This Week's Top Stories

election

With November Election Weeks Away, SoMa's 49% Sales-Tax Collapse Becomes the Defining Issue of the District 6 Race

A stark data divide — SoMa revenues still near half their 2019 level while neighboring Mission Bay has grown — frames the contest between Supervisor Matt Dorsey and challenger Alex Behrend.

The November 3 Board of Supervisors race for District 6 has sharpened around a striking economic reality: SoMa and Mission Bay, side-by-side neighborhoods in the same supervisorial district, are on sharply divergent post-pandemic trajectories. According to city controller data reported this week by Mission Local, SoMa generated roughly $9.4 million in sales-tax revenue in 2025 — down from about $18.5 million in 2019, a decline of approximately 49 percent.

affordable housing

Mission Bay's 398-Unit Affordable Housing Towers Get Building Permits, Clearing Path to Construction

The city issued permits this week for both phases of Mission Bay Block 4 East — a 16-story and a 23-story tower along 3rd Street — bringing nearly 400 income-restricted apartments closer to reality.

San Francisco issued building permits for both phases of the Mission Bay Block 4 East affordable housing development on October 5, according to reporting by SF YIMBY and Hoodline. The project, developed jointly by Curtis Development and Bayview Senior Services, will rise on a one-acre site along 3rd Street between Mission Rock Street and China Basin Street, directly across from the Third Street light rail line.

housing

Long-Stalled 'Lake SoMa' Site Has a Groundbreaking Target: New Renderings Show a 21-Story, 273-Unit Tower

Updated designs and an estimated 2027 groundbreaking were published this week for 360 5th Street, the notorious water-filled excavation pit that sat abandoned for years between Clara and Shipley streets.

Fresh renderings and a projected groundbreaking date emerged this week for 360 5th Street, the South of Market site neighbors long mocked as "Lake SoMa" after a prior developer abandoned a half-dug foundation in 2020, leaving it to fill with standing water. SF YIMBY reported on October 7 that developers DM Development and Thompson Builders have published updated designs for a 21-story, 273-unit residential tower and expect to break ground as early as next year.

Upcoming Events

Friday, October 9

Mission Rock Fall Friday Night Movies: 'Inside Out' at China Basin Park

📍 China Basin Park, 1 China Basin Park, Mission Bay · 6:30 PM · Verify · Funcheap SF

Saturday, October 17

Bay Area Science Festival at UCSF Mission Bay

📍 UCSF Mission Bay Campus, Koret Quad, San Francisco · 11:00 AM–4:00 PM · Verify · Bay Area Science Festival / UCSF

Saturday, October 17

Mission Bay Harvest Festival at SPARK Social SF

📍 SPARK Social SF, 601 Mission Bay Blvd North, Mission Bay · 4:00 PM–9:00 PM · Verify · Funcheap SF

Tuesday, October 20

SoMa West CBD Annual Board Meeting & Election

📍 1066 Howard Street, SoMa (in person only) · 6:00 PM · Verify · SoMa West Community Benefit District

More from the Community

Treasure Island's $222M Water Recycling Plant Nearing Completion as Commissioning Phase Approaches

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission's new Treasure Island Water Resource Recovery Facility is in the final stretch of a three-year construction effort, with an end-of-2026 completion target.

SoMa West CBD Expands Community Safety Patrols Into Neighborhood Alleys

The SoMa West Community Benefit District recently published a blog post describing an expansion of its community-based safety patrol program into the alleys of western SoMa, following the district's ongoing effort —…

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