Sponsored link
Friday, July 11, 2025

Sponsored link

The Beast on Bryant will face planning delay

Developer pulls back condo project in the wake of major community opposition

The site of new condos used to be a community arts space
The site of new condos used to be a community arts space

AUGUST 27, 2015 – The Beast on Bryant, a major development that would turn an entire city block that is now arts and industrial space into luxury condos, will probably be pulled off the Planning Commission agenda for September, meaning the project could be delayed for months or more.

The project planner, Rich Sucre, told me this afternoon that the developer is proposing major design changes that could require a new round of environmental review and change the timeline for project approval.

Among the changes: the developer wants to add 7,500 square feet of production, distribution, and repair space, perhaps in a nod to the widespread community opposition.

The hearing Sept. 10 was bound to be heated. Many of the same people who have opposed the Monster in the Mission (which is also now in limbo) are lining up against the Bryant Street project, and the commission hearing would have been packed with opponents.

The project not only involves the displacement of a longtime arts space but would change the use of a city block at a time when many in the Mission are arguing that market-rate condos are destroying the community and doing more harm than good for the housing crisis.

Developer Nick Podell cut a deal with the operators of InnerMission, a community arts institution, but many still opposed the project.

At recent rallies around the “Monster in the Mission” at the 16th Street BART plaza, banners denouncing the “Beast on Bryant” were visible, and the activists were united in opposition to both projects.

The changes may be strategic – a recognition that the Planning Commission might have denied the conditional-use permit Podell needs to build his condos. If the vote was no, he would have to wait two years to bring the proposal back.

So while a moratorium on market-rate housing in the Mission heads for a November vote, the community uprising appears to have already had an impact on at least two major projects.

The message – that Mission residents and businesses want affordable housing and the preservation of PDR space, not new luxury housing – keeps gaining traction.

Tim Redmond
Tim Redmond
Tim Redmond has been a political and investigative reporter in San Francisco for more than 30 years. He spent much of that time as executive editor of the Bay Guardian. He is the founder of 48hills.

48 Hills welcomes comments in the form of letters to the editor, which you can submit here. We also invite you to join the conversation on our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

Sponsored link

Sponsored link
Sponsored link

Latest

Britney blackout: Author Jeff Weiss relives the ’00s pop culture cataclysm

Music journalist's gonzo new book 'Waiting for Britney Spears' dives into the tabloid-strewn wreck of the schlocky decade.

Under the Stars: Madlib’s sonic crystal ball spins again

Plus: Kendra Morris scores a reggae-tinged 'Flat Tire,' Jay Som rocks back with 'Float,' Directions in Stereo dips into the wax stacks

Good Taste: An obsessive early guide to the Outside Lands food multiverse

Fun bevs, free samples, fries as meals, super splurges, and more: It’s not too soon to plan your festival menu.

Unplugging with Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Adding stalwart guitarist Imaad Wasif, the indie heroes hit Symphony Hall to explore their acoustic side—and some new emotional textures.

You might also likeRELATED