Organized Labor

Outcome Hinges on Adaptive Re-Use Plan Approval

By Paul Burton
Contributing Writer

San Francisco’s Armory at 14th and Mission may finally be converted to housing if a new adaptive re-use plan is approved. Built in 1914 and used as National Guard facility until 1971, the Armory was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. Developer Richard Dishnica and Andres Grechi, design director for MBH Architects, made a presentation to the SFBCTC’s meeting of Business Agents November 14 and talked about plans to convert the building into residential units. Development consultant Andrew Sun said that Mission Armory Preservation Partners and the Dishnica Company are in the initial stages of gaining City approval for the planned development, with a draft Environmental Impact Report submitted earlier this year. He said the building has been unused for over 30 years. The armory is owned by Bar-K Inc., the lender for a previous developer for the building, who took back the deed in 2003.

Past attempts to convert the building to housing and other uses have been unsuccessful. In a May 1, 2006 article, the SF Business Times noted, “Over the past 25 years, developers and neighborhood groups have tried to transform the landmark National sGuard Armory and Arsenal into everything from condos to a community center to a dot-com incubator to a computer co-location facility. Each time, the ambitious plans have fizzled out. Some projects were killed by neighborhood opposition, some by changing economic conditions, some because the developers didn’t have the persistence or deep enough pockets to pull the project off.”

Sun told Business Agents that the developer was holding meetings with community organizations to hear concerns and get input. Because of the Historic status of the building, the developer must preserve most of the interior spaces. New walls and columns will be installed without disturbing the essence of the building, Sun said. Dishnica said that, “It’s been a tremendous learning curve to understand this building.” Much of the tile work slightly damaged due to subsidence will be replaced and the building will be made more seismically sound. Windows need to be restored to their original state. Marble and granite structures will be salvaged and either re-used on-site or off-site, he said.

Plans call for building a condominium complex within the walls of the existing drill court and converting the five-story former barracks to residential and office space. Sun said that the roof of the drill court would be peeled off to allow more light inside while preserving the exterior walls and façade. The new structure inside the drill court would be surrounded by a courtyard. The developer proposes169 condos—about 200,000 square feet in total area. San Francisco law requires that at least 12 percent of the units will be set aside as below-market, affordable housing. The developer may increase the percentage to 15 or higher. Community groups may push for more affordable housing. More expensive penthouses are proposed for the rooftop of the main building. Additionally, there will be 32,000 square feet of office space on the lower levels of the barracks where windows too small for residences must be preserved. The offices will be leased for commercial use, as well as to community groups and non-profits. The plan also calls for 27,640 square feet of open space, 220 parking spaces under the building and 190 bicycle stalls.

The restoration and construction is expected to cost over $10 million, to be completed in 2009 or 2010. The developer has said it will be an all-union project with a project labor agreement.