A new, very tall building could one day rise at the corner of Duboce Avenue and Market Street on Mint Hill, as the property owners have paid for design work and ferried it through city approvals with the state density bonus included.
The proposed 201-unit condo tower, as designed by RG Architecture, would rise behind the existing Spanish revival commercial building that sits at 1965 Market Street — currently home to a Fedex Kinkos and some offices. The design, as the Chronicle reports, incorporates the historic building — which is considered a historic resource as it once was home to the country's first LGBTQ-owned bank — which would serve as the entrance lobby for the tower. The roof deck of the older building would also provide amenities to the tower.
The project began as a seven-story, 96-unit building when the property owners first filed for a permit back in 2015, per the Chronicle, but subsequent changes to state law have seen it grow to 16 stories and now to 23.
This will join another nearby tower that is further along in the pre-development process, an LGBTQ-focused senior housing tower at 1939 Market Street from Project Openhouse, which already built an LGBTQ senior housing complex on Laguna Street. That tower, which secured funding in December, is set to be 15 stories tall, with 187 affordable units marketed to LGBTQ+ city residents aged 62 and older who earn 15% to 60% of Area Median Income.
The Market and Duboce project would be primarily market-rate condos, with 28 units reserved for households earning below 50% of the area median income, which is currently $65,000 for a two-person household.
Broker and developer Chris Foley tells the Chronicle that the project "will be a barometer of what is going on" in terms of the current development climate and state density bonus changes — and Foley adds that there are "zero comps" in terms of properties that have secured approvals for something like this in the area.
The property owners are now just seeking a developer to buy the site with these approvals attached, and secure financing.
Related: LGBTQ Senior Housing Concern Openhouse to Build New 15-Story Tower Near Castro Neighborhood
