Living in Mission Bay (San Francisco, Avalon: short sales, real estate, rentals)

[andyadhi01]

Hi, this is a question to anyone who might be living in the Mission Bay area. I currently live in inner sunset and like the area except for the weather and highway access problems. I am considering a move to Mission Bay near the AT&T park and wondering if you can tell me about living in the area:

1. How is the condo market doing in this area? There are lots of new developments in the area but are they selling well? Are the prices going down?

2. Do you go out of the neighborhood a lot? This area has very limited grocery/restaurant options and there is not much street life here compared to many other neighborhoods in SF. Do you feel like you are missing out by living in this somewhat isolated area?

3. Parts of Mission bay along the Mission Creek has problems with really foul smell from the sewage treatment plant? Does it bother you a lot and if so how frequently does this happen?

4. Do you get lot of noise from Caltrain and the 280 freeway ramps?

5. If you buy a condo do you get your own earthquake insurance or is it usually included in the HOA? How much do typically pay for condo insurance in this area?

6. Why are rents so high in this area? Is it because these are new developments? It just seems you can live in much nicer neighborhoods in SF for the same rent? Is there any particular appeal to this area that I am missing? I can see it is great for commuters but is there anything else?

[mini_cute]

Hi andyadhi, lol- I can't believe you are posting on here with legitimate questions instead of criticisms about SF! Anyway, I live in Mission Bay and here are my answers:

1. Condo market seems very good here, particularly in certain buildings like Arterra. Prices have gone down during the downturn like everywhere else, but seems like there is keen competition for the desirable units. But beware of Beacon - I heard that one has short sales up the wazoo because most buyers there had bought at the height of the market. Since this is a redevelopment area which will continue to grow and UCSF will eventually be moving their entire campus here, many people think there is a lot of upside for return on investment in the long term.

2. I go out in the neighborhood a lot I guess. Depends on what you mean by a lot. It has everything I need at a minimum. The grocery stores which serve the area are Safeway - the closest one, Wholefoods, Trader Joes. Also, there is a weekly farmers market in Mission Bay at the UCSF campus. And the Ferry Building farmers market is not too far. There are some restaurants here which range from mediocre to pretty good. Lots of people have commented on how we live near good restaurants although I personally don't think it is quite to that level. There are some bars nearby and I guess occasionally you can see intoxicated young people walking on the street at night, but for the most part, this is a pretty sober and quiet neighborhood at night and when there isn't a Giant's game. Nightclubs in SOMA are not too far if you are into that. Library very close by. You already know about the baseball park. Lots of places to walk around like the path next to the creek, park, and nearby embarcadero. Great access to the freeway and public transport like the Caltrain station and the new Mission Bay shuttle. I don't feel isolated from the rest of the city, but in fact feel lucky I live here. I come home to a clean, less congested, and relatively quiet part of SF even though it is still pretty close to things. Downtown and Union Square is a 30 minute walk. If I need to get across town, I just hop in my car. But I rarely like to go all the way across town since I feel very comfortable here. Plus it is sunnier and warmer than other parts of SF.

3. You will smell the sewage somewhat while walking down Berry street and especially closer to the 4th street intersection. It can be more intense sometimes than others. I personally don't think it is strong enough to bother me. Sometimes you can smell a weird smell coming from the creek- like a mix of saltwater, ocean and perhaps sewage. People comment on how the smell is most intense after rain.

4. Yes, many condo buildings have issues with idling noises from the Caltrain. We got lucky and happen to live in a unit that the noise from the trains and the freeway are very faint so I think it is possible to find particular units which are quieter. Visitors are always surprised at how quiet it actually is. When looking at condos in this area, make sure to pay attention to the noise level in individual units. Any light noises you hear when you are looking at a potential place to buy will only become more noticeable and annoying once you actually live there. Some condos are not built so well and do not insulate as effectively to keep the noise out- plus where they are positioned in the building makes a huge difference. Some of the condos we looked at had really bad noise levels so I think the variability in noise levels can range from really bad to not really a problem at all.

5. We have the building insurance through the HOA which last I checked does not cover earthquake. We did not get insurance to cover the inside of our condo. We do reside in a liquefaction zone. However, new developments are built to strict building codes and they are constructed with steel beams that are driven down into the bedrock.

