The Jewish Home is proposing to upgrade our existing campus. We will broaden our services by building several new, modern facilities, removing structures that have reached the end of their useful life, and maintaining other structures that continue to serve our residents and allow us to implement our future plans.

We will continue to offer short-stay rehabilitation, an acute care psychiatric hospital, and skilled nursing. We will also provide licensed residential assisted living units, memory care, and an innovative array of senior-oriented services to support seniors and their caregivers who reside in their own homes, called The Square. The Square’s offerings will assist seniors in their ability to age in place by remaining in their own homes for as long as possible and appropriate. We will continue to serve all people, Jews and non-Jews alike.

Posted: April 22, 2015

Our goal is to thoughtfully respond to the changing needs of senior adults and their families/caregivers. We want to develop a continuum of care that will be economically sustainable and viable for generations to come, as well as serve a broader range of individuals than we do currently. As with other faith-based providers that serve older adults, we are faced with: (1) aging physical plants; (2) new regulatory and licensure demands; (3) increasingly reduced federal and state-funded programs; (4) new challenges in integrated health-delivery systems; and 5) a confusing array of health maintenance organization (HMO) options. The range, scale, costs, and complexity of chronic care are overwhelming to individuals, their families and caregivers, and therefore require community systems and responses. We seek to provide a model of services, care, and supporting facilities that are sensitive to these realities.

This diverse mix of uses will contribute to an improved overall fiscal health of the Jewish Home. Thus, the Jewish Home will not be forced to rely extensively on unstable and diminishing public funding to honor its mission and its ongoing community commitments – charitable and otherwise – to the frail and vulnerable elderly.

Posted: April 22, 2015

Currently, on any given day, we provide care and services for approximately 374 residents. Our expanded Silver Avenue campus will enable us to accommodate approximately 245 new residents in licensed residential living units. Beyond this, we also expect to serve as many as 200 non-residents, who will be daytime users of the many services offered in or by The Square, and potentially an additional 25 adults in adult day programming (which may include memory loss programs for seniors). All in all, when our reconfigured campus is complete, we could look after 619 residents and 225 non-residents on a day-to-day basis.

Posted: April 22, 2015Revised: May 28, 2015

The Jewish Home has begun the preparatory work (e.g., internal infrastructure rerouting and departmental relocations) to ready the project for construction. This work began in the existing buildings during June and is anticipated to end in November. After the preparatory work is completed, the main building and its wings will be removed. It is anticipated that its removal will start near the end of 2016. Pursuant to the removal of this building, new construction will commence at the very end of 2016, with most of the construction activity starting in early 2017.

Posted: April 22, 2015Revised: July 11, 2016

Yes. While we will be changing the mix of services we provide on campus, our mission to enhance the quality of life for older adults remains unchanged. We intend to create a contemporary continuum of high quality, innovative, and compassionate care that will be accessible and attractive to a broad cross-section of older adults that will be unrivaled in the Bay Area. We will continue to provide skilled nursing, short-stay rehab, and an acute care psychiatric hospital, but will now also provide licensed residential living units that will allow seniors to age in place, as well as offer day-use of our facilities.

Posted: April 22, 2015

The Jewish Home has been a proud resident of the Excelsior, at this location, since the early 1900s. Over the years, our buildings and infrastructure have regularly evolved or been replaced to meet the changing needs of the aging population. This particular project is an important stage in that evolution. It is our intent and goal to stay on this site for generations to come. Of course, we will continue to evolve to meet the needs of the aging population. There are currently no plans for the remaining parcel of land on Silver Avenue/Mission Street.

Posted: April 22, 2015

The Jewish Home values its relationship with the neighboring community. The project will include public retail and we will be developing The Square, a destination for services, support, and community on a day-member basis for a wide range of older adults and their caregivers.

