Journalism Capstone

Keeping our artists

By Athena Cheris

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Affordability of housing and physical spaces for artists were the top needs surveyed by the San Francisco Arts Commission in their Arts Impact Endowment Survey.

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Via Developing Environments

San Francisco needs artists

"San Francisco has obviously been a city that has been defined by artists since its inception. We're known for being the weird, funky, cool city, and that is because of the artists that live here and have worked here for a long time. We need artists in order to be San Francisco."

- Melanie Matthewson, legislative aide to Supervisor Mandelman

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Developing Environments on 540 Alabama Street is San Francisco's oldest continuously operating artists' residence. Founded by artists squatting in an old warehouse, the building's owner, Ken Royce, gave them their first lease instead of evicting them. Over the past 50 years, this space has not only housed artists, but provided incubator spaces for local programs like San Francisco Art & Film for Teenagers, gallery walks, and more. The city designated Developing Environments as a legacy business in 2023 to honor the community's artistic contributions to San Francisco

Via Developing Environments

Artists Hub on Market is a project started by Randall Kline, the founder of SFJazz, which aims to introduce more affordable housing for artists in San Francisco. The building broke ground at 1687 Market Street in February 2026 and construction is expected to last another two years. This proposed 17-story structure would provide the city with 102 rental units and a black box theater. To qualify for this housing, prospective artists would need to be certified by the city through a certification program introduced in November 2025.

Via Noah Christman