Waxxy
@laura-waxmann.bsky.social
Business reporter for San Francisco Chronicle: Real estate, development, downtown, San Francisco things. Formerly with SF Business Times; SF Examiner; Mission Local; El Tecolote.
💌 laura.waxmann@sfchronicle.com
💌 laura.waxmann@sfchronicle.com
NEW: $1B lawsuit over troubled #SanFrancisco Shipyard cleanup may end with just $1,200 payout for each resident.
@sfchronicle.com
#sanfrancisco #realestate #housing #navy #tetratech
@sfchronicle.com
#sanfrancisco #realestate #housing #navy #tetratech
$1B S.F. shipyard lawsuit may end with just $1,200 payout for each resident
After previous attempts to settle a lawsuit over the shipyard cleanup collapsed, a judge must now decide if a slightly better offer is enough for a community that’s waited years for restitution.
www.sfchronicle.com
November 25, 2025 at 7:20 PM
NEW: $1B lawsuit over troubled #SanFrancisco Shipyard cleanup may end with just $1,200 payout for each resident.
@sfchronicle.com
#sanfrancisco #realestate #housing #navy #tetratech
@sfchronicle.com
#sanfrancisco #realestate #housing #navy #tetratech
JUST IN: Anthropic is in talks for decade+ lease for a vacant building near Salesforce Park.
Most new leases by nascent AI startups have been short-term, so Anthropic's pending deal would be a big sign of confidence for AI & SF's struggling office market.
@sfchronicle.com
Most new leases by nascent AI startups have been short-term, so Anthropic's pending deal would be a big sign of confidence for AI & SF's struggling office market.
@sfchronicle.com
Tech titan Anthropic in discussions to take over entire building in downtown S.F.
Anthropic’s real estate moves suggest the company is creating a corporate campus near San Francisco’s Salesforce Park.
www.sfchronicle.com
November 20, 2025 at 10:16 PM
JUST IN: Anthropic is in talks for decade+ lease for a vacant building near Salesforce Park.
Most new leases by nascent AI startups have been short-term, so Anthropic's pending deal would be a big sign of confidence for AI & SF's struggling office market.
@sfchronicle.com
Most new leases by nascent AI startups have been short-term, so Anthropic's pending deal would be a big sign of confidence for AI & SF's struggling office market.
@sfchronicle.com
Exclusive: Known for steep narrow streets & storybook cottages, Bernal Heights has resisted change for decades.
Now, a plan for 370 homes at a #Safeway site on the flats below Bernal’s western slope could usher in major transformation.
#sanfrancisco #realestate @sfchronicle.com
Now, a plan for 370 homes at a #Safeway site on the flats below Bernal’s western slope could usher in major transformation.
#sanfrancisco #realestate @sfchronicle.com
Exclusive: Affluent S.F. neighborhood targeted as developer plans to turn Safeways into housing
A developer’s ongoing plan to build housing at San Francisco Safeway sites now includes adding 370 homes and a new enlarged grocery store in an affluent district where property values have soared.
www.sfchronicle.com
November 19, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Exclusive: Known for steep narrow streets & storybook cottages, Bernal Heights has resisted change for decades.
Now, a plan for 370 homes at a #Safeway site on the flats below Bernal’s western slope could usher in major transformation.
#sanfrancisco #realestate @sfchronicle.com
Now, a plan for 370 homes at a #Safeway site on the flats below Bernal’s western slope could usher in major transformation.
#sanfrancisco #realestate @sfchronicle.com
Exclusive: Safeway is slated to shutter its store near #SanFrancisco's Ocean Beach temporarily as developers plan to build a major housing complex anchored by the grocer in its place. @sfchronicle.com
Exclusive: Safeway near S.F.’s Ocean Beach faces short term closure, developer plans housing complex
The Safeway would temporarily close so the project could bring a total of 526 new homes spread across two, eight-story buildings to a neighborhood that has seen little new housing in recent...
www.sfchronicle.com
November 18, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Exclusive: Safeway is slated to shutter its store near #SanFrancisco's Ocean Beach temporarily as developers plan to build a major housing complex anchored by the grocer in its place. @sfchronicle.com
For weeks, San Francisco residents and officials have been slamming the Navy for waiting nearly a year to disclose that a radioactive heavy metal was found the former Shipyard.
On Monday evening, Navy officials took a rare step during a heated community meeting: They apologized.
@sfchronicle.com
On Monday evening, Navy officials took a rare step during a heated community meeting: They apologized.