Older adult visitors to The Square, who are members of our facility, will find welcoming residential care facility support services that they will share with residents: clinics; a café; a beauty salon; wellness services; education and entertainment; and the like. Older adults who meet the Jewish Home’s requirements will be eligible to buy membership for The Square’s services and amenities.

Posted: April 22, 2015Revised: March 30, 2018

The Jewish Home will also be investing in the improvement of the street and sidewalk scape along the Mission Street frontage, the corner of Mission and Silver Avenue, and the corner of Mission Street and Avalon Avenue. The improvements will include the addition of new street trees and the widening of the sidewalk to include small plaza areas. The sidewalk improvements along Mission Street will include significant greening and new hardscape, incorporating three public spaces that will be extended from the existing street curb onto the Home’s property at the Silver Avenue/Mission Street plaza area, across from the Tingley Street intersection, and a small plaza space at the corner of Avalon Avenue and Mission Street.

The Jewish Home strives to be a good neighbor and positive member of our community. Our track record of community involvement and associated community benefits are ones of which we are proud. Our list of community benefit initiatives are extensive: Providing exceptional care to frail vulnerable seniors, including charitable support; promoting and protecting the community’s health by advancing and sharing knowledge; collaborating in educational opportunities for adults; engaging in ongoing research to develop new therapies for disorders of aging, diseases of the elderly, and prevention of age-associated diseases; partnering with local high schools that aim to involve youth in their community by encouraging them to fulfill needs in their respective milieus, and with local colleges and universities to host service-learning programs and internships; and serving as a worksite for vulnerable populations.

We currently provide employment to close to 650 employees each year, ranging from skilled labor to executive-level positions, and have served as a major sponsor of the Excelsior Street Festival since its inception. In addition, the Jewish Home has partnered with the Mission Bay Community Church to host a weekly Food Pantry on our campus on Saturday mornings. We will continue to work with local residents and merchants, as we always have.

Posted: April 22, 2015 Revised: October 30, 2015

We estimate that the new square footage will be approximately 265,000 square feet, with the removal of approximately 50,500 square feet of space, netting about 214,500 square feet of additional space.

Posted: April 22, 2015

Our plan is to remove some of our aging, inefficient, and outdated facilities, and replace them with new contemporary structures. These new, modern buildings will allow us to efficiently meet current building code standards, including accessibility, energy, and seismic codes, and also provide interiors that reflect contemporary practices in aging services. The new buildings will result in a net increase of square footage and an increase in permitted height from 50-65 feet on the Avalon Avenue/Mission Street quadrant of the site, with an 80-foot height limit for a small spot just off and set back from Mission Street near the Mission/Tingley Streets intersection.

Posted: April 22, 2015

We have retained a joint venture of Ankrom Moisan and Van Meter Williams Pollack for overall project design. In addition, the Smith Group has been retained for discrete parts of the project that are licensed by the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD).

Posted: April 22, 2015

Yes. Van Meter Williams Pollack is very experienced locally in designing buildings in close proximity to residential neighborhoods, and Ankrom Moisan is a highly experienced urban infill architectural firm. The Owner’s Representative, Joel Roos, of Pacific Union Development Company, who will lead the development effort of the new facility, has developed large-scale complex projects, as well as neighborhood infill projects throughout the City over the last two decades. Furthermore, our construction team has extensive experience building in the City in tight quarters.

Posted: April 22, 2015

The renderings are an artist’s portrayals of the architectural design. The current renderings are based on a schematic level of design. As the architectural documents have progressed, the materials, textures, colors, and details have become more clearly defined. The architectural design has now advanced to the working drawing stage. At the completion of this stage, which is anticipated to be at the end of the summer, new renderings will be developed and posted on the website.

Posted: April 22, 2015Revised: July 11, 2016

At this time, we are analyzing all sustainable options and will be making decisions in the coming months. The Jewish Home plans to implement CalGreen standards in its design per the City’s Green Building Ordinance, which is the equivalent to the LEED Gold standard.

