After seven years, developers have dropped plans to build a long-awaited six-story apartment complex at the site of a shuttered car wash on the corner of Divisadero Street and Oak Street.

Since 2015, Texas-based developer Genesis Living was working through the planning process to transform the Touchless Car Wash into a 186-unit apartment complex with ground-level retail shops along Divisadero. Sadly those plans are now dead for the foreseeable future.

District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston has said that his office is “actively engaged to do everything possible to secure this site for 100 percent affordable housing.”  

According to Supervisor Preston, in February of this year his team became aware that the property was being marketed, and immediately began engaging with nonprofit developers, the property owner, and other stakeholders about potentially acquiring the site for a 100% affordable housing development.

With plans for 186 units of housing now abandoned, the neighborhood is now left with a blighted lot that has become a magnet for tagging. The ongoing vandalism of the lot is certainly not helpful to the Divisadero corridor which has been struggling to grow economic activity and attract patrons back to the businesses. In contrast, other merchant corridors around the city have expereinced an economic boom with more people working from home and frequenting thier local businesses.

Residents of the neighborhood must come together to demand that something be done elected leaders to activate this lot in a productive way until housing can be built. The neighborhood must also demand that more resources be allocated to the Divisadero corridor for regular cleaning and graffitti adatement.

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