PROS: The Homes on Esprit Park is airy, comfortable, and features an energy efficient green design. The access from freeway is easy.
CONS: The South end of the building overlooks an unsightly rooftop of an industrial building.
BOTTOM LINE: Homes on Esprit Park is spacious and is ideal for families.

Overview

Nearly 3 years in the making, Homes on Esprit Park has evolved from a commercial winery and warehouse with history dating from the 19th century to a modern new homes complex with over 25 differentfloor plans (includes reverse plans). The new home community consists of two main buildings: North Court and South Court. Esprit Park sits next to North Court and is as large as the homesite and has plenty of grass and trees for a stroll with your dog or a game of frisbee.

The building has been rebuilt with a steel frame with South Court preserving the brick and timber feel and North Court featuring all new construction. Homes on Esprit Park have been designed with energy-efficiency in mind including tankless water heaters, radiant heated floors, and maximum light/air exposures. The light switches are also controlled by dimmers but does not include a motion sensor to turn off lights after a specified time. Large patios, decks or terraces are included in over 80% of the residences. Unlike Union by Palisades, Homes on Esprit Park doesn’t intrude the living space with exposed support beams.

Amenities

HOA dues are in the low $500s for a 2-bedroom and mid $600s for a 3-bedroom and include garbage and fire insurance. For the price, you get a media room, gym, and full size storage lockers. One parking spot is assigned for 2-bedroom homes and 2 spots for 3-bedrooms. Additional parking is available for sale. In addition, City Car Share spots are planned.

Buying Advice

Homes on Esprit Park includes a lot of features that would be an additional cost or unavailable in other new homes. Features such as radiant heated floors, tankless water heaters, and outdoor living space don’t come cheap and would need extensive renovation in an existing home. A recent 18% price reduction makes the homes a bit more appetizing and worth considering as a family oriented living space.

Community Info

Priced from $1M to $2.4M.
1517 sq.ft. to 2994 sq.ft.
HOA from $521 to $646.
76 units in phase 1 and 67 units in phase 2 .
25+ floorplans (includes reverse plans).
5 floors.
1 parking spot for 3-bed, 2 for 3 bed with option to buy more.
Developer’s website.

Location

Homes on Esprit Park
887 Indiana St.
San Francisco, CA 94110

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PROS: Quiet San Francisco neighborhood but within earshot of the heart of the Mission and Potrero. Easy access to BART and commuter friendly; low HOA; extra storage available in the garage.
CONS: Elements of a converted warehouse stick out where you least expect it.
BOTTOM LINE: A fairly priced home whose design and style fits right in with the location of the community.

Overview

The corner of 20th St. and Bryant St. is barely within the borders of the lively Mission district of San Francisco and is home to one of the newest communities developed by Palisades. While it may not feel like the typical Mission neighborhood, you’ll find plenty of entertainment and food within a few minutes of walking, including Blowfish Sushi across the street and Coffee Bar at Mariposa St. and Florida St.

Union sits just two blocks west of Potrero Ave. and is sold in two phases — the brick and timber Union North and the traditional townhome styled Union South. Prospective buyers of Union have a choice of one to three bedroom floorplans and a good selection of different styles depending on the building choice.

Union South

Of the 76 total new construction homes, the townhome and flat styled Union South have the most traditional look and feel. Some of the bedrooms in the model homes of Union South feel small. All other living areas are comfortably spaced. The kitchen, dining, and living room are all enclosed within an entertainment friendly square shape. The dining area is large enough to accommodate a 4-person dining table with chairs. The adjacent kitchen even includes an office nook — great for surfing the web while making a pot of coffee. Home theater buffs will be relieved that the living room contains a wall that is large enough for a complete home theater system, including projector screen over 100 plus inches.

You’ll find some of the nicest upgrades at Union. Walnut wood flooring blankets the first floor and carpet covers the second floor and staircases. It would have been nice for Palisades to install wood throughout the home since it is easier to clean but we understand that carpet is superior in absorbing noise and is easier and safer to walk on. Dark wood veneer cabinetry from Brookside is installed in the kitchenn. Ann Sacks tiles covers the kitchen backsplash and bathroom flooring and surrounds. The soaking tub and shower head is bigger and appears much nicer than that seen in Lennar’s Blu.

The refrigerator and 4-unit gas burning range is by Viking. The island in the middle of the kitchen doubles as a bar and is highly mobile because it sits on casters. Countertops are white marble slabs from Carrera. Kohler fixtures and soaking tub are featured in the bathrooms. Sprinkled throughout the home are large concrete columns. It is necessary for structural support but takes away from the aesthetics of a room and robs precious floor space from the bedroom. For the master bedroom, separate closets for two people are available.

Parking is available in the garage and access is conveniently located in between Union South and North. You get one parking spot per residence with the option of increasing it by purchasing from the 12 extra spots at $35,000 each. Street parking is also available on Bryant St. but is prohibited on Fridays from midnight until morning because of street cleaning. So, warn your friends and family if they are staying over late.

Union North

As the name implies, Union North sits adjacent to Union South and is priced at least $40,000 more affordable. Only 23 units have been built for sale. This brick and timber building looks like an abandoned warehouse from the outside but opens up to an eclectic mix of interiors on the inside. The floors, cabinets, appliances, and countertops are identical to Union South. The difference here is the extensive brickwork for the walls and a lot of uncovered air ducts, water pipes, and electrical lines. You will also see plenty of support and cross beams.

The ceilings are very high in Union North but extra stair climbing is needed to walk up to the second floor because of the multiple long stairs. In case you get lost, a skylight in the ceiling above the second flight of stairs helps to illuminate your path. On the second floor, you get large windows and an outdoor balcony large enough for lounge chairs and extra storage. The balcony runs the length of the bedroom but is only about 95% private because a dark divider separates your balcony from your neighbor’s. By they way, the master bathroom is only single sinked.

Amenities

Amenities are sparse but the HOA dues start at a reasonable $450 for a 2-bedroom and include a fire pit and shared BBQ. Extra storage is available in the garage and can be bought for $10,000. For the extra cost, you gain an additional storage space sized at 4.5′ W x 5.5′ L x 10′ H.