@sfchronicle.com
Navy apologizes for delaying disclosure of radioactive material at S.F.’s Hunters Point Shipyard
Community members who have asked for transparency in a Shipyard cleanup already marked by distrust said the Navy had failed them again.
www.sfchronicle.com
November 18, 2025 at 4:50 PM
For weeks, San Francisco residents and officials have been slamming the Navy for waiting nearly a year to disclose that a radioactive heavy metal was found the former Shipyard.
On Monday evening, Navy officials took a rare step during a heated community meeting: They apologized.
@sfchronicle.com
On Monday evening, Navy officials took a rare step during a heated community meeting: They apologized.
@sfchronicle.com
A legal dispute between the ownership group of San Francisco’s Transamerica Pyramid & a private club that was supposed to fill the iconic building’s first floors reached new heights, with claims that investments into group’s holdings were used to fund their “lavish” lifestyles.
@sfchronicle.com
@sfchronicle.com
Transamerica Pyramid owners hit with RICO allegations for funding ‘lavish’ lifestyles via investments
A legal dispute between the ownership group of San Francisco’s Transamerica Pyramid and a members-only club that was supposed to fill the building’s first three floors has reached new heights.
www.sfchronicle.com
November 13, 2025 at 5:14 PM
A legal dispute between the ownership group of San Francisco’s Transamerica Pyramid & a private club that was supposed to fill the iconic building’s first floors reached new heights, with claims that investments into group’s holdings were used to fund their “lavish” lifestyles.
@sfchronicle.com
@sfchronicle.com
San Francisco’s largest shopping mall is now under bank ownership after years of financial turmoil and a retail exodus, with lenders now moving to sell the struggling downtown property through a newly hired real estate brokerage.
@sfchronicle.com
@sfchronicle.com
S.F.’s struggling downtown mall has new owners. Here’s what we know
San Francisco’s largest shopping mall is now under bank ownership after years of financial turmoil and a retail exodus, with lenders now moving to sell it through a newly hired real estate...
www.sfchronicle.com
November 13, 2025 at 5:11 PM
San Francisco’s largest shopping mall is now under bank ownership after years of financial turmoil and a retail exodus, with lenders now moving to sell the struggling downtown property through a newly hired real estate brokerage.
@sfchronicle.com
@sfchronicle.com
“A ballroom can be in any city—but if you’re bringing people to #SanFrancisco and you’re already paying that premium, you might as well bring people to a space that has that unique San Francisco character.”
@sfchronicle.com
@sfchronicle.com
This former S.F. church has been a school and a ‘Hack Temple.’ Its next phase is more focused
The Mission Revival-style church that sits atop the Broadway tunnel at 906 Broadway served as a parish and later a schoolhouse, before a Russian oligarch turned it into a “Hack Temple.”
www.sfchronicle.com
November 11, 2025 at 4:23 PM
“A ballroom can be in any city—but if you’re bringing people to #SanFrancisco and you’re already paying that premium, you might as well bring people to a space that has that unique San Francisco character.”
@sfchronicle.com
@sfchronicle.com
Reposted by Waxxy
Exclusive: Massive housing plan would bring 1,800 units to site of abandoned S.F. Safeway—A new proposal to redevelop an abandoned Safeway in San Francisco’s Western Addition would… www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/s... @laura-waxmann.bsky.social @sfchronicle.com
Exclusive: Massive housing plan would bring 1,800 units to site of abandoned S.F. Safeway
The plan could deliver a building 30 stories stories tall that would stand on a 500-stall underground parking garage, providing secured parking for shoppers and residents of the new development.
www.sfchronicle.com
November 10, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Exclusive: Massive housing plan would bring 1,800 units to site of abandoned S.F. Safeway—A new proposal to redevelop an abandoned Safeway in San Francisco’s Western Addition would… www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/s... @laura-waxmann.bsky.social @sfchronicle.com
NEW: #SanFrancisco Shipyard community members say Navy’s credibility took another hit this week when a report, covering the same period airborne radioactive material was detected but making no mention of it, surfaced.
@sfchronicle.com
@sfchronicle.com
‘Navy has broken the trust’: Shipyard residents wary after report of airborne plutonium
Some residents are rethinking their commitment to the Hunters Point neighborhood, after news that the Navy detected radioactive material but did not disclose it for close to a year.
www.sfchronicle.com
November 7, 2025 at 4:40 PM
NEW: #SanFrancisco Shipyard community members say Navy’s credibility took another hit this week when a report, covering the same period airborne radioactive material was detected but making no mention of it, surfaced.
@sfchronicle.com
@sfchronicle.com
Exclusive: One of the Bay Area's most experienced developers is targeting what is viewed as the centerpiece of the #SanFrancisco Union Square shopping district’s decline and potential comeback: The massive Macy's flagship department store.