Posted: April 22, 2015

We do not have plans to alter any existing lighting around the campus except in areas where it does not meet the Department of Public Works (DPW) code requirements.

Where new street lights are required by the San Francisco Department of Public Works code, the Jewish Home will be installing them as a part of the project. The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), which manages the street lights, is currently developing a list of City-approved street lights from which the Jewish Home’s design team will select the new fixtures.

Posted: April 22, 2015Revised: July 11, 2016

The proposed new buildings will be on the downhill west side of the campus on Mission Street, Silver Avenue, and a segment of Avalon Avenue. Much of the proposed project will be blocked from almost all vantage points by the existing buildings, which are upslope and will remain. For example, the Goodman, Koret and Friedman buildings, which are upslope from the proposed structures, will stand in front of and block views of our new structures on the downhill side. Thus, views of the new buildings will not occur at several of the houses on Avalon Avenue facing the Jewish Home. However, the construction may result in some homes with altered views. As our plans develop, we will post them on the project section of our website.

Posted: April 22, 2015

We currently have no plans to develop that part of the site. Our proposed plan includes building the new structures in closer proximity to the preexisting buildings. It is difficult for seniors to walk long distances; building on the corner of Mission Street and Silver Avenue would force our residents to walk further or risk being isolated in their respective buildings. We are invested in retaining our parking lot because the new parking we have planned is extremely expensive. Losing any more spaces than are currently in existence is very problematic, as it would be cost-prohibitive to replace them.

Additionally, the Jewish Home is replacing the existing central meeting area with a new hub, an auditorium, and a café. The removal of the main building and the west wing will leave a critical “hole” that must be filled by this new structure. The vertical elevation change from the existing skilled nursing facility structures to a new structure at the corner of Mission Street and Silver Avenue (which is 20 feet) does not lend itself to a community that is connected horizontally. This new horizontal connection will enable our community to function in a complete, integrated way.

Posted: April 22, 2015

No. Each building has its own physical plant and the buildings are not dependent on each other for heating and ventilation. Other utilities, such as the fire alarm system, are common to the facility. The new structures will be fully independent of the existing buildings.

Posted: April 22, 2015

We currently have many on-site medical services. We do not have plans to build an on-site Emergency Room.

Posted: April 22, 2015

Based on the most current refined project budgets, we expect this project to generate about 150 (perhaps up to 175) weekday and weekend full-time and part-time positions, in addition to the many construction jobs. Not only will there be an overwhelming positive impact on the economy in general, but these workers – including those employed by the architects, engineers, and other consultants who are engaged in the project, as well as those in factories and local fabrication shops – will positively impact the Excelsior district’s economy.

Posted: April 22, 2015Revised: July 11, 2016

Yes.

Posted: April 22, 2015

No union positions will be lost as a result of this project. The project will create about 150 (perhaps up to 175) weekday and weekend full-time and part-time positions, and it is intended that the majority of these jobs will be union. These positions are in addition to the construction jobs, which are union jobs.

Posted: April 22, 2015Revised: July 11, 2016

Yes.

Posted: April 22, 2015

Yes. There will be opportunities during construction, as well as after construction is completed.

Posted: April 22, 2015

The Mission Street frontage improvement is a critical component of this project. Throughout the entitlement process, the Jewish Home team worked with community members and City staff to develop the Mission Street frontage in a manner that enhances the project, the street, and this important entrance to the Excelsior district. The City’s Better Streets Plan elements are integrated in the design.

Pursuant to presentations and dialogue with neighborhood groups in 2015, new landscaping at the corner of Mission Street and Silver Avenue will be done. The Jewish Home team will be meeting with our neighbors on Lisbon Street to review options for the species of trees to be placed within the diagonal parking area bordering the Jewish Home and Lisbon Street.

Posted: April 22, 2015Revised: July 11, 2016

The Jewish Home is committed to retaining as many trees as possible and has worked with an arborist to advise us on the preservation of trees where feasible. Several large trees bordering Silver Avenue near Mission Street will be retained. Trees located on the Jewish Home’s campus that lie within the area of construction will be removed.

