Until 1985, KGO TVs newsroom, studios and broadcast facilities were located on Golden Gate Avenue in San Francisco's Tenderloin.
Now after being vacant for nearly 30 years, the site is coming to life again. Called the Lofts At 7, to honor the TV station's legacy, 88 brand new market rate rental apartments are going up. They'll have high ceilings, hardwood floors and more.
"Where we're standing on the roof, there's a great view and they'll have 6,500 square feet of fitness center, barbeque grills, fire pits and an outdoor cinema," said Alan Mark from The Mark Company.
All that grandeur in gritty surroundings.
"There's nothing tender about this loin. It's really hard," said one resident.
But we're told things are changing. It's even being called the "Trendyloin" as some of the mid-market hype makes it this way. Tenderloin activist Randy Shaw, from the Tenderloin Housing Clinic, believes the new lofts will help the neighborhood transform.
"This has a major impact because it brings people in who have jobs, who can patronize local businesses and will tell their friends to come down here. That it's a lot better than people think," said Shaw.
But crime is still an issue, in fact hundreds of neighborhood residents have signed a petition criticizing police Chief Greg Suhr for a decrease in police staffing.
"The Tenderloin is down twice as much as citywide," said Shaw to Suhr.
"Help is on the way. We've got two academy classes in and we're committed to making sure the Tenderloin is staffed back up again as the academy classes come out," said Suhr.
That is welcome news certainly for those currently living in the "loin," as well as the newcomers on the way.
