In this YouTube video, former lawyer and current San Francisco‑Marin real‑estate agent Austin Klar presents a ranked list of his five favorite new‑construction condo developments in San Francisco for 2024. He introduces each building, detailing its developer, architect, unit mix, square‑footage ranges, price points, HOA fees, and standout amenities, while also noting location benefits, commuter access, and construction or sales timelines. The properties covered are: (5) 988 Harrison in SoMa – a mixed‑use tower with 90 condos, rooftop deck, courtyard, and 7,000 sq ft of retail; (4) Maison Pacific on Nob Hill – 53 units with attended lobby, roof deck, and views from the Presidio to the Golden Gate; (3) The Belvedere in Cow Hollow – a 28‑unit boutique building with high‑end finishes, rooftop, and panoramic city views; (2) Yerba Buena Island – a massive 147‑acre master‑planned community featuring the Bristol condo tower, townhomes, flats, custom homes, and an Island Club with extensive amenities, plus subsidized ferry service; (1) 1 Stewart Lane on the Embarcadero – a LEED‑Gold 120‑unit limestone‑glass tower with floor‑to‑ceiling windows, luxury finishes, a double‑height lobby, full‑size gym, valet, EV charging, and high HOA and Mello‑Roos fees. Throughout, Klar emphasizes value propositions, compares pricing and amenities, and repeatedly encourages viewers to subscribe, follow his social channels, consult his New Developments Guide, and contact him directly for personalized assistance. He concludes by naming Yerba Buena Island as his top pick, citing its unique combination of finishes, amenities, park space, and views.
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If you're thinking about moving to the Bay Area and amenities or security are important to you, then you need to know about these new construction developments that are newly opened or coming soon to San Francisco. I'm Austin Klar, your lawyer turned real estate agent in San Francisco and Marin County. And there are so many different amenity buildings in San Francisco, it's hard to keep them straight and figure out how they stack up against each other. There are several that have just opened or are coming soon to the area, developed by some of the Bay Area's best construction firms, best architects, best designers, And in this video, I ranked 5 of my favorites so you can see how they stack up against each other. Let's get right to it, starting with number 5. Kicking it off with number 5 is 988 Harrison in San Francisco's SoMa district. This is a mixed-use building, a welcome addition to the San Francisco housing stack, as it is replacing a vacant gas station. The developer, JS Sullivan, has done a number of buildings throughout San Francisco, including the next one on my list that I'm gonna talk about in a couple of minutes. And this one at 988 Harrison is no different. It looks awesome. The residential space consists of 90 condos, a mix of studios, 1, 2, and 3-bedroom units. There will be parking for 24 cars and separate bike parking spaces. And residents will have access to a number of great amenities, including a beautiful courtyard and rooftop deck, perfect for enjoying that awesome SoMa weather, which is among the best weather you can find in San Francisco. And its location makes it ideal for commuters, whether you're commuting to the South Bay or you work in the financial district or in the tech hub of Mission Bay and other parts of SoMa. Incredibly flat all around, very easy to walk around, quick drive to wherever you're going to need to go. In addition to that, In addition to housing, there will be about 7,000 square feet of retail at the lower level, which will hopefully bring some great businesses and a lot of much-needed foot traffic to that area. Construction is ongoing and sales are anticipated to begin later this year. Next up on the list is a building that actually opened in 2023, but still has new units being built and coming to market in 2024. It's the other JS Sullivan developed property on this list, Maison Pacific. The 53-unit building sitting on the corner of Polk and Pacific in Nob Hill has units with a very wide range of sizes from a little over 600 square feet at the smallest to over 2,000 square feet at the largest for the penthouse units. Units range from studios to 3 bedrooms, and some of them have an extra den space. Amenities at Mason Pacific include an attended lobby, which is a blessing in the city. It is great for security, not only to let people in, but to accept packages when you're not home so you don't have packages waiting outside or stacking up in a public mailroom. There's also a roof deck with multiple seating areas and barbecue pits, perfect for taking in the incredible views all the way from the Presidio to the Golden Gate Bridge and the bay. RG Architecture is also behind the design of this one, and while the finishes aren't quite as high-end as the ones than the ones that I'm about to talk about on my list. They are still beautiful wood floors, panel-ready appliances, near floor-to-ceiling glass windows letting in a ton of natural light, and incredibly perfect for those west-facing units that capture those incredible views. One-bedroom units start in the low $800K range, and two-bedroom units range from the mid to high $1 million, and penthouses go way north of that. HOA fees are also relatively reasonable