Several state agencies are calling on housing developers to submit plans for a mixed-use development on the current San Francisco Department of Motor Vehicles site, opening the possibility of adding hundreds of homes to a revamped DMV field office.
The California Department of Housing and Community Development, together with the DMV and the Department of General Services, gave notice on Sept. 28 that they are seeking developers to redevelop the state-owned property in the heart of San Francisco into a mixed-use development that delivers housing and a new DMV field office.
Respondents have until Nov. 22 to submit plans, according to the notice.
With a lot size just shy of 100,000 square feet, the DMV site is one the few large-scale sites suitable for housing in the geographic center of San Francisco. Development here would contribute to geographic equity in affordable housing citywide, according to the office of District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston.
‘Ambitious new targets’
They add that as state-owned property, the site provides a cost-effective opportunity for large-scale affordable housing development without the upfront cost of acquiring the land.
“As San Francisco takes on ambitious new targets for affordable housing, it makes perfect sense to prioritize publicly-owned sites like the DMV property for housing that serves low-income San Franciscans and their families, something that the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to support,” Preston said in a statement Friday.
“I want to thank our state partners – particularly Assemblymember (Phil) Ting, DGS Director (Ana) Lasso, DMV Director (Steve) Gordon, and their teams – for working collaboratively to realize this vision and take this step toward meeting our affordable housing goals,” he added.
In November 2022, Preston introduced a resolution urging state officials to prioritize affordable housing on the DMV site. Following introduction, Assemblymember Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, convened a meeting with Preston and representatives from state agencies, including the DMV and the DGS.
The state agencies initially pointed to existing plans to demolish and rebuild the DMV field office while preserving the surface parking, which had been funded and approved. With a strong push from Ting and Preston, DMV and DGS agreed to consider housing on the site.
In January, the DMV released a call for housing developers to consider building homes on the state-owned site, receiving strong interest from housing developers.
Prior to Sept. 28 notice from the California Department of Housing and Community Development, Supervisor Preston sent a letter to state officials on August 4, reiterating the need for affordable housing on the state-owned site.
“San Francisco’s DMV site is providing us the opportunity to add more homes that working people and families can afford. To see this project take a major step forward is fantastic news … ”
Assemblymember Phil Ting
“San Francisco’s DMV site is providing us the opportunity to add more homes that working people and families can afford. To see this project take a major step forward is fantastic news, and I can’t wait to see what developers envision for this space. A big thank you to DMV and DGS for moving so quickly,” Ting said in a statement Friday.
The development coincides with San Francisco moving forward with a new Housing Element, a state requirement for localities to increase housing production, particularly affordable housing.
In order to comply under the new state rules, San Francisco must allow for the production of 82,069 new units of housing, 46,598 of which or 57 percent must be affordable to low- to moderate-income San Franciscans by 2031, Preston’s office said.