A seven-story mixed-use development featuring over 100 rental apartments is moving forward at 1601 Ocean Avenue in San Francisco's Ingleside neighborhood, with newly released architectural renderings showing significant changes from earlier proposals. The project has expanded since initial coverage in April and is now under the ownership of a Pasadena-based individual, representing a change from the previous developer who had worked on plans for nearly a decade.
S-AC Design Group serves as both the project applicant and architect, filing the development application on behalf of the new property owner. The architectural renderings reveal a heavily articulated exterior design featuring a striking combination of white stucco, black brick veneer, and horizontal wood-like panels that will give the building a contemporary mixed-material appearance.
The 79-foot-tall structure is planned to encompass approximately 100,870 square feet of total space, with roughly 87,600 square feet dedicated to residential housing and 5,800 square feet allocated for ground-level retail space. The residential component will include a diverse mix of unit types: 31 studio apartments, 26 one-bedroom units, 34 two-bedroom apartments, eight three-bedroom units, and two luxury four-bedroom penthouses, bringing the total to 101 units.
In compliance with affordable housing requirements, 18 of the 101 units will be deed-restricted as affordable housing specifically designated for low-income households. This represents a significant contribution to the city's affordable housing stock in a neighborhood that has seen increasing development pressure in recent years.
The property's development history reveals a complex timeline spanning multiple ownership changes and evolving plans. TJ Development had previously owned the site since 2015 and had been pursuing new housing development for over a decade, with proposals that grew from an initial 48 units to 92 units over nearly ten years of planning. The circumstances and financial details of the apparent property sale to the current Pasadena-based owner remain unclear, as the project team has not responded to requests for comment regarding the ownership transition.
The 0.4-acre development site enjoys a strategic location along Ocean Avenue, positioned between Capitol Avenue and Faxon Avenue in a retail-rich corridor that offers future residents convenient access to shopping and services. The location provides additional transportation benefits, as residents will be just one block away from light rail access, enhancing connectivity to other parts of the San Francisco Bay Area.
The surrounding neighborhood is experiencing significant development activity, with construction currently progressing just a few blocks away on the major Balboa Reservoir redevelopment project, which sits across from the City College of San Francisco campus. This broader development pattern suggests the Ingleside area is undergoing substantial transformation and densification.
The project team is utilizing Assembly Bill 2011 to streamline the approval process, as this state legislation is designed to expedite housing development in commercial zones throughout California. However, specific details regarding the estimated construction costs and project timeline have not yet been disclosed by the developers or architects involved in the project.