@sfchronicle.com
@sfchronicle.com
Exclusive: Macy’s to develop its flagship S.F. store. Could the iconic property become housing?
This also means there is still no closing date for the downtown Macy’s, which became a stark symbol of downtown San Francisco’s post-pandemic struggles.
www.sfchronicle.com
November 4, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Exclusive: One of the Bay Area's most experienced developers is targeting what is viewed as the centerpiece of the #SanFrancisco Union Square shopping district’s decline and potential comeback: The massive Macy's flagship department store.
@sfchronicle.com
@sfchronicle.com
Reposted by Waxxy
Alarming levels of ‘airborne’ radioactive materials detected at former Navy shipyard in S.F.—The Navy operated at the shipyard from 1945 to 1974 and is responsible for cleaning the 500-acre shipyard… www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/h... @laura-waxmann.bsky.social @sfchronicle.com
Alarming levels of ‘airborne’ radioactive materials detected at former Navy shipyard in S.F.
Alarmingly high levels of plutonium-239 have been detected at San Francisco’s long troubled former Hunters Point Shipyard, prompting warnings to community groups about the contamination threat.
www.sfchronicle.com
November 1, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Alarming levels of ‘airborne’ radioactive materials detected at former Navy shipyard in S.F.—The Navy operated at the shipyard from 1945 to 1974 and is responsible for cleaning the 500-acre shipyard… www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/h... @laura-waxmann.bsky.social @sfchronicle.com
In #SanFrancisco's North Beach, espresso bars and old jazz clubs still echo city’s bohemian past.
New rules could soon change what types of businesses call the storied neighborhood home—stirring both hopes of renewal and fears about losing what has long made it special.
@sfchronicle.com
New rules could soon change what types of businesses call the storied neighborhood home—stirring both hopes of renewal and fears about losing what has long made it special.
@sfchronicle.com
San Francisco’s North Beach divided over proposal to loosen zoning rules
The legislation would, among other things, expand the types of commercial uses allowed in North Beach and permit the merging of small storefronts into larger retail spaces.
www.sfchronicle.com
October 28, 2025 at 3:26 PM
In #SanFrancisco's North Beach, espresso bars and old jazz clubs still echo city’s bohemian past.
New rules could soon change what types of businesses call the storied neighborhood home—stirring both hopes of renewal and fears about losing what has long made it special.
@sfchronicle.com
New rules could soon change what types of businesses call the storied neighborhood home—stirring both hopes of renewal and fears about losing what has long made it special.
@sfchronicle.com
Reposted by Waxxy
One of S.F.’s trophy towers is for sale. It could reset the city’s high-end real estate market—San Francisco’s office market has been hammered by high vacancies and fire-sale prices, with several towers… www.sfchronicle.com/realestate/a... @laura-waxmann.bsky.social @sfchronicle.com
One of S.F.’s trophy towers is for sale. It could reset the city’s high-end real estate market
San Francsisco’s last trophy tower to hit the market was the iconic Transamerica Pyramid. Could this prestigious building near the Embarcadero be next?
www.sfchronicle.com
September 24, 2025 at 9:58 PM
One of S.F.’s trophy towers is for sale. It could reset the city’s high-end real estate market—San Francisco’s office market has been hammered by high vacancies and fire-sale prices, with several towers… www.sfchronicle.com/realestate/a... @laura-waxmann.bsky.social @sfchronicle.com
Reposted by Waxxy
Even AI’s biggest champions worry we’re in a bubble. What does it mean for S.F.?—The city has endured three major crashes in the past three decades and each time emerged changed — yet still as home to… www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/e... @laura-waxmann.bsky.social @sfchronicle.com
Even AI’s biggest champions worry we’re in a bubble. What does it mean for S.F.?
The question isn’t whether an AI bubble is about to burst, but how San Francisco will handle what comes next, and what the city will become because of it.
www.sfchronicle.com
October 14, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Even AI’s biggest champions worry we’re in a bubble. What does it mean for S.F.?—The city has endured three major crashes in the past three decades and each time emerged changed — yet still as home to… www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/e... @laura-waxmann.bsky.social @sfchronicle.com
#SanFrancisco’s slumping commercial real estate market just hit a new milestone: One of its most coveted office towers is for sale.
Could it be a strategic move rather than a commentary on the state of the city? Are even so-called “trophies” no longer immune to distress?
@sfchronicle.com
Could it be a strategic move rather than a commentary on the state of the city? Are even so-called “trophies” no longer immune to distress?
