homes, six acres of parks and open spaces, improved parking and access, and a merchant main street.

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors today unanimously approved plans by Brookfield Properties to transform a sea of underutilized parking lots surrounding the popular Stonestown Galleria on the City’s west side with new housing, a merchant main street, and parks and plazas. 

The plans call for Brookfield Properties, the project developer of Stonestown, to build 3,500 new residential units of four-18 stories, including 20% affordable and 200 units of senior housing as a part of a senior village. There will be six acres of new tree-lined, landscaped parks, a town square, open space on both the properties’ east and west sides, and a plaza to host the neighborhood’s farmers market. A new “Main Street” with retailers, restaurants, and entertainment of about 150,000 sq. ft. will run along 20th Avenue. Both above ground and underground parking garages will provide more convenient access to the mall.

A recent report by the City of San Francisco’s Office of Economic Analysis concluded that the project will provide significant benefits, including 870 annual new construction jobs. Other benefits by the developer include an onsite childcare center, $1 million contribution for improvements to the adjacent Rolph Nicol Jr. Playground, $50 million to SFMTA for transportation improvements, in-lieu fees to support SFSU Educator Village, and major infrastructure improvements.

“The Stonestown project is exactly the type of development we need to reach our housing goals and build a stronger, more affordable San Francisco,” said SF Mayor London N. Breed. “Sustaining the mall as an economic engine, creating new jobs and providing housing for seniors benefits both the neighborhood and our city overall.”

Supervisor Myrna Melgar, whose district includes Stonestown and who helped negotiate project benefits, said the plans address several city priorities. 

“This is a transformative project for the City and the right place to build new housing on the west side. The mall is beloved in the neighborhood, and I’m excited that the project will generate more affordable housing, senior housing, union jobs and child care to further improve it as a community gathering place,” Melgar said. 

The project approval comes after five years of collaboration by Brookfield Properties with neighbors, local organizations and city teams. The project was supported by diverse groups, such as the Sierra Club of San Francisco, San Francisco Building and Construction Trades, United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, Local Union No. 22, Self-Help for the Elderly, Monterey Heights Homes Association and additional neighborhood, labor and educational organizations.

“We’re thrilled with the collaboration and support we’ve received from the neighborhood and the City. Stonestown as a town center will address city housing goals, enhance the location as a focal point of community activity, and contribute to the long-term vitality and resilience of San Francisco,” said Christie Donnelly, Sr. Director, Development, Brookfield Properties. “We’ve been through a lot to reach this milestone with plan iterations, a pandemic, and economic turbulence. Throughout, we’ve listened, learned, and modified our project to improve it, recognizing that providing new housing is a shared responsibility with the city.”

Construction planning and city permitting will occur for two years prior to groundbreaking. The project is expected to be built in phases over about two decades with a first phase including infrastructure improvements and four-story townhomes on the north west portion of the project site. Throughout construction, the mall will remain open. The project’s master plan was created in collaboration with SITELAB Urban Studio.