Looking for Information about the South Beach (Marina, Nice: HOA, condos)

[Devon011]

Hi,
I am a long time lurker and newer resident to SF. I looked at a condo to purchase which is located in South Beach and I wanted to know more about the area.

[HappyinCali]

Originally Posted by FireSmurf

Hi,
I am a long time lurker and newer resident to SF. I looked at a condo to purchase which is located in South Beach and I wanted to know more about the area.

Mostly new construction and Industrial stuff. Not my favorite place in the city (in fact, I literally never go there), but if you are north of 80, it is close enough to walk to the areas where there is stuff happening, and if you are south of 80, there is a bunch of stuff around AT&T. A lot of young people live there, mostly in the tech industry. It is easy to get onto 280, if you need to commute, but traffic could be very bad on King St during Giants' games, which is 80+ days of the year. I *think* the corner of 4th & Townsend and the surrounding areas are kind of cool.

Overall, at least to me, it has no SF feeling. No cute, unique houses, just a lot of new condos, mixed in with industrial buildings, warehouses, and upscale restaurants. However, a lot of people love it and prefer the new construction and the young vibe of it. If you are into jogging, it is hard to beat a long jog along the embarcadero. The parks in the area are mostly small.

Also, a lot of homeless.

It could have phenomenal views of the bay, depending on where you are.

[Devon011]

Originally Posted by HappyinCali

Mostly new construction and Industrial stuff. Not my favorite place in the city (in fact, I literally never go there), but if you are north of 80, it is close enough to walk to the areas where there is stuff happening, and if you are south of 80, there is a bunch of stuff around AT&T. A lot of young people live there, mostly in the tech industry. It is easy to get onto 280, if you need to commute, but traffic could be very bad on King St during Giants' games, which is 80+ days of the year. I *think* the corner of 4th & Townsend and the surrounding areas are kind of cool.

Overall, at least to me, it has no SF feeling. No cute, unique houses, just a lot of new condos, mixed in with industrial buildings, warehouses, and upscale restaurants. However, a lot of people love it and prefer the new construction and the young vibe of it. If you are into jogging, it is hard to beat a long jog along the embarcadero. The parks in the area are mostly small.

Also, a lot of homeless.

It could have phenomenal views of the bay, depending on where you are.

Thanks for your reply. When I was walking around I did get the feeling it is new construction and Industrial. The condo located on Minna St. I did notice some homeless around.

One of the selling points that the Realtor said was a young vibe and great for jogging. How would you rate the crime level around the area? I'm accustomed to city life so I do expect some crime.

[gsw510]

There's probably some crime, but it shouldn't be much of a big deal because that area has been constantly getting revamped and gentrified

[Retire in MB]

Go there at various times of the day and evening and see how you feel about it.

[Devon011]

Originally Posted by gsw510

There's probably some crime, but it shouldn't be much of a big deal because that area has been constantly getting revamped and gentrified

Thanks for your reply. It is sounding like I don't have anything to worry about

[Devon011]

Originally Posted by Retire in MB

Go there at various times of the day and evening and see how you feel about it.

Since I have the next couple days off, I will go walk around the area more to get a better feel for it. Thanks for your reply. It is a good location for me for work.

[roadwarrior101]

Originally Posted by FireSmurf

Thanks for your reply. When I was walking around I did get the feeling it is new construction and Industrial. The condo located on Minna St. I did notice some homeless around.

One of the selling points that the Realtor said was a young vibe and great for jogging. How would you rate the crime level around the area? I'm accustomed to city life so I do expect some crime.

Lots of car break-ins, but that's not uncommon for most parts of SF. There is an occasional violent crime, especially around the nightclub area of SOMA (11th St), but I don't consider it to be a regular occurrence. We lived near there for 4 years. It did not have the neighborhoodly vibe of the Marina/Pac Heights, but that is changing as more and more stuff is moving into the area. We lived there because we MUCH prefer the newer construction. Also, the weather tends to be a little warmer than most other parts of the city.

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by FireSmurf

Hi,
I am a long time lurker and newer resident to SF. I looked at a condo to purchase which is located in South Beach and I wanted to know more about the area.

Nice area in high demand... I'm not a historic, old building type of person, which is one of the reasons why I love South Beach.

[Devon011]

Originally Posted by roadwarrior101

Lots of car break-ins, but that's not uncommon for most parts of SF. There is an occasional violent crime, especially around the nightclub area of SOMA (11th St), but I don't consider it to be a regular occurrence. We lived near there for 4 years. It did not have the neighborhoodly vibe of the Marina/Pac Heights, but that is changing as more and more stuff is moving into the area. We lived there because we MUCH prefer the newer construction. Also, the weather tends to be a little warmer than most other parts of the city.

Yea I did expect there would be some car break-ins. The condo does offer me a covered parking spot if I want it. I did find out about a monthly HOA which isn't too bad, but I like the proximity to the financial district, BART and CalTrain. I walked around the neighborhood during the morning and night to get a better feel and I did notice a difference in the weather.