@sfchronicle.com
One of S.F.’s trophy towers is for sale. It could reset the city’s high-end real estate market
San Francsisco’s last trophy tower to hit the market was the iconic Transamerica Pyramid. Could this prestigious building near the Embarcadero be next?
www.sfchronicle.com
September 24, 2025 at 9:45 PM
#SanFrancisco’s slumping commercial real estate market just hit a new milestone: One of its most coveted office towers is for sale.
Could it be a strategic move rather than a commentary on the state of the city? Are even so-called “trophies” no longer immune to distress?
@sfchronicle.com
Could it be a strategic move rather than a commentary on the state of the city? Are even so-called “trophies” no longer immune to distress?
@sfchronicle.com
More than a year after stirring plenty of backlash with his secretive purchase of a cluster of buildings in Pacific Heights, tech investor Neil Mehta is revealing more about his pending revitalization plan for the #sanfrancisco neighborhood.
@sfchronicle.com
@sfchronicle.com
Details emerge for the plan to revitalize this historic S.F. movie theater
After stirring backlash with his purchase of a cluster of aging buildings in Pacific Heights, a tech investor is revealing more about his revitalization plans for the neighborhood and its theater.
www.sfchronicle.com
September 24, 2025 at 12:32 AM
More than a year after stirring plenty of backlash with his secretive purchase of a cluster of buildings in Pacific Heights, tech investor Neil Mehta is revealing more about his pending revitalization plan for the #sanfrancisco neighborhood.
@sfchronicle.com
@sfchronicle.com
Exclusive: After raising a staggering $13B this month, Anthropic
appears to be spending a portion of its unfathomable funding on growing its downtown #SanFrancisco headquarters.
Here's the scoop👇
@sfchronicle.com
www.sfchronicle.com/realestate/a...
appears to be spending a portion of its unfathomable funding on growing its downtown #SanFrancisco headquarters.
Here's the scoop👇
@sfchronicle.com
www.sfchronicle.com/realestate/a...
Exclusive: Growing tech firm Anthropic expands S.F. presence with large office lease in SoMa
The move comes weeks after Anthropic, a front runner in the artificial intelligence arms race, raised a staggering $13 billion and tripled its valuation.
www.sfchronicle.com
September 22, 2025 at 9:21 PM
Exclusive: After raising a staggering $13B this month, Anthropic
appears to be spending a portion of its unfathomable funding on growing its downtown #SanFrancisco headquarters.
Here's the scoop👇
@sfchronicle.com
www.sfchronicle.com/realestate/a...
appears to be spending a portion of its unfathomable funding on growing its downtown #SanFrancisco headquarters.
Here's the scoop👇
@sfchronicle.com
www.sfchronicle.com/realestate/a...
Scoop: Belvedere, the exclusive enclave perched on Marin County’s Tiburon Peninsula, is known for its low-key luxury and sweeping views of the Golden Gate Bridge — but rarely for a surprise home buying blitz from a buyer that few saw coming.
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shorturl.at/SiB7t
@sfchronicle.com
shorturl.at/SiB7t
Apple iPhone designer’s latest real estate move: Buying blitz on ultra-exclusive Bay Area island
A high-profile buyer no one saw coming surprised real estate agents with his massive purchase on this ultra-exclusive island enclave just across the bay from San Francisco.
shorturl.at
September 19, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Scoop: Belvedere, the exclusive enclave perched on Marin County’s Tiburon Peninsula, is known for its low-key luxury and sweeping views of the Golden Gate Bridge — but rarely for a surprise home buying blitz from a buyer that few saw coming.
@sfchronicle.com
shorturl.at/SiB7t
@sfchronicle.com
shorturl.at/SiB7t
Scoop: The former head of New York City's Housing Authority has been pulled into another high-stakes mission—steering millions of $$$ in private investment toward projects aimed at bringing #SanFrancisco’s downtown back to life.
@sfchronicle.com
@sfchronicle.com
Exclusive: Downtown S.F. revitalization funding group to be led by affordable housing executive
An East Coast native will lead the new privately funded San Francisco Downtown Development Corporation, tasked with raising money to revive the city’s struggling core.
www.sfchronicle.com
September 17, 2025 at 3:19 PM
Scoop: The former head of New York City's Housing Authority has been pulled into another high-stakes mission—steering millions of $$$ in private investment toward projects aimed at bringing #SanFrancisco’s downtown back to life.
@sfchronicle.com
@sfchronicle.com
Scoop: Another day, another change of (development) plans in #SanFrancisco.
