Mayor Lurie Breaks Ground on 100% Affordable Artist Housing Project at 1687 Market Street

SAN FRANCISCO – Mayor Daniel Lurie today broke ground on the Artists Hub on Market, a $140-million investment in San Francisco’s creative future that will provide 94 affordable homes for artists, arts workers, arts administrators, production-related arts and entertainment workers, and their families at 1687 Market Street. It is made possible in significant part through a generous $100-million private philanthropic gift.

Artists Hub on Market continues Mayor Lurie’s work to build more housing in San Francisco and bring down the cost of living. In the last six months, Mayor Lurie has opened new affordable homes across San Francisco’s Bayview-Hunters Point, Mission, and Hayes Valley neighborhoods. The groundbreaking also follows last week’s signing of legislation to unlock the construction of new homes at all income levels, as well as the expansion of the city’s Housing Trust Fund headed to the ballot in November and the July expansion of subsidized childcare under Mayor Lurie’s Family Opportunity Agenda. It also follows the recent announcement that Vanderbilt University will open a new arts college in San Francisco in Fall 2027, reflecting a significant investment in our city’s artists and creative economy.  

“Our city is stronger and more creative when the people who fuel our arts and culture are able to live in the city where they work. With this groundbreaking at 1687 Market Street, San Francisco is sending a clear message to our arts community: we want you here,” said Mayor Lurie. “Artists Hub on Market is the latest example of our commitment to being a city where working people and artists can build a future. Beyond the residents it will house, this project will also bring new energy to Market Street, helping power the neighborhood's comeback."

“Great cities have great arts and culture scenes. San Francisco’s future depends on artists and cultural creators being able to make their home here, which is why I am so excited about 1687 Market and the possibility of more such developments.” said Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman. “I am very proud that we were able to pass legislation to support this type of housing.”

Located at 1687 Market Street in the historic Hub neighborhood at the crossroads of Hayes Valley, Civic Center, the Mission District, and the Castro, Artists Hub on Market represents a major investment in both San Francisco's housing future and its creative economy.

The new mixed-use development will offer studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom homes to households earning up to 80 percent of San Francisco Area Median Income, creating a permanent place for artists and creative workers to build their lives in San Francisco.

“Artists have helped make San Francisco one of the most beautiful and culturally vibrant cities in the world. They deserve the opportunity to not only create here, but to live here,” said Matthew Goudeau, Executive Director of Arts and Culture. “As we work to build a more affordable and inclusive city, the Arts Commission is proud to help create a pathway for artists to access stable, affordable housing through the Artist Housing Certification Program. When artists thrive, our city thrives.”

The project will also include dedicated space for the broader arts community, including music and dance rehearsal and practice studios, a black box theater, and programmatic and office space for Artists Hub on Market. A community room, landscaped roof deck, secured bicycle parking, neighborhood-serving amenities, and on-site resident services will further support residents and contribute to the vitality of the Market Street corridor.

Artists Hub on Market has formed an Artists Advisory Group, comprising local artists and arts leaders, who have advocated for the project and will shape a citywide artist certification process that will guide apartment leasing and provide input on how to best program the building’s arts amenities.  

“Being part of the Artists Hub on Market Advisory Group has given me a critically important opportunity to help shape a project that recognizes how essential artists and creative workers are to the life of San Francisco,” said Delroy Lindo, Academy Award-nominated actor and longtime Bay Area resident. “Affordable housing gives artists the stability to live, work, create, and contribute to the communities they call home. Artists Hub on Market is a meaningful investment in our city’s creative future, and I am proud to have been part of the effort to make this vision a reality.”

In early 2027, the city will launch its Artist Housing Certification Program to help establish an eligibility list for artists and creative workers seeking to participate in affordable artist housing lotteries, including the future housing lottery for Artists Hub on Market.

Through the certification program, the Arts Commission will verify that applicants meet the program's artist or arts-worker eligibility requirements before they apply for designated artist housing opportunities. The program is designed to create a clear, accessible pathway for eligible members of San Francisco's creative workforce and to help ensure that artist-designated affordable housing reaches the people it is intended to serve.  

Applicants must meet at least one of the three qualifying pathways: demonstrating income of at least $10,000 per year from art in three of the last five years, proving selection for an arts related grant, award, or project within the past three years, or providing three work samples.  

There is no cost to submit a certification application. Applications will be reviewed by San Francisco Arts Commission staff and a panel of arts and culture peers. Artist housing certification is not a housing application. The Arts Commission is currently preparing to implement the certification program and is encouraging artists and eligible creative workers who may be interested in future affordable artist housing opportunities to learn more and register their interest. The city's housing lottery for Artists Hub on Market is anticipated to launch in early 2027, with additional information about the application process and timeline to be provided as the project moves toward completion, estimated to be completed in 2028.