SF planning clears Align's 848-unit Marina Safeway tower
A Nov. 6 Planning letter approves the tower ministerially, no hearing and no environmental review, even as a neighbors' federal suit awaits a February hearing.
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San Francisco’s Planning Department has approved Align Real Estate’s 22-story, 848-apartment replacement of the Marina Safeway, according to the San Francisco Standard, which reported a Planning letter to the developer dated Nov. 6. The approval is ministerial under AB 2011, a 2022 state law under which qualifying housing is approved without a hearing or CEQA review.
Why it matters
The approval follows our Nov. 2 report on the federal lawsuit aimed at the same project. The site is zoned for 40 feet, and Mayor Daniel Lurie’s Family Zoning plan, which supervisors approved on Dec. 2, 2025, kept that limit. The Standard reports Align filed a preliminary application under state law before the rezoning took effect, which locked in the earlier rules. For developers across San Francisco, it is a live example of state streamlining overriding local height limits on a large waterfront site.
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The numbers
Setting aside 86 apartments for low-income households earned a 49.3% density bonus under California law, which the Standard reports let the project waive the 40-foot limit. The plan includes a new 63,000-square-foot Safeway on the ground floor, more than 20,000 square feet larger than the current store. Per the Standard, planners acknowledged possible added shadow over Marina Green and Fort Mason and judged it not significant. Supervisor Stephen Sherrill and some neighbors challenged the project’s streamlining eligibility, and the Standard reports Planning staff reviewed and rejected those claims.
What’s next
Per the Standard, Align may now seek permits to demolish the store and dig out the site; no construction timeline has been reported. Neighbors sued the city, Align and PG&E in federal court in September, alleging violations of a federal hazardous-waste law and denial of due process. Those are allegations, and Align’s attorneys have moved to dismiss. A hearing before U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín is set for February. Align did not respond to the Standard’s request for comment.
Quick answers
- What is the latest on Align Real Estate in San Francisco Bay Area?
- San Francisco Planning cleared Align Real Estate's 22-story, 848-apartment Marina Safeway project under AB 2011, with a federal suit still pending.
- What are the key numbers for Align Real Estate?
- units approved: 848; stories: 22; low-income units: 86; density bonus: 49.3%.
- Where does the information on Align Real Estate come from?
- The story cites San Francisco Standard.
On the record
The project's 86 low-income units earned a 49.3% state density bonus, which the Standard reports let it waive the site's 40-foot height limit.
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