No alteration to trees bordering Silver Avenue and Lisbon Street are anticipated. The Jewish Home has worked with both the Planning Department and the Bureau of Urban Forestry to ensure that the replanting of trees will exceed the removal of trees on the campus.

Posted: April 22, 2015Revised: July 11, 2016

The Jewish Home is committed to improving the corner of Mission Street and Silver Avenue. It is a critical feature to the Jewish Home and the Excelsior. No buildings will be near the Silver Avenue/Mission Street plaza. The Silver/Mission plaza is not only a visible announcement of the site, but is in many respects an important entrance to the Excelsior. This area will be a critical component of the site plan. The corner bus stop area will be improved as a part of the project. It will likely be improved with trees, new pavers, seating, and improvements to the existing stucco and concrete wall.

Posted: April 22, 2015 Revised: October 30, 2015

We have already begun working with our internal Jewish Home staff to make improvements throughout the grounds. As requested by our neighbors, we have ceased blowing during high pollen seasons and will be including a section on litter reduction in our staff training materials. We are investing significantly in maintenance, clean-up, and upkeep of the trees and landscaping to address both aesthetic and safety concerns. We will also be making a number of landscaping and streetscape improvements as part of the project.

Posted: April 22, 2015Revised: July 11, 2016

At this time, we have not determined the species of trees to be planted. A landscape proposal will be made at a future date, and we will work with the Department of Public Works Urban Foresters and the Friends of the Urban Forest to specify and plant the optimal trees for the location. Our landscape architect will be following San Francisco Ordinance No. 165-95, which regulates the planting, maintenance, and/or removal of trees and landscape material on public sidewalks and rights of way.

Posted: April 22, 2015Revised: July 11, 2016

As a nonprofit organization, the Jewish Home historically loses millions of dollars every year that is made up through community philanthropic giving. Unfortunately, we are not in position to fund new playgrounds or community gardens. However, the Jewish Home will be investing in the improvement of the street and sidewalk scape along the Mission Street frontage, the corner of Mission and Silver Avenue, and the corner of Mission and Avalon Avenue. The improvements will include the addition of new street trees, the widening of the sidewalk, and the creation of small sidewalk plaza areas.

Posted: April 22, 2015

Yes. We are protecting and preserving the fountain.

Posted: April 22, 2015

We will be reducing storm run-off through adherence to Public Utilities Commission system water regulations.

Posted: April 22, 2015

Construction is often noisy and inconvenient. The Jewish Home and its contractor, Cahill, will be mindful of minimizing disruptions and noise whenever possible. Our contractors have worked extensively in San Francisco, and is mindful and cognizant of working around neighbors and in a dense urban environment.

In addition, we will comply with the City’s construction noise standards discussed in Answer E. 4 below.

Posted: April 22, 2015Revised: July 11, 2016

A project of this scale will take between 18 and 22 months to complete.

Posted: April 22, 2015Revised: July 11, 2016

The main building and its wings will be removed. Demolition of the structures should occur in a period of 45–60 days. The geotechnical specifications recommend (simple) grade beams and drilled piers for this project. No piles are specified and no piles will be driven.

Posted: April 22, 2015Revised: July 11, 2016

The San Francisco Noise Ordinance states that construction equipment shall not emit noise in excess of 80 dBA when measured at a distance of 100 feet, or at an equivalent sound level at some other convenient distance. We will be conducting an ambient sound study in order to ascertain the level of natural sound in the area and will implement reduced sound levels during the hours of 10:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m.

Posted: April 22, 2015

Yes. Our community liaison will actively engage neighbors before, during and after we break ground on this project, and we will prominently post a hotline phone number so that any concerned parties can quickly contact the construction team. As we proceed, neighbors are encouraged to contact Jan Reicher at 415.562.2505 or community@jhsf.org with any questions or concerns. We will also provide regular updates on the project via our website.

