Affordable Housing To Replace Fell Street DMV
The DMV office and parking lot at the tip of San Francisco’s Panhandle, built in 1960, is getting a major makeover. Governor Gavin Newsom announced that it will be redeveloped into affordable housing, something that’s been talked about for years.
The 2.5-acre property at 1377 Fell Street will be turned into housing thanks to a partnership between the state, developers Related California, and the non-profit Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation. Newsom said the plan is to turn underused state properties like this one into much-needed homes, and he’s excited about bringing affordable housing right into the heart of San Francisco’s diverse and lively neighborhoods.
This might cause some headaches for people who use the DMV, since it’s always busy. But according to the governor’s office, the current DMV building will be demolished, and a new, modern DMV will be reopened at the base of the residential complex by June 2029. The complex itself will have several buildings, the tallest being eight stories high, with 372 units of affordable housing for people earning between 30% and 80% of the area’s median income. It’s all expected to be wrapped up by August 2030.
This project has been in the works for a while. Back in November 2022, SFist reported that the Board of Supervisors was already discussing this location as a great spot for affordable housing. Supervisor Dean Preston called it a “no-brainer,” though the state initially thought about just replacing the DMV with another one-story building. With some pressure from Preston and Assemblymember Phil Ting, the state agreed to go bigger. A request for proposals went out in September 2023, and now, plans are in place.
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time there’s been talk of redeveloping the site. In 2008, another developer was picked for a similar project, but it fell through because of the recession.
Gustavo Velasquez, the Director of Housing and Community Development, hopes this project will set a trend for other communities across the state, showing how public land can be used to benefit everyone.
No word yet on when this DMV location will close or where a temporary spot will pop up for people to handle their driver’s license and Real ID needs.
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