in the area for new construction, starting at about $600 a month and going up in size. Really not that bad when you consider it's an attended lobby in an elevator building. Typically those types of buildings will start at around north of $1,000 a month. So both from a sale price perspective and an HOA fee perspective, really great entry price for new construction on the northern end of San Francisco. And if you want to learn more about where the best values are in San Francisco or Marin County, or how other buildings stack up against each other, or how neighborhoods compare to each other, make sure to subscribe to my channel because I make a ton of videos about all that stuff. Don't forget to also check out my Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts for short-form versions of all of this. I also post a ton about coming soon and current different events as well as do a number of different property tours throughout the area. So back to number 3 on the list is the Belvedere in Cow Hollow. Officially launched earlier this year, the Belvedere at 2525 Van Ness is a 28-unit boutique condo building consisting solely of 2 and 3-bedroom units, and the finishes and amenities there are among the best you're going to find in San Francisco. March Capital Management developed the property and Handel Architects is responsible for the design. They also designed one of my other favorite buildings in the city, Union House, that opened in 2020 just down the street from the Belvedere, as well as a number of different projects throughout the city. The Belvedere fully completed yet, but units have started to come online and more will come online over the course of this year. Pricing starts at just under $1.5 million for 2-bedroom units, which is incredibly competitive for new construction, especially on the northern end of San Francisco in an amenity building. And they'll go north of there up to over $4 million for penthouse units that aren't on the market just yet. Not only are prices relatively reasonable for new construction in Cow Hollow and in other high-end areas of San Francisco, the HOAs are reasonable as well. They'll start at just under $1,000 a month and go up from there. Amenities of the Belvedere include a beautiful attended lobby as well as a gorgeous rooftop, one of the best you're going to find in San Francisco. Incredible panoramic views of Pacific Heights to the south, sweeping all the way across the Presidio to the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco Bay. And you're going to get those same views from a lot of the units in the building as well on the west side of the building. Most of the units feature a private patio or a balcony. Some of the units feature a full yard, and a handful of the units also come with an extra den space that you can use as an extra bedroom or an office or flex space. The stone choices throughout all of these units are absolutely gorgeous. Beautiful quartzite and marble panel-ready Miele appliances with Waterworks hardware throughout. For everything that you get with these units at the price point, it is truly one of the best value propositions for new construction in San Francisco. And if all that weren't enough, I think the location is probably the best amenity of all of them. You're walking distance to the shops on Union Street and Chestnut Street in Cow Hollow and Marina, respectively. You're a short walk to Hyde Street in Russian Hill with great restaurants, and you're a really short drive to Fillmore Street and Sacramento Street in Pacific and Presidio Heights, as well as incredible landmarks and parks like the Presidio, Fort Mason, and the Golden Gate Bridge and Palace of Fine Arts. You're also a short walk to the North Waterfront and a quick drive over to the Marina Green. It is an incredible location. You will not be disappointed living there. And one of the objections I hear a lot about people looking at that building is that it's right on Van Ness. First of all, triple-pane windows. If you're on the Van Ness side, you do not hear a thing. Second of all, if you're on the west side, you definitely aren't hearing anything. Third of all, it is a relatively less busy part of Van Ness compared to other parts of Van Ness. It's more south of the city. So don't let the address scare you. It is definitely worth a visit so you can experience how peaceful it really is in person. Now for number 2 on my list is Yerba Buena Island, which I think is the most ambitious residential development going on in San Francisco right now. It's a 147-acre island. 266 separate units are being built on the island, and it's not just condos. There's a 124-unit condo complex that's already selling called the Bristol. It's actually the fastest selling building in all of San Francisco. On top of that are a series of townhomes, which are multi-level row houses. Each with their own garage private entrance. And then there are what are being called the Flats, which are single-level condos that take up either a half floor or full floor in a 7 to 9 unit building, depending on which building you're in. The townhomes have just released this year with more coming soon. The Flats are expected to start coming to market later this year. Condos at the Bristol feature beautiful stone and Miele appliances, while the townhomes and the Flats feature gorgeous marble and Wolf and Sub-Zero panel-ready