Mayor Lurie Celebrates $34 Million in State Funding to Advance Affordable Senior Housing in Chinatown

SAN FRANCISCO – Mayor Daniel Lurie today celebrated $33.5 million in critical funding awarded by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) to support the transformative affordable housing project at 772 Pacific Avenue in San Francisco’s Chinatown. In partnership with Chinatown Community Development Center (CCDC) and the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD), the project will create up to 175 new affordable homes for low-income and formerly homeless seniors and a community banquet hall on the ground floor.

The project builds on Mayor Lurie’s work to expand affordable housing and social services in neighborhoods across San Francisco and support the Chinatown community. As part of his Breaking the Cycle plan, Mayor Lurie is significantly expanding the city’s recovery and treatment bed capacity to address the city’s homelessness and behavioral health crisis. He is taking bold steps to make San Francisco more affordable for workers and future generations—ensuring that the next generation of San Franciscans can afford to raise their families in the city through his Family Zoning plan and opening San Francisco’s first 100% affordable housing development for San Francisco Unified School District educators and staff. The mayor is also taking action to support the Chinatown neighborhood. Since January, crime is down more than 40% year to date in the San Francisco Police Department’s Central district, which serves the Chinatown community.

“The New Asia project will be a lifeline for low-income seniors. It is a commitment to the families of Chinatown and a promise that San Francisco will keep building housing for our seniors, our teachers, our workers, and our first responders, even when the process is hard,” said Mayor Lurie. “I want to thank CCDC for their vision and their persistence, and I want to thank this community for never giving up on the fight for housing.”

“The senior housing and community banquet hall development at 772 Pacific is a project that was conceived by the community, for the community,” said CCDC Executive Director Malcolm Yeung. “Thank you to Mayor Daniel Lurie, Senator Scott Wiener, and Supervisor Danny Sauter for supporting this vision by signaling to the state of California how much of a priority this project is for San Francisco. And of course, big thank you to Secretary Tomiquia Moss and HCD Director Gustavo Velasquez for making the award that will enable us to move towards a 2027 groundbreaking.”

The project has received overwhelming support from the community. Over the course of more than 60 community meetings held by CCDC over two years, residents and stakeholders consistently advocated for the city to maximize housing capacity at the site. Since the completion of the International Hotel in 2005, no new affordable housing has been built in Chinatown.

The 772 Pacific project will provide modern, service-enriched housing designed specifically for seniors, helping them age in place with dignity and stability. In addition to providing housing, the project will feature a community banquet hall and dim sum parlor. The use of the ground floor as a Chinese banquet hall fulfills a promise made by Rose Pak and former Mayor Ed Lee to preserve cultural and community-serving spaces in Chinatown. The banquet hall will provide a benefit to the seniors residing at the project and will ensure that the building remains a vibrant gathering place for generations to come.

“The 772 Pacific project not only creates deeply affordable homes but also honors community heritage by restoring a vital cultural gathering space. This crucial funding will deliver safe, dignified housing where it’s needed most,” said District 3 Supervisor Danny Sauter. “I’m grateful to Mayor Lurie, CCDC, and community leaders for taking the appropriate steps to address Chinatown’s affordable housing shortage.”

The project is supported by a combination of state and local funding, including $33.5 million through HCD’s Multifamily Housing Program. These awards are part of a broader $414 million investment announced by HCD to support 30 affordable housing projects across California, creating over 2,000 new homes.

“The $400 million dollars committed to communities across the state will expedite and expand opportunities to build affordable housing and make much-needed infrastructure improvements,” said Tomiquia Moss, Secretary of the California Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency. “These awards will galvanize the collective public-private response to serve low-income households, including seniors, veterans, large families, and residents with special needs, and accelerate climate and health outcomes in neighborhoods across California.”

The city purchased the 772 Pacific site in June 2017 with the long-term goal of transforming it into affordable housing. The adjacent parcel at 758 Pacific, purchased by CCDC with MOHCD support, will be transferred to the city prior to the construction loan closing, where the lots will be merged into a single development site. Construction is expected to begin in 2027, with completion anticipated in 2029.