The eight new Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco townhouses at 36 Amber Drive are 100% affordable ownership homes for low-income families, many of whom were from families displaced in the ’70s during San Francisco’s urban renewal. These families invested significant sweat equity in constructing their own future homes under Habitat’s model.

History of the site: Maria Kolisch, an activist and long-time San Francisco resident, refused to sell her property to a large developer who wanted to build out the neighborhood with Eichler homes. Her single-family home, situated on a large plot of land, remained unsold in the hope that her land be used to build affordable housing. Years later, her son, Mischa Seligman, donated the land to Habitat for Humanity GSF to make his late mother’s dream a reality. Eight families now live in homes on this land in the beautiful Diamond Heights neighborhood. 

KMA donated a significant proportion of our services, providing design and construction documents, facilitating permitting, and partnering with like-minded consultants. In partnership with Habitat construction management staff, the design aimed for functionality, simplicity of construction, sustainability, durability of systems and materials, and low maintenance. The design incorporates elements of the surrounding Eichler homes to blend in with the neighborhood.

To create the highest sustainability standards, we oriented the roofs to capture sunlight and worked closely with Habitat and GRID Alternatives to locate the rooftop photovoltaic arrays. Other sustainable strategies applied include super-insulated walls, water-saving fixtures, and all-electric/highly efficient mechanical systems and appliances. The result is a building with a net positive energy impact and low utility costs for homeowners. The project is GreenPoint Rated Platinum.

Watch future homeowners and volunteers working together to build these new homes.