Photo by Hannes Egler on Unsplash
A truckyard owned by Recology, a waste management company serving San Francisco, has been sold to Amazon for $200 million, according to reporting by The San Francisco Chronicle.
The six-acre site at 900 Seventh Street was proposed as a 1,048-unit housing development in 2018, with plans for two 24-story residential towers, an eight-story mixed-use building, and a six-story commercial building for office, lab and/or PDR (production, distribution, repair) space.
City planners opposed Recology’s initial proposal because the area is zoned as industrial and the suggested building heights far exceeded the 58-foot limit. Preliminary feedback cited a need to protect PDR space in San Francisco — sometimes referred to as “makerspace” because it is reserved for artisans, craftspeople and small manufacturers.
Initial rendering of 900 Seventh Street development proposal, via The Potrero View
In response, the scope of the project was significantly altered in 2019, calling for 390 to 500 residential units, including upwards of 200 affordable units, while increasing the amount of office and PDR space.
It’s not clear when, exactly, the mixed-use development plans were scrapped, but Amazon announced on Tuesday that it intends to construct a new delivery station at the site — the company’s first in San Francisco. The proposed package storage facility would consist of a three-story, 510,150-square-foot building with a logistics center and office space, 145 parking spaces and 10 loading docks.
Amazon’s proposal adheres to the area’s industrial zoning requirements and height restrictions. Hundreds of part-time and full-time jobs could be created if the delivery station gains approval from city planners.
Image: Google Maps
“We are excited to make this investment in San Francisco that will create jobs and help ensure we can reliably and efficiently deliver to our growing number of customers in the Bay Area,” said Michelle Godwin-Watts, director of operations at Amazon, in a statement provided to The Chronicle.
“We are committed to being a good community partner and we will continue to engage with the city and community members as we develop this new site.”
Opponents of Amazon’s latest purchase voiced their opinions on Twitter, with user @saeviter asking, “What do we need more of in SF – thousands of homes or industrial space? Pretty sure we all know the answer here.”