6. I am not sure about the rent levels- my guess is that they are high because they are marketed as luxury rentals with lots of amenities. For instance, I think Avalon has indoor basketball, ping pong, and rock climbing facilities in addition to the usual gym etc. Also, I personally think Mission Bay is one of the nicest parts of SF. It is sterile in comparison to other parts and does not really have a "San Francisco feel" to it. It is just something else - very clean, contemporary incorporating the latest in urban planning and design. Other parts of SF are more established and seem more connected to the past with their historic buildings and what not (which I also appreciate)- while Mission Bay is more future oriented. I think it is very livable here because of that.

[andyadhi01]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts mini_cute.

I think Mission Bay is going to look very different 10 years down the line and will be one of the most important hub of biomedical research/biotech in the world. That is my main reason of being interested in the area.

I like the fact that it is new but that also makes it very different from rest of SF. It does not have the organic growth like other parts of the city. But to be fair, Mission bay for the most part is cheaper (for buying) and its good value. I just wish they had more mixed use development and more greenery! I also wish they make the streets more bike friendly in this area because the area is flat and very amenable to bike commuting. I also noticed that most restaurants in the SOMA/Mission bay area is significantly more expensive compared to those in sunset/mission/haight but not necessarily have better food. So you pay more for the 'upscale' factor but not necessarily for quality.

UCSF is actually not relocating their entire campus in MB. But they are building a lot of new labs and hospitals here. There are also more construction in the old UCSF campus.

[mini_cute]

Originally Posted by andyadhi01

Thanks for sharing your thoughts mini_cute.

I think Mission Bay is going to look very different 10 years down the line and will be one of the most important hub of biomedical research/biotech in the world. That is my main reason of being interested in the area.

I like the fact that it is new but that also makes it very different from rest of SF. It does not have the organic growth like other parts of the city. But to be fair, Mission bay for the most part is cheaper (for buying) and its good value. I just wish they had more mixed use development and more greenery! I also wish they make the streets more bike friendly in this area because the area is flat and very amenable to bike commuting. I also noticed that most restaurants in the SOMA/Mission bay area is significantly more expensive compared to those in sunset/mission/haight but not necessarily have better food. So you pay more for the 'upscale' factor but not necessarily for quality.

UCSF is actually not relocating their entire campus in MB. But they are building a lot of new labs and hospitals here. There are also more construction in the old UCSF campus.

Yeah, it will be an important biotech hub for sure. With UCSF and the new hospital there it cannot lose in this. I think Mission Bay is definitly a good value for the money, relatively speaking. That is why we chose to buy here and we like newer neighborhoods so for us it was like getting a discount on something we prefer anyway. As for mixed use development- I think there is plenty of it but rather more like many of the retail spaces are still vacant. They plan to further the mixed used development around the area and include a clustering of retail on 3rd street. I think there is already a good amount of greenery for what has been built so far and at completion will have 41 acres of public open space. They could use more bike lanes, but that is in the works as well. All of these are addressed in their master plan. They really address some of the gripes about city living- making sure there are plenty of new parks, height restrictions on buildings, mixed use etc. Here is a link with info about it:

Redevelopment Agency : Mission Bay

Also check out info on nearby Mission Rock:

Mission Rock Plan Approved, Now More Open About Warriors Arena : Megaproject : Curbed SF

[mayorhaggar]

It's kind of a sterile yuppie zone but if you are into that then it's all good.

Potrero Hill and Dogpatch are pretty close and are funkier and more typical San Francisco neighborhoods and aren't very crowded, also they have some good restaurants. They're a little desolate though and are rather gritty.

Also there is a Safeway near the ball park, I think around the corner from the Caltrain station actually.

[Air_1]

I was considering moving to that location, but not anymore. I took a walk around the area to see what it's like. It's convenient to everything and quiet, but the odor from the sewage treatment plant is overwhelming. I can't believe anyone would live there. Who knows what health effects might occur after long term exposure to toxins in air.

[bmw335xi]

I have a friend that lives in Mission Bay and loves it. Rent and real estate prices are going up quite fast. Demand is very high. I like Mission Bay because it's basically the only clean, new, modern area of San Francisco.