SF Community Land Trust adds a 14th project to its growing portfolio of permanently affordable housing with its first acquisition in Russian Hill

April 28, 2022

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (April 28, 2022) – On March 31st, 2022 the San Francisco Community Land Trust (SFCLT) acquired 1130 Filbert street in Russian Hill, converting it into permanently affordable housing. This four unit building on one of the steepest hills in the city (just a couple of blocks from Lombard St) is home to seniors and families who have been tenants for decades, and without the sale of the property to SFCLT would have likely been turned into luxury condos or TICs (Tenancies in Common). 

1130 Filbert street is SFCLTs first property in the Russian Hill area, and is the first Small Sites Program acquisition in San Francisco’s Supervisorial District 2, the wealthiest district in the city. Saki Bailey, Executive Director of SFCLT, said of the purchase, “All neighborhoods in San Francisco deserve affordable housing, potentially even more so in wealthy neighborhoods with robust private and public amenities like good schools and beautiful parks, to which low-income tenants, particularly of color, in less wealthy neighborhoods do not have access or would have to travel to from miles just to visit. I am excited to see the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Housing Accelerator Fund prioritizing not just racial equity in creating affordable housing but geographic equity which often goes hand in hand with advancing racial equity.”

Planned rehabilitation at the site includes a seismic retrofit, external building repairs and improvements, and limited interior renovation. Through this acquisition not only will three households be able to remain in place, but in addition, a vacant unit will be ready in 2023/2024 (once rehabilitation is complete) which will be leased at 60% AMI. In this sense the purchase of 1130 Filbert is creating not just affordable housing, but deeply affordable housing which is a high priority for SFCLT.

Thanks to important programs like the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA) SFCLT was given the first right of refusal when 1130 Filbert street officially went on the market. As Fernando Marti, ex-director of the Council of Community Housing Organizations says about the importance of COPA to the SF affordable housing landscape, "This acquisition, that has resulted in people's lives being stabilized, is the culmination of a lot of work over the last decade, from establishing the seed funding for the City's Small Sites Program in 2009, to the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act in 2019, to the Proposition I in 2020 that provided funds for housing preservation, to the self organization of the Filbert Street tenants and the support of San Francisco Community Land Trust. Organizing to win is a long road, and at times like these we can celebrate  with victories for the people!"

Resident of 1130 Filbert st, Patricia, who was one of the leading tenants in making the acquisition possible, noted that despite San Francisco having sympathetic supervisors and well organized tenant organizations, tenants are “continuously haunted by the specter of displacement for no fault of their own.”  She spoke to the anxiety she felt when she found out her building was being sold, “I was seized by dread despite my 30 years of residency here. I knew the building would likely be purchased by speculators -- meaning we tenants would lose our homes.”

Supervisor Catherine Stefani, who was integral to the effort to save 1130 Filbert from speculators said of this historic purchase, “I’m incredibly proud of the 1130 Filbert acquisition which was the first Small Site Project in District 2. This would not have been possible without the partnership of the San Francisco Community Land Trust and the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development. Now these long-term senior tenants have a guarantee that they will not be left vulnerable to eviction and that they will be able to age in place with dignity. “

In addition, to the long culmination of so many years of work by housing activists, policy makers, and politicians the tenants and SFCLT also credited the collaborative work of Supervisor Preston & Peskin, as well as, the Mayor’s office staff, the Mayor herself, and the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD). SFCLT in particular wants to give a huge amount of credit to Jonah Lee at MOHCD for his leadership and support, as well as, Justin Chen and Ji-ho Park at the Housing Accelerator Fund (which provided the construction loan), and all the tenants of 1130 Filbert street, who were so critical to the success of the transition of 1130 Filbert into community ownership. 

Long-time tenants John and Maria shared “We are in our mid-70’s and have lived in our apartment for over 18 years.  When the owner announced he was selling our building, we were very concerned we would be evicted by a new owner under the Ellis Act. The non-profit community stepped in to help, and we are grateful that San Francisco Community Land Trust had the expertise and capacity to acquire the building.  We are especially grateful for the support of Supervisor Stefani and her incredible staff who stepped in to help preserve the building as affordable housing and bring stability to our lives.”

SFCLT is excited to be able to offer permanently affordable housing to residents in a neighborhood where few low to moderate income folks can afford to live, and looks forward to creating more much needed permanently affordable housing in D2, as well as, other wealthier neighborhoods in San Francisco where there is currently still little affordable housing. As said by Patricia,  “An organization dedicated to preserving affordable housing now owns our building. There are few words to describe my relief -- it's a mixture of thrill and calm. Add to that my new optimism that the housing security achieved here may be on the horizon for many other City renters should their buildings hit the market.”

To find out more about this project please contact: 

Saki Bailey, Executive Director at SFCLT: sbailey@sfclt.org

Kristen Nation, Program Manager at SFCLT: knation@sflct.org

About the San Francisco Community Land Trust (SFCLT)

SFCLT is dedicated to creating and preserving permanently affordable housing through the community ownership of land, toward the goal of racial and economic justice.