by Vanguard Staff
SAN FRANCISCO — In a recent San Francisco Chronicle op-ed, UC College of the Law San Francisco Chief Operating Officer Rhiannon Bailard and architect Anders Carpenter argued that the city’s housing crisis requires creative, cross-institutional solutions. They pointed to the school’s Academic Village project as a replicable model, writing that San Francisco doesn’t have to choose between affordability, neighborhood vitality and economic resilience — it can and must build all three.
The Academic Village, located at the nexus of the Tenderloin, Civic Center and Mid-Market, represents a new approach to housing development. It brings together universities, hospitals, nonprofit organizations and other anchor institutions to co-develop affordable housing for students, faculty and staff. Proponents say the model reduces competition in the broader housing market, supports the city’s workforce and stabilizes neighborhoods often marginalized in public policy debates.
The project originated from community opposition to a proposed parking garage more than 20 years ago. Local residents argued that the school should build housing instead, and that conflict reshaped UC Law SF’s relationship with the neighborhood. Since then, the institution has worked to strengthen its ties with the Tenderloin while expanding its physical presence. That history laid the groundwork for the Academic Village, which opened its first building, Academe 198, in 2023.
Academe 198 includes 656 units, 85 percent of which are already occupied. The housing serves students and employees from multiple Bay Area institutions, including UC Davis, the University of San Francisco and the University of the Pacific’s Dugoni School of Dentistry. The next phase, a seismic upgrade and renovation of the historic McAllister Tower, is expected to add another 280 beds by 2027.
The project’s housing options are varied, reflecting the needs of San Francisco’s diverse student population. In addition to traditional dorms, the development includes suite-style accommodations and larger apartments for families. Bailard and Carpenter noted that many community college and undergraduate students are already part of the city’s workforce, and their housing needs to extend beyond single-room occupancy.
The financial structure behind the Academic Village combines state appropriations, lease-revenue bonds, tax-exempt debt, project revenues and federal historic preservation tax credits. Units at Academe 198 rent between 10 and 25 percent below market rates and come fully furnished with utilities included, a feature intended to ensure affordability for early-career professionals and students.
Bailard and Carpenter described the project not simply as a real estate venture but as a pilot program demonstrating that anchor institutions do not have to “go it alone” in tackling housing shortages. They argue that pooling resources allows institutions to absorb risk more effectively, act faster and deliver affordability at scale — an approach that could be extended to other sectors.
They also called for expanding the model beyond higher education to mission-driven employers such as hospitals, school districts, cultural organizations and unions. These groups, they suggested, could co-develop housing with private or nonprofit developers using tools like public land contributions, shared operating agreements and pooled capital. Regulatory streamlining, zoning allowances and access to public funding could incentivize collaboration across sectors.
The op-ed pointed to other possibilities, including employer consortia or union-led developments. For example, a coalition of hospitality businesses could invest jointly in affordable housing for workers near transit. Housing trusts might organize around workforce tiers rather than traditional tenancy, offering amenities tailored to residents at different stages of life.
Bailard and Carpenter acknowledged that the Academic Village alone cannot solve San Francisco’s housing crisis, but they argued it demonstrates a scalable model for how to think differently about development. They concluded that the city’s challenge is not whether to balance affordability with community and economic resilience, but how to pursue all three priorities at once.
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