A proposal to replace the San Francisco Tennis Club with a multi-use office complex that would include a fitness center and a smaller tennis offering is on hold.
Developers TMG Partners and Alexandria Real Estate Equities withdrew a preliminary project assessment application submitted to the San Francisco Planning Department on Sept. 15, though city planners expect an application to be resubmitted by the end of the year, according to the San Francisco Examiner.
The Bay Club Co., San Francisco, which owns the club, directed questions regarding the application to TMG Partners and Alexandria Real Estate Equities. TMG Partners and Alexandria Real Estate Equities did not immediately respond to a Club Industry request seeking comment for this story.
The Sept. 15 preliminary project assessment application called for the 24-court club to be replaced with a 377,000-square-foot, five-story office complex on the 114,048-square-foot lot in the south of Market neighborhood. The plan was one of several the company received from developers, the Bay Club Co. told Club Industry in September.
Bay Club spokesperson Alex Tourk said the move to develop the club site is consistent with the city's plans to add housing and office space in the neighborhood, according to a statement in an October San Francisco Chronicle report. The Bay Club planned to "expand its recreation footprint within San Francisco and throughout California" with proceeds from the property's sale, Tourk told the Chronicle.
The Bay Club Co. told members in a Sept. 21 letter that the tennis club would remain operational through at least July 2017, according to the Examiner.
The existing club, which was built in 1974, has 12 indoor and 12 rooftop tennis courts and a club level with a gym and café. Some members had stated opposition to the plan. Members also opposed a plan in 2007 to build a condominium tower on the site. That project was eventually dropped.
In October, San Francisco Tennis Club supporters formed a non-profit group with the backing of former San Francisco Mayor Art Agnos. The 200-plus members of SOS STC 2.0 opposed the Sept. 15 plan, according the Chronicle.
The Tennis Club is one of four clubs in the Bay Club's San Francisco campus. The Bay Club is exploring locations for a new tennis club, including the Palace of Fine Arts and land owned by the Port of San Francisco, according to the Chronicle.
The Bay Club Co. ranks No. 9 on the Club Industry Top 100 Clubs of 2015.