FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, November 2, 2018
Contact: Mayor’s Office of Communications, 415-554-6131

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MAYOR LONDON BREED AND LEADER NANCY PELOSI CELEBRATE THE GRAND OPENING OF THE NEWLY REVITALIZED ALICE GRIFFITH COMMUNITY

Public housing revitalization project rebuilds more than 300 units of affordable housing in the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood

San Francisco, CA—Mayor London N. Breed and Leader Nancy Pelosi today joined community leaders to celebrate the grand opening of 306 new units of affordable housing at the Alice Griffith Community, as part of the Mayor’s HOPE SF Initiative to renovate and rebuild San Francisco’s public housing.

The opening culminates an unprecedented partnership between residents and city, state and federal leaders to rebuild the previously dilapidated Alice Griffith housing, with 90% of the original Alice Griffith families successfully moving into the new housing units.

“As someone who grew up in public housing and can remember the conditions we lived in at the time, I have been committed to seeing this project through to completion,” said Mayor Breed. “San Francisco is delivering on our promise to revitalize and rebuild the most distressed public housing in our city. This beautiful new version of Alice Griffith will serve generations to come, and I want to thank all of the families here for their resilience and perseverance during this process.”

The renewed Alice Griffith is the direct result of a partnership between the Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure (OCII), HOPE SF, the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD), the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), FivePoint, and McCormack Baron Salazar, as part of a ten-year effort to transform and redevelop the once deeply distressed and isolated public housing community.

“Revitalizing public housing and building new affordable housing are essential to tackling the housing crisis in our city – and to preserving the diverse, vibrant communities that make San Francisco what it is,” said Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. “Alice Griffith shows what is possible when great private-public partnerships are strengthened with federal funds, and Democrats in Congress are making bold investments in rebuilding America a top priority of our legislative agenda.”

The new Alice Griffith development was awarded a HUD Choice Neighborhoods Initiative Implementation (CNI) Grant of $30,500,000 in 2011. The CNI program is a catalyst to provide critical improvements in neighborhood assets, including schools, housing, and services. The Alice Griffith Transformation Plan was one of just five award recipients nation-wide in its funding round.

"The restoration of this site represents hope, safety, and a new beginning for the Alice Griffith community,” said Board of Supervisors President Malia Cohen. “For too long, underinvestment and physical decay have plagued our City's public housing. Today's re-opening is a testament to the community's advocacy and a significant investment for housing justice."

The major phases of the project are now complete, which include 207 public housing replacement units with an additional 96 new affordable units. The final phase of the project is currently under construction. It will bring 19 additional public housing replacement homes for the remaining existing Alice Griffith residents as well as 11 new affordable homes, and will be fully occupied by spring 2019.

In total, the Alice Griffith re-envisioning will rebuild all 256 units of existing public housing and create an additional 248 affordable housing units. Furthermore, the site will contain a mixed-income component that includes 367 market rate units, 42 below-market-rate units and 237 workforce units (serving households between 120% and 160% AMI).

“The opening of Alice Griffith marks another milestone for our Partnership for HOPE SF as we continue to collaborate with partners and residents to create inclusive, diverse, and healthy communities,” said Fred Blackwell, CEO of the San Francisco Foundation. “With deep and enduring mayoral commitment and support from our local business and philanthropic partners, we are proud to continuing working to ensure that all residents are rooted in vibrant communities and are economically secure.”

The Alice Griffith Tenants’ Association first convened in 2007 to discuss revitalization. In June 2010, the former San Francisco Redevelopment Agency, now OCII, executed a development agreement with Lennar Urban (now known as FivePoint) for Hunters Point Shipyard Phase 2 and Candlestick Point area, which included the redevelopment of Alice Griffith. OCII has contributed over $68 million to Alice Griffith, with over $40 million of those funds provided by FivePoint pursuant to the development agreement.

“Many residents wondered if the housing would ever happen for us,” said Fala Satele, longtime resident and President of the Alice Griffith Tenant’s Association. “We have lived and persevered through challenging and stressful times. And now that it is finally here, many of us are filled with gratitude over our new homes and excitement to welcome our new and old neighbors to this beautiful community.”

Lennar Urban selected MBS Development Corporation as the developer for Alice Griffith.  In addition to MBS, the Alice Griffith development team includes local nonprofits San Francisco Housing Development Corporation and Tabernacle Community Development Corporation. Urban Strategies is providing on-site services to residents.  

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