appliances. Every unit has triple-pane windows. It is incredibly serene when you're in those units. You would never know that you are actually really close to the Bay Bridge. In addition to townhomes, flats, and the condos, there are also a few select custom estate homes, some of which are being built by Aidlin Darling, which is one of the premier architecture and design firms in the country. There's also going to be a private club called the Island Club, also designed by architecture firm Aidlin Darling, and it is going to have every single amenity you could possibly want. Private dining, lounge spaces, pool, spa, sauna, fitness center, massage room, steam room, game room. So many awesome amenities. And on top of that, the Bristol itself also has a set of amenities including a beautiful rooftop which you can rent out for private events, as well as a fitness center and children's play area. There's also a massive open courtyard at the Bristol with a 25-foot-tall magnolia tree. It is gorgeous. So the whole area, the island is stacked with amenities, and part of the HOA fee actually goes to subsidizing ferry service so you can get to San Francisco in under 10 minutes without driving. At the Bristol, studios are available starting at just shy of $600,000, and 3-bedroom units go all the way up to just about $3 million. HOAs range between $1,400 to about $1,700 a month. Townhomes start just shy of $3 million, and pricing hasn't haven't yet been released for the flats, but expect them to start around $5 million. I love everything they have going on at Yerba Buena Island. You have to experience it in person to understand the true scale and total epicness of everything that they're building. It is absolutely gorgeous. The views are incredible. Go see it in person and let me know what you think in the comments. I've also got an entire in-depth tour of the entire island and all the property types that they're building out there, all the amenity spaces. Go check that as well. I'll link that at the top of the description. And now for number 1 on my list, 1 Stewart Lane on San Francisco's Embarcadero. The building's been around for a couple years, but several of the units are still coming on the market for the first time. It is located on San Francisco's most iconic waterfront, and the LEED Gold certified 120-unit building has some of the most beautiful finishes you are going to find in any building in San Francisco, including most single-family homes. The 20-floor tower is made entirely of limestone and glass, and every unit features true floor-to-ceiling windows, so the views are unobstructed of the San Francisco waterfront and the Bay Bridge. Those windows also give you some of the best natural light from south and east-facing views you can possibly get in the city. The units are outfitted with gorgeous marble panel-ready everything, Gaggenau appliances. Every appliance is touch-to-open. There's no hardware on any of the appliances, so it's a very sleek, modern, elegant feel. And if the living spaces weren't enough, the amenities here are absolutely A-plus, next level. The moment you walk into the attended double-height lobby, you know you are about to see something very special. The resident lounge is massive, huge kitchen, dining space, outdoor terrace with incredible views, and the fitness here rivals most actual gyms. It is not a tiny little gym like you see in a lot of different amenity buildings. A full gym. It has massage jet showers, dry sauna, massage room, steam room, you name it, it's got it. The building also comes with 24-hour valet, EV charging, porter service, and storage spaces. Now, with amenity spaces like this, you are going to be paying a hefty price tag. HOAs, even for the smallest units there, start at over $2,500 a month. And on top of that, the building is subject to a Mello-Roos tax of $9 per square foot, which adds at least another $10,000 a year to your bill. So by no means is it an affordable building. And as far as sale prices go, You know, one bedrooms start at around $1 million and three-bedroom units there can go north of $8 million. It is incredibly expensive, but that's what you pay for A+ amenities and views that literally you are not going to be able to find in other buildings in San Francisco. If you want to learn more about new developments in San Francisco, then head to the link in the description below and check out my new developments guide. It'll tell you everything about coming soon developments and how they stack up against each other across a variety of different categories. And if you want to know what my favorite of all of these are, it's Yerba Buena Island. I think what they're doing there is just so unique and so special. It's the combination of the finishes there and the amenity spaces there, along with the open park spaces combined with the views. It is next level, unlike anything you're going to get in San Francisco proper. You have to check it out and definitely check out the full tour that I made that I linked in the description below. And if you're still having trouble deciding which buildings or which neighborhoods are right for you, definitely reach out to me. My contact information is in the description below as well. I will personally answer every text, call, email, and I would be happy to be a resource for you. And until then, I'll see you in the next video.
