For nearly 20 years developers have been trying to build a mixed-use housing complex where four properties containing a dozen commercial spaces sit on Ingleside's Ocean Avenue.
TJ Development, owner of 1601 to 1635 Ocean Ave. since 2015, wants to part ways with the properties and has listed them together as a development opportunity at a cost of $6,990,000.
The developer hired Fougeron Architects, the firm behind Ingleside Library, to draft a concept for the development. The designs, dated September 2023, are reminiscent of the library.
The designs indicate the project would include 77 units: 29 studios of about 400 square feet, 17 one-bedrooms of 600 square feet and 31 two-bedrooms of about 850 square feet. Nine units would be classified as affordable. There would be about 12,000 square feet of basement space and 10,000 square feet of open space.
Another view of what could be developed at 1601 Ocean Ave. | Courtesy
TJ Development stumbled over its nearly 10 years of navigating development and San Francisco's red tape. It worked with SIA Consulting on the design, but the family behind the company got ensnared in a long-running City Hall corruption scandal.
In 2021, TJ Development and developer Global Premier Development held a public meeting about plans to build an eight-story senior housing development on the site, members from the Department of Toxic Substances Control appeared to chastise the developers for ignoring their notices.
The improper management of contamination from a long-gone dry cleaner led to the state taking over the cleanup for a time. Chase closed its branch in 2021 and blamed "environmental concerns" stemming from the contamination.
TJ Development has kept many of the storefronts empty, which is generally viewed as helpful for a sale. Nearby merchants complain about the void of foot traffic it creates.
