San Francisco co-op born after Black displacement gets $23 million boost for 2,400-home redevelopment

A housing cooperative established to help Black and immigrant families remain in San Francisco after urban renewal displaced residents from the historic Fillmore neighbourhood is moving closer to a major redevelopment. Freedom West Homes has secured a $23 million city subsidy, alongside private financing, for its long-planned transformation into a residential district with nearly 2,400 homes. According to the San Francisco Chronicle and local news outlet SFist, the project is designed to replace ageing buildings while allowing longtime cooperative shareholders to retain their ownership stakes rather than being pushed out by redevelopment.The proposed redevelopment, known as Freedom West 2.0, covers a 10-acre site in San Francisco’s Western Addition. The revised plan calls for nearly 2,400 homes, of which 17% would be income-restricted. It also includes a new affordable senior housing building intended to accommodate current residents as the larger project advances in phases. The funding boost marks an important step for a project that has faced financial challenges because of its unusual cooperative ownership structure and the cost of replacing ageing housing.A cooperative born out...