On November 4, 2009, the Draft EIR for CityPlace was published by the San Francisco Planning Department.  A copy of the document can be downloaded here.

Construction barricades on the properties that make up the proposed CityPlace project site received a fresh coast of paint in late October 2009 as part of the City’s new Art in Storefronts program.  The mural by artists Helen Bayly and Leanne Miller depicts a bustling Market Street layered with images of the flora and fauna native to the area that once thrived on the thoroughfare.

Asian Law Caucus celebrated the opening of the organization’s new home on December 4, 2008. After years of planning, Urban Realty’s former tenant moved into its new home at 55 Columbus Avenue. Due in part to rent reductions and other concessions provided by Urban Realty, Asian Law Caucus was able to purchase its new building and remodel it to suit its needs.

Urban Realty Principal David Rhoades addressed members of the Yerba Buena Alliance at its November neighborhood meeting held at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The group was interested in the new class of retail the project promises to introduce to the area and in the developer’s plans for enhancing Stevenson Street.

On September 17, 2008, Urban Realty Principal David Rhoades went before the membership of the Market Street Association to present the latest information on the CityPlace proposal. Attendees of the meeting were excited to hear of the value-based retail component of the project. They also expressed appreciation for the proposed improvements to Stevenson Street and inquired about the benefits it would bring to the public and businesses along the street.

Urban Realty Principal David Rhoades shared the most recent information on the CityPlace proposal with attendees of the Central Market Community Benefit District Board meeting on September 9, 2008. Members of the group were enthusiastic about the project and especially interested in the proposed plans for a green and activated Stevenson Street that would accompany the retail development. The Central Market CBD Board has requested that the CityPlace team return to the group regularly for updates on the project as it makes its way through the approvals process.

The local development team of Urban Realty Co., Inc. and Commonfund Realty subsidized improvements and enhancements to a brand-new facility for the Citywide Case Management and Community Focus Center, a local cultural, social, vocational, and treatment center serving low-income San Franciscans suffering from severe mental illness. To read more about the groundbreaking and ribbon cutting ceremonies for the facility, please download the PDF format of the newsletters below.

• Citywide and Community Focus Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and Reception
• Citywide and Community Focus Groundbreaking Ceremony and Reception