Kilroy Realty Corp. is revising its stalled office campus project planned at former Flower Market site in Central SoMa—3.5K+ homes are possible instead. But so are other uses.
www.sfchronicle.com/realestate/a...
Kilroy Realty Corp. is revising its stalled office campus project planned at former Flower Market site in Central SoMa—3.5K+ homes are possible instead. But so are other uses.
www.sfchronicle.com/realestate/a...
Exclusive: Developer revives long-stalled S.F. megaproject with thousands of homes, offices in mix
A developer is seeking to reboot its 2 million-square-foot office campus in San Francisco’s Central SoMa neighborhood — with mixes of housing, office, lab and institutional space on the table.
www.sfchronicle.com
September 13, 2025 at 10:17 PM
Scoop: Another day, another change of (development) plans in #SanFrancisco.
Kilroy Realty Corp. is revising its stalled office campus project planned at former Flower Market site in Central SoMa—3.5K+ homes are possible instead. But so are other uses.
www.sfchronicle.com/realestate/a...
Kilroy Realty Corp. is revising its stalled office campus project planned at former Flower Market site in Central SoMa—3.5K+ homes are possible instead. But so are other uses.
www.sfchronicle.com/realestate/a...
Scoop: In #SanFrancisco, where Waymos and other self-driving cars have become a familiar sight on city streets, DoorDash is quietly working to open first facility for testing deliveries by autonomous drones.
@sfchronicle.com
@sfchronicle.com
Exclusive: Your S.F. DoorDash order could soon be delivered by drone
DoorDash has leased a San Francisco warehouse where it plans to test autonomous flying drones that can go 65 miles per hour while carrying the equivalent of a six-pack of beer.
sfchronicle.com
September 10, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Scoop: In #SanFrancisco, where Waymos and other self-driving cars have become a familiar sight on city streets, DoorDash is quietly working to open first facility for testing deliveries by autonomous drones.
@sfchronicle.com
@sfchronicle.com
"It’s going to be a super risky bet for somebody. But it’s still one of the best sites in the city.”
Exclusive: Downtown #SanFrancisco's most troubled development could see reboot as buyer emerges.
@sfchronicle.com
shorturl.at/4vO6J
Exclusive: Downtown #SanFrancisco's most troubled development could see reboot as buyer emerges.
@sfchronicle.com
shorturl.at/4vO6J
Exclusive: Unfinished S.F. development was left as a gaping hole. Is a skyscraper next?
Despite sitting unattended for years, this notorious hole in downtown San Francisco remains “one of the best sites in the city,” according to developers.
shorturl.at
September 8, 2025 at 3:03 PM
"It’s going to be a super risky bet for somebody. But it’s still one of the best sites in the city.”
Exclusive: Downtown #SanFrancisco's most troubled development could see reboot as buyer emerges.
@sfchronicle.com
shorturl.at/4vO6J
Exclusive: Downtown #SanFrancisco's most troubled development could see reboot as buyer emerges.
@sfchronicle.com
shorturl.at/4vO6J
NEW: The directors of a #SanFrancisco arts nonprofit w/deep ties to former Mayor London Breed resigned this month, leaving at a pivotal moment for a Black cultural hub that has faced scrutiny over its handling of city funding.
@sfchronicle.com
@sfchronicle.com
Leaders of S.F. nonprofit with ties to former Mayor London Breed resign amid audit
Melonie and Melorra Green, the co-directors of the African American Arts and Culture Complex, or AAACC, stepped down Aug. 15 after eight years leading the organization.
www.sfchronicle.com
August 29, 2025 at 8:54 PM
NEW: The directors of a #SanFrancisco arts nonprofit w/deep ties to former Mayor London Breed resigned this month, leaving at a pivotal moment for a Black cultural hub that has faced scrutiny over its handling of city funding.
@sfchronicle.com
@sfchronicle.com
Reposted by Waxxy
S.F. Chinatown was on the verge of getting a new housing tower. But the plans are now in peril—“It doesn't make sense,” said Donald Luu, president of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. “They have a mandate for us… www.sfchronicle.com/realestate/a... @laura-waxmann.bsky.social @sfchronicle.com
S.F. Chinatown was on the verge of getting a new housing tower. But the plans are now in peril
The project would deliver 175 affordable homes and be the first new housing built in the heart of the iconic neighborhood in two decades.
www.sfchronicle.com
August 28, 2025 at 2:54 PM
S.F. Chinatown was on the verge of getting a new housing tower. But the plans are now in peril—“It doesn't make sense,” said Donald Luu, president of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. “They have a mandate for us… www.sfchronicle.com/realestate/a... @laura-waxmann.bsky.social @sfchronicle.com