The San Francisco community today celebrated the "topping off" of two new affordable housing developments at Sunnydale, one of four former public housing sites that comprise San Francisco's HOPE SF Initiative-the nation's first large-scale community development and reparations initiative aimed at creating inclusive, mixed-income, and thriving communities without the mass displacement of existing residents.

"Sunnydale provides a great example of HCD's funding programs working in tandem to help a very important, shovel-ready project break ground quickly-and to get the needed infrastructure improvements in place to support the community," said HCD Director Gustavo Velasquez, who was on hand to celebrate the last beam going into place for Sunnydale 3A and 3B. "These projects are not only putting a new face on public housing; they are connecting residents to services, resources, and transit and opening a world of opportunity."

In collaboration with the Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development and the San Francisco Housing Authority, Mercy Housing and Related California are transforming the Sunnydale-Velasco public housing project into a vibrant mixed-income and mixed-use neighborhood.

Sunnydale 3A and 3B's 170 affordable units will serve low- and very low-income residents, with 75 percent of units reserved for current public housing residents. The two buildings were made possible by more than $65 million from HCD's California Housing Accelerator, Infill Infrastructure Grant Catalytic, and Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities programs.

All told, the master plan calls for the 50-acre Sunnydale site to include 775 rebuilt public housing units, 1000 new affordable and market-rate homes, new streets and infrastructure, a health and wellness center, and early childhood education center, groceries and other retail, open space, bike storage, and neighborhood services.