Project Description

The Freedom West 2.0 Revitalization Project aims to rebuild and revitalize, in a modern sustainable format, the Freedom West Homes Cooperative in the Fillmore District of San Francisco, which after 40 years of deferred maintenance has fallen into disrepair and is at the end of its useful life. The project will replace these homes and thereby avoid displacement of the 386 households (approximately 1000 residents, of which over 60% are seniors) who currently reside at Freedom West and set the Co‐Op on a financially sustainable path for the future generations to come.

Co-Op Units

Unit Affordable Senior Building

Freedom West 2.0 Co-op Community Building

Co-Op Building Pictured Above / Senior Building Pictured Below

Additional Affordable Rental Units

The development plan will also increase the amount of affordable housing on the site by adding an additional 133 affordable rental units. By doing so, Freedom West hopes to enable additional residents who were previously displaced from San Francisco with an opportunity to return.

Freedom West 2.0 Co-op Community Building

Co-Op Building Pictured Above / Senior Building Pictured Below

Senior Building

Community Outreach Timeline

Planning for the Freedom West 2.0 development has relied heavily on community engagement and is anchored in resident agency. Since the process began in late 2018, Legacy First Partners has worked with the Freedom West board of directors to complete extensive outreach to the existing Freedom West resident community to understand and respond to the community’s needs, fears, and hopes for the future.  After being selected by Freedom West as the master developer, MacFarlane Partners has conducted significant community outreach and feedback sessions internally at Freedom West and externally throughout the surrounding Fillmore / Western Addition and Hayes Valley communities.

Scroll through detailed timeline of the community outreach activities that have been completed to date below.

March 2020

03/07 – Freedom West Board Retreat with Institute for the Future. Read more here >

April 2020

04/01 – Anonymous survey conducted with shareholders to determine wants/needs

May 2020

05/01 – Presentation to FW Board, Board vote

August 2020

08/01 – Shareholder delivered voting packages; information, QA

08/15 – Voting video distributed

08/19 – Mobile tablets distributed to all FW shareholders

08/22 – Voting begins

08/22 – Initial virtual shareholder meeting conducted

08/24 – First recording of Aug 22 shareholder meeting distributed to all shareholders

08/23 – Second virtual shareholder meeting conducted

September 2020

09/08 – On-site meetings between Board members and shareholders

09/08 – Town Hall meetings featuring Supervisor Dean Preston, with shareholders

09/12 – Third virtual shareholder meeting conducted

09/14 – Small group meetings with shareholders commence

09/19 – Voting period extended

09/19 – Shareholder Advisory Board announced

09/26 – Fifth virtual shareholder meeting

October 2020

10/01 – Shareholder roundtable session held

10/06 – Sixth virtual shareholder meeting

10/08 – Shareholder meeting focusing on temporary relocation; Preston attends

10/10 – Seventh virtual shareholder meeting

10/15 – Shareholder meeting focusing on resolving shareholder membership certificate challenges

10/17 – Eighth virtual shareholder meeting

10/22 – Shareholder meeting focusing on understanding the legal structure and corporate governance of Freedom West

10/27 – Shareholder vote finalized 2 to 1 in favor of FW 2.0

10/28 – Notification of Person, Mayor’s office of the vote

10/30 – Press release issued announcing successful vote

November 2020

11/02 San Francisco Chronicle front page story on successful vote of shareholder prints read full story here >

Screenshot of San Francisco Chronicle Article

December 2020

12/01 – MacFarlane continued to meet with shareholders and Board

January 2021

01/01 – MacFarlane continued to meet with the shareholders and Board

01/21 – Meeting with the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation

February 2021

02/03 – Meeting with First Baptist Church of SF and Pastor Ben Day

02/17 – Meeting with Reverend Arnold Townsend

02/18 – Meeting with Mo’Magic

02/22 – Meeting with Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association

02/26 – Preliminary Project Assessment submitted to the Planning Department. Read More >

March 2021

03/23 – Meeting with Congregation Emanu-El

03/25 – Meeting with Human Rights Commission (HRC) including the Office of Racial Equity (ORE)

July 2021

07/01 – First quarterly community webinar held

07/10 – Community Open House and Summer Celebration

September 2021

09/25 – Freedom West Family Day

Freedom West Family Days photo with two women standing smiling at the camera

October 2021

10/01 – Second quarterly community webinar held

10/01 – Revamped website to include broader messaging

November 2021

11/02 – First edition of the Freedom West newsletter released. Read the newsletter here >

