PROJECT OF THE YEAR: RESORT/LUXURY HIGH-RISE
Avalon at Mission Bay
When you’re the first at anything, there’s always an added pressure. That’s what confronted AvalonBay Communities Inc. as it developed plans for the Avalon at Mission Bay in San Francisco. In this cosmopolitan city, real estate is at a premium. But there was one largely vacant area in the city, called Mission Bay, which had been a warehouse and services employment location. “Nowhere else in the country was there that amount of land sitting adjacent to a major downtown area,” says Steve Wilson, senior vice president of development for AvalonBay, which is based in Alexandria, Va.
Spurred by the construction of SBC Park, the San Francisco Giants’ new baseball stadium, Mission Bay was on its way to becoming the place to be in the Bay area. The Avalon at Mission Bay would be the first residential development project in the area, though others have since opened. The company didn’t take this opportunity lightly. “We wanted to create a building with a presence of its own,” Wilson says.
AvalonBay did that by using exterior geometry with glass and metal, dramatic corner angles, and sleek exterior facades to create a very modern look. Balconies protrude from each unit and offer breathtaking views of the San Francisco skyline and the bay.
Creating the bold exterior wasn’t the only challenging part. AvalonBay also wanted a personable interior that would entice people to pay average rents of about $2,500 a month. Inside the units, residents found hardwood floors, granite counters, and scaled architecture. “The finish package is condo-quality,” Wilson says.
Then there are the amenities. Outside of the neighborhood elements, like the ballpark and restaurants, the building has a state-of-the-art fitness center, a 24-hour lounge (complete with a pool, kitchen, and outdoor terrace), 24-hour concierge service, dry-cleaning, a plant service, and wireless hotspots. All of these touches have paid off for AvalonBay: Right now, the building is at a 97 percent occupancy level. “It has level of service you don’t see everyday in a rental building,” Wilson says. “It’s hotel-quality service.”
–Les Shaver
Avalon at Mission Bay
Location: San Francisco; Developer: AvalonBay Communities Inc.; Opened: January 2003; Units: 250; Average Rent: $2,500; Unit Mix: Studios, one-, two-, and three-bedrooms; Cool Stuff: Major League Baseball stadium within walking distance and 24-hour concierge service