Power Station Block 7B – Sophie Maxwell Building
The Sophie Maxwell Building provides 105 permanently affordable workforce housing apartments for San Francisco’s “Missing Middle” residents at Power Station, in the historic Dogpatch neighborhood. Block 7B is the first completed building in the development, which will transform the site of a decommissioned power station into a vibrant waterfront community.
The design of the Sophie Maxwell building honors the industrial quality of the historic site and was designed alongside a collaborative group of architects and designers including UCSF’s groundbreaking new proton-laser therapy center across the street at Block 2, designed by Herzog & de Meuron with Stantec and high-rise residential Block 7A, designed by Foster + Partners. The two residential buildings share a mid-block passageway and courtyard, complementing one another while each maintaining their own architectural vocabulary, with Sophie Maxwell’s mid-rise massing informed by its corner location.
The LEED Gold certified building’s mixed-use ground floor features a retail storefront, co-working space, and building amenities. The generous roof deck provides a place to gather, build community, and enjoy unparalleled views to the waterfront, bay, and the city. The unit mix includes studios, one- and two-bedroom units focused on providing a modern, elevated residential experience for essential workers and a diverse workforce crucial to the operations and success of the city, who are often priced-out of market rate housing and ineligible for subsidized housing.
The Power Station will be a place for Dogpatch residents and all San Franciscans to reconnect with the Central Waterfront, drawing people to a place of arrival at an active, urban water's edge. It will be a neighborhood alive with places to live, work, shop, and enjoy culture. A series of open spaces will offer opportunities for active recreation and passive contemplation.
Fifth Space financed this development with no soft debt or public funding sources, instead using MOHCD’s new “recycled bond” program which recaptures previously issued tax exempt bonds with early payoff and borrows against the recycled volume cap to fund a new project. With a focus on cost containment, the project’s construction costs were 20% less than a typical state funded affordable housing project in San Francisco while still maximizing value to the community and residents.
The building is named in honor of Sophie Maxwell, former District 10 Supervisor, a community leader, advocate, and visionary. Her dedication to decommissioning the powerplant and reclamation of land for the people who call this neighborhood home helped shaped the future of the Power Station. Several works of art by Cheyanne Concepion, including “Future Heirlooms” in the building entry and “Stacked Earth” at the elevators honor Sophie’s lasting impact and the spirit of progress she inspired.