Screenshot of San Francisco Chronicle Article

11/22 – Project Application submitted to Planning Department Read More >

December 2021

12/01 – Sidewalk Labs podcast on Freedom West released. Read the transcript here >

12/01 – Second edition of the Freedom West newsletter released. Read the newsletter here >

Freedom West December 2021 Newsletter

February 2022

02/01 – Third edition of the Freedom West newsletter released. Read the newsletter here >

February 2022 Freedom West Newsletter

02/22 – Freedom West 2.0 Half-Day Stakeholder Convening

March 2022

03/01 – Fourth edition of the Freedom West newsletter released. Read the newsletter here >

March 2022 Freedom West Newsletter

April 2022

04/01 – Fifth edition of the Freedom West newsletter released. Read the newsletter here >

April 2022 Freedom West Newsletter

May 2022

05/01 – Sixth edition of the Freedom West newsletter released. Read the newsletter here >

May 2022 Freedom West Newsletter

June 2022

06/01 – Seventh edition of the Freedom West newsletter released. Read the newsletter here >

June 2022 Freedom West Newsletter

06/07 – Freedom West Community Outreach Webinar

July 2022

07/01 – Eighth edition of the Freedom West newsletter released. Read the newsletter here >

July 2022 Freedom West Newsletter

September 2022

09/01 – Ninth edition of the Freedom West newsletter released. Read the newsletter here >

September 2022 Freedom West Newsletter

December 2022

12/01 – Tenth edition of the Freedom West newsletter released. Read the newsletter here >

December 2022 Freedom West Newsletter

January 2023

01/01 – Eleventh edition of the Freedom West newsletter released. Read the newsletter here >

January 2023 Freedom West Newsletter

March 2023

03/01 – Twelfth edition of the Freedom West newsletter released. Read the newsletter here >

March 2023 Freedom West Newsletter

October 2023

10/28 – Freedom West 50th Anniversary Celebration Event

April 2024

04/06 – Freedom West 2.0 Shareholder Update and Feedback Event

May 2024

05/01 – Thirteenth edition of the Freedom West newsletter released. Read the newsletter here >

April/May Freedom West Newsletter

05/23 – City of San Francisco Planning Commission Information Hearing – Senior Building

July 2024

07/09 – Site Walk with SF Planning Commission

07/19 – Update to FW Website

07/25 – Planning Commission Information Hearing – Master Project

07/25 – Establish Freedom West 2.0 Ambassador Committee

August 2024

Project Objectives

The broader Freedom West 2.0 development team includes Freedom West Homes Corp, Legacy First Partners, MacFarlane Partners, Avanath Capital Management, Bethel AME Church, and MarinshipDevelopment Interest.  Collectively the team is working to implement the community driven Freedom West 2.0 revitalization plan, which includes the following objectives:

Replace the 382 existing units at Freedom West with 267 new affordable co‐op units and 248 affordable rental units (115 of these dedicated to senior housing), bringing the total number of affordable housing units to 515. All the new units include modern amenities and common area spaces designed to enhance the quality of life for all residents.

Develop a long‐term (40+ year) economic self‐sustainable financial plan for the Freedom West co‐op,including new sources of income from their permanent ownership of additioanal residential and retail components as well as profit‐sharing participation with MacFarlane Partners in the more than two million square foot overall market rate development.

Build a 6,000 square foot STEM workforce and entrepreneurship innovation center (enabling economic mobility and empowerment) by connecting low to moderate income residents of color from the surrounding area with access to 21st Century high paying jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities and resources they have historically been locked out of in San Francisco.   

Continue to involve Freedom West Homes’ active participation and input (centered on resident agency) in the overall project’s programming and design.

As a component of the 40‐ year economic sustainability plan above, the Freedom West nonprofit cooperative will participate in the financial upside of the market rate portion of the development through a 15% net profit sharing agreement with MacFarlane Partners, the master developer. This innovative approach to equitable development positions the community residents at the center of the opportunity to participate in the financial upside of the revitalization of the four city blocks.

We Welcome Your Feedback

We welcome and encourage feedback and question (positive and constructive) from the public on any portion of the Freedom West 2.0 revitalization plan.

Please submit your feedback and/or questions through the comments box here.  We read every single entry.

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