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
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.
Co-Op Building Pictured Above / Senior Building Pictured Below
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
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 >
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
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
October 2021
10/01 – Second quarterly community webinar held
10/01 – Revamped website to include broader messaging
November 2021
December 2021
February 2022
02/22 – Freedom West 2.0 Half-Day Stakeholder Convening
March 2022
April 2022
May 2022
June 2022
06/07 – Freedom West Community Outreach Webinar
July 2022
September 2022
December 2022
January 2023
March 2023
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
05/23 – 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
November 2024
11/20 – Parity Zone Symposium 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.