As of mid-October, more than 200 people have moved in, meaning that the housing complex is about 40 percent occupied, according to Henry Martinez, project manager for Capital Projects & Facilities Management.

The 431 apartments at UCSF Mission Bay in no way resemble the dinky, dark university dormitories of yesteryear. With plenty of windows of varying shapes and sizes, the light-filled apartments feature wonderful views of the San Francisco Bay, downtown city skyline, campus plaza, Koret Quad or landscaped courtyard — depending, of course, on the location of the unit.

Each of the studios and one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom apartments offers modern kitchens with granite countertops and a dining area. They contain carpeted living rooms and bedrooms, multiple phone lines and are wired for high-speed Internet access and cable or satellite television.

During a recent tour of the west building, James Palmer, a Housing Services representative, described what he considers another key selling point for the apartments. "Each floor is made of concrete," he says. "We could play football in here and your neighbors aren't going to hear it."

Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP with associate architect Fisher Friedman Associates, the housing complex, which contains 298,800 square feet of residential space, actually includes four separate buildings — three mid-rise reaching seven, eight and 10 stories, respectively, and one high-rise standing 15 stories, or 155 feet tall.

The last building, named the Hearst Housing Tower, is in its final stages of construction and is due to be completed by mid-November. The public and private landscaped courtyards and a 1,000-square-foot community room are also works in progress, but due to open in early November, according to Martinez.

Housing Goals
The $112.8 million housing project represents a giant step toward reaching UCSF's goal to provide affordable housing for 40 percent of its students and 25 percent of its postdoctoral scholars. Currently, UCSF provides housing for about 12 percent of the student body, according to Barbara Jones, longtime director of Housing Services.

"It's really been wonderful watching people move in," says Jones, who moved into her new offices on the ground floor of the housing complex on August 10. "It's great to see this project come to fruition."

Housing was not part of the original master plan for the Mission Bay campus because Catellus Development Corp., the master developer of the entire 303-acre redevelopment project and donor of 30 acres of land to UCSF, had its own plans to build housing. A small but vocal group of students and members of the Community Advisory Group (CAG) asked UCSF leaders to consider the inclusion of affordable housing at the new campus. In the end, UCSF was able to reach an agreement with Catellus and also compromised with neighbors on the height of the complex.

Dennis Antenore, a longtime CAG member, thinks the University has done a "good thing" by opening this housing complex. He is looking forward to more campus housing projects as UCSF expands at Mission Bay and elsewhere. "I just hope that the provision of housing by UCSF is an example to other large employers in the city about meeting the housing demand that they generate," he says. "UCSF deserves quite a bit of credit, but there's still a lot more to do."

Offering affordable housing to UCSF students and scholars also helps fulfill a critical citywide need. With condos in the area costing at least $600,000, UCSF Mission Bay offers an affordable alternative to buying or renting in a market that is one of the most competitive and expensive in the US — often characterized as "surreal estate."

Monthly rental rates, ranging from $830 for a studio to $2,480 for a three-bedroom apartment, are about 5 percent to 10 percent below market rates.

For Lori Yamauchi, assistant vice chancellor for Campus Planning, seeing architectural drawings of each building become a reality has been a highlight of her 15 years at UCSF.

"It's been very exciting and very gratifying for everyone who has been involved in the process," she says. "I am personally committed and feel strongly that the University should do whatever it can to make housing available to its students and personnel. Housing adds to the activity and vitality of the campus."

To serve its residents and those of the larger Mission Bay campus community, the housing project also incorporates retail spaces along the west side of 3rd Street and along the north side of the plaza, which links the future Muni light rail transit stop with the campus. Some 11,855 assignable square feet of retail space is available for up to 11 individual vendors, which may include food services, a convenience store, and dry cleaning and banking services.

Mission Bay housing is available to students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty members. Tours of furnished model units are conducted daily at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and meet in the corner housing office located across from Rock Hall. For more information about the rental units, please call Housing Services at 415/476-2231.

Source: Lisa Cisneros

First posted October 26, 2005

Last updated November 4, 2005

Mission Bay neighborhood

James Palmer of Housing Services stands in the kitchen of a new apartment at UCSF Mission Bay. Photo by Lisa Cisneros.