An aging DMV in San Francisco will soon become the site of more than 370 new homes

The state-owned property is centrally located between the Lower Haight, NoPa, Buena Vista and Alamo Square neighborhoods and near a mix of residential, entertainment and visitor amenities, including the Haight-Ashbury and Divisadero retail districts. The site is located in an EPA-designated Highly Walkable Area and is just half a mile from a major public transit stop.

“This first-of-its-kind project, combining housing with a new DMV field office, represents a significant step forward in the state’s efforts to reimagine spaces for affordable housing.” said DGS Director Ana M. Lasso. “DGS is pleased to participate in this mixed-use development project that will create a modern new DMV office while providing hundreds of affordable housing units to support San Franciscans.”

The Department of General Services (DGS), the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), and the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) have selected The Related Companies of California and Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation to lead the redevelopment.

“This is a unique opportunity to transform and modernize a publicly accessible government facility while creating new, permanent, affordable housing in a region in critical need.” said HCD Director Gustavo Velasquez. “I hope this project can provide similar outside-the-box thinking to communities across the state about how we can maximize the use of public lands to benefit people.”

How we got here

In 2019, Governor Newsom issued one Implementing regulation We call on HCD and DGS to address the state's affordable housing crisis by identifying underutilized state sites for affordable housing development, taking into account factors such as proximity to employment centers, amenities and public transportation.

Creating affordable housing for all Californians

• Since taking office, Governor Newsom has invested $40 billion in housing production and enacted dozens of CEQA reforms. The state has also invested more than $27 billion to help communities combat homelessness.
• In July 2024, Governor Newsom issue an implementing regulation Supporting efforts to convert undeveloped and unused ancillary land and buildings into housing. This mission helps communities build thriving downtown cores and new housing near transportation hubs and employment centers. This will create more housing options for Californians while better aligning the state's housing and climate goals.

Additionally, Governor Newsom advocated for the creation of the Housing Accountability Unit at HCD to ensure that cities and counties meet their legal responsibility to plan and approve their fair share of housing.