Posted: April 22, 2015

When construction begins, any immediate concerns can be handled by calling the prominently posted hotline phone number. You can also reach Jan Reicher at 415.562.2505 or community@jhsf.org if you have any concerns. Our team will also have a number that will be prominently posted and can be called during construction.

Posted: April 22, 2015

Consultants of the Jewish Home observed that the drop-off and pick-up location for the Mio Preschool occurs in the metered spaces on Mission Street, in front of the school. As such, we do not anticipate that construction vehicles will interfere with the school’s drop off and pick up, given that the vehicles will be in front of the project site on Mission Street and Avalon Avenue. On concrete pour days, where a continuous line of trucks will be required, common practice – and our intended protocol – is to line up trucks at a remote location. Trucks will be called in by radio as they are needed.

Although we do not expect to interfere with pick up or drop off at any time, in order to minimize the construction–related disruption of the general traffic flow on adjacent streets during the A.M. and P.M. peak periods (and, specifically, to minimize any potential conflict with Mio Preschool’s drop-off and pick-up periods), the Jewish Home has agreed that the construction contractor shall include in the Construction Management Plan methods to discourage truck movements and deliveries from arriving at the project site via Mission Street coming from the west (i.e., from the direction of Ocean Avenue and Geneva Avenue) during peak periods – generally 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., or at other times as determined by SFMTA and its Transportation Advisory Staff Committee. The above-cited morning and afternoon peak hours of limited truck delivery direction coincide with Mio Preschool’s drop-off and pick-up time periods.

Posted: July 13, 2015

There are currently 166 parking spaces on site (including independently accessible and tandem spaces). After construction, there will be a total of 224 parking spaces (including independently accessible, tandem, and stacker spaces). Furthermore, the Jewish Home will be providing valet parking to assist with the use of mechanically assisted parking devices and to manage the tandem spaces. For certain events taking place at the Jewish Home, such as board meetings and holiday events, valet service will also be provided to supplement the on-site parking. Valet service will increase the 224 on-site parking count by approximately 50 spaces.

Posted: April 22, 2015 Revised: October 30, 2015

Our contractor is developing a construction management plan that is to be reviewed by the Department of Building Inspection. The plan will include minimizing and restricting on-street parking for our team and its subcontractors. We will also be leasing additional off-site parking during the entire construction period.

Posted: April 22, 2015Revised: July 11, 2016

The Jewish Home is focused on reducing new vehicle traffic through a Transportation Demand Management plan, which will implement: 1) incentives for employees to ride their bikes to work, car pool, and to take public transit; 2) BART shuttles; 3) enhancement of our public transit bus node at Mission Street and Silver Avenue; and 4) van service for residents and members of The Square and adult day members in order to accommodate both needs and interests.

Posted: April 22, 2015

We will have at least 1,800 square feet of retail on the Mission Street frontage and plan to increase this amount to a total of 4,600 square feet. of retail, provided we can find financially strong retail tenants.

Posted: April 22, 2015Revised: May 28, 2015

We are exploring a number of options and seeking retailer(s) that will provide active uses and that will enhance the southern corner of our property on Mission Street and the retail experience in the Excelsior district.

Posted: April 22, 2015

The Square will be an innovative venue with senior-oriented services to support seniors who reside in their own homes, as well as their caregivers. The Square’s offerings will assist seniors in their ability to remain in their own homes and age in place. Members will be able to come to the Jewish Home to go to the doctor or dentist, get an X-ray, have a bite to eat, sit in on a lecture, exercise, read a book, or play a game in the new great room. Studies show that the second-largest cause of death in the elderly population is depression due to isolation. The Square is a way for us to offer preventative care and help older adults thrive.

Posted: April 22, 2015

We have not yet determined the fee structure for The Square. We will post the fees online as they are developed.

Posted: April 22, 2015Revised: July 11, 2016