Affordable housing developer Mercy Housing California on Dec. 15 dedicated its latest project, the 66-unit Bill Sorro Community, designed by Kennerly Architecture & Planning for San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood. The development is named for the late Bill Sorro, a social and economic justice activist who died in 2007.
The mixed-use structure replaces the derelict Hugo Hotel, which had sat vacant on the corner of Sixth Street for almost 30 years after a fire burned the interior. Double-height ground-floor retail space occupies the first level, while the residential portion is split into two masonry towers designed to reflect the neighborhood’s character. The intersection-facing tower is nine stories tall and features a rooftop terrace with views of the city. The opposite tower steps down along Sixth Street.
The buildings contain eight studio units, 24 one-bedroom apartments, 24 two-bedrooms, and 10 three-bedrooms. Fifty-three of the units are designated for households earning 40% to 50% of the area median income, and the remaining 14 are reserved for low-income adults with developmental disabilities. The latter units were financed by HUD's Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities program.
“By integrating developmentally disabled adults living within a larger multifamily community, the Bill Sorro Community represents a new model for supportive housing for adults with developmental disabilities,” said Barbara Gualco, director of real estate development at Mercy Housing California, in a statement.
South of Market Child Care will offer parenting classes and family case-management services through the Bill Sorro Community’s family resource center. The Arc of San Francisco will provide supportive services for the development’s disabled residents.
