|
|
10/18/24
|
San Francisco’s historic Humboldt Bank office building is set to undergo a transformation from underutilized office space into desperately-needed workforce housing. The renovation, located at 785 Market St, is a project of Forge Development Partners.
Built in 1908, the 19-story building was one of the first structures constructed in the post-1906 earthquake revitalization of San Francisco. Working closely with city agencies under the guidelines of the new policies implemented by the Mayor’s Office and members of the State Senate, Forge has developed plans that will put the building at the center of the city’s investment in downtown in this post-pandemic era by transforming office spaces into state-of-the-art apartment units.
This is the first step in Forge implementing its vision of high tech, sustainable and zero net energy/zero net carbon housing, which seeks to contribute to the revitalization of downtown San Francisco.
Forge’s vision aligns with Mayor Breed’s “30x30” initiative, which proposes a series of policies to revitalize San Francisco.
Forge collaborated with the San Francisco Planning Department and the Department of Building Inspection on the permitting and construction process of 785 Market to ensure this much-needed housing can be built in a central, walkable location near transit centers. Forge plans to begin construction on this project in early 2025, contingent on pending legislation.
The firm’s planned renovations will preserve the building’s historic façade, retail ground floor and iconic Baroque-style dome, while upgrading the infrastructure of the building to provide a high-quality scaled living experience for its middle-income residents with latest environmentally sustainable features expected in a state-of-the-art building.
Like all Forge housing projects, 785 Market Street targets a zero net carbon and energy solution, exceeding existing environmental requirements for residential buildings. 785 Market Street will benefit from innovative solutions supported by PG&E that will reduce the impact of the planned building changes, reduce costs of conversion and occupancy for the project, and support Forge’s Zero Net Energy goals. Forge is also partnering with Cordia, a cutting-edge energy solution company based in San Francisco. Cordia has two downtown plants that purify groundwater to produce steam that will be piped to 785 Market Street and used for space heating domestic hot water and air conditioning. This will limit the building’s energy and water usage and help further reduce overall operating costs. These green innovations align with the City’s aggressive sustainability plans and goals, including those outlined in San Francisco’s Climate Action Plan 2021.
In addition to 785 Market, Forge constructed 240 units of middle-income housing in the last two years, with an additional 650 units in the production pipeline. The firm attributes this success to its proven housing model that integrates environmental sustainability, social programs and innovative partnerships with local governments and utilities, noting that this process will serve as a model for others wanting to deliver multifamily workforce housing here and throughout the country.
|
|
 Return to the Archive page
|
|
|
|
|
Printer-friendly Version
Email an Associate
