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Preliminary Project Assessment - FAQs

Since 1929, GLIDE has operated out of its current facilities at 302, 330 Ellis Street and 334 Ellis Street with minimal renovations or improvements during that time. The existing 330 Ellis Street building – which GLIDE currently uses for its programs and services – was not originally designed for this use. At this time, GLIDE’s facilities are in critical need of modernization in order to:

• Better connect GLIDE clients to integrated direct services in a welcoming, accessible, and equitable space;
• Update aging building infrastructure and improve structural seismic resilience; and
• Expand GLIDE’s impact and service in the Tenderloin community.

To achieve those goals, GLIDE is considering development of a new building on 330 Ellis Street and the adjacent 334 Ellis Street vacant lot, along with renovations to the existing basement and ground floor areas of the Glide Memorial Church building at 302 Ellis Street. Taken together, these improvements would provide the GLIDE community with better access to integrated services in a welcoming, accessible, sustainable building, and would allow GLIDE to build new community partnerships to provide expanded services in the future.

As a next step, GLIDE will submit a Preliminary Project Assessment (PPA) to the City of San Francisco Planning Department in early March 2022. The PPA allows GLIDE to examine the project’s feasibility and to solicit feedback from the Planning Department regarding this potential project. GLIDE will then continue to refine the project design and budget to evaluate the feasibility of constructing these improvements.

GLIDE is focused on providing greater opportunities to connect GLIDE clients in the Tenderloin and underserved communities across the City with the services they need. GLIDE is and will remain an anchor within the community.

GLIDE recently completed a legal separation from the California-Nevada Annual Conference (CNAC) of The United Methodist Church (UMC) through a negotiated settlement agreement in November 2020.  As a result, GLIDE confirmed its ownership of the 302, 330 and 334 Ellis Street properties with a commitment to continue using its facilities to benefit all San Franciscans.  GLIDE is now looking forward to this important next chapter of its history and is focused on a new strategic vision to expand its community impact.

GLIDE’s investment in its facilities will allow us to increase the number of people served – as well as the intensity and effectiveness of our services. GLIDE is committed to providing the leadership and solutions to challenges facing individuals and families in the Tenderloin and surrounding communities.

The iconic Glide Memorial Church, including its sanctuary on the second floor, is a cherished structure and will remain intact with certain limited improvements made to achieve GLIDE’s programming needs. Plans include much-needed improvements to upgrade the Glide Memorial Church basement and ground floor levels to address longstanding accessibility and building infrastructure issues; to provide a welcoming and safe entrance point to GLIDE’s facilities; and to allow for new dining facilities to be relocated from the basement to the ground floor level. The sanctuary on the second floor will remain intact with certain limited upgrades and improvements; specific details regarding potential improvements are still being explored at this time.

GLIDE will redevelop the existing 330 Ellis building with a modernized integrated-services building.  The new building will better serve the GLIDE community; provide improved accessibility and sustainability; and allow GLIDE to explore new strategic partnerships to provide expanded service opportunities to its community.  The new integrated services building at 330 Ellis would be 10-stories and approximately 89,000 square feet – a much-needed increase from GLIDE’s current space, which would allow GLIDE to reach more people in their time of need.

In addition to construction of the new building, the basement and ground floor levels of the Glide Memorial Church at 302 Ellis would be renovated to achieve GLIDE programming needs, address existing accessibility issues, and provide a more welcoming entrance point for visitors and employees.

Overall, key project features include:

  • Renovation of the basement and ground floor levels to provide a welcoming entryway and a renovated Dining Room and Servery to provide GLIDE clients with an accessible, relaxed and dignified dining experience;
  • Accessible, multi-functional reception and intake area on the ground floor to allow GLIDE staff to connect its clients with trauma-informed centralized services;
  • Redesigned staff workspaces to meet growing client needs;
  • Health services area to provide equity-focused, holistic care for Black, indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities;
  • Multi-use, child-friendly programs and program spaces dedicated for women and families;
  • Staging and loading areas to accommodate and expand GLIDE’s mobile services and remote outreach program, which serves the City’s vulnerable populations who are unable to reach GLIDE’s Tenderloin facilities;
  • Improved programming and gathering spaces for GLIDE and Center for Social Justice trainings, community engagement; and
  • Maintained sanctuary at the Glide Memorial Church to ensure the preservation of GLIDE’s spiritual legacy. 

Overall, these new facilities will allow GLIDE to expand and improve its commitment to providing services and solutions to address the current and growing challenges facing housed and unhoused individuals and families.

  • For clarity, the PPA application is not a formal development application, and the City’s issuance of a responsive PPA letter is not a development approval or denial. The PPA is simply a document designed to allow GLIDE to obtain feedback from the Planning Department regarding the project and establishes GLIDE’s intention to pursue the feasibility of this project.  After PPA submission, GLIDE will continue to make progress on the building design; solicit additional input from the community; and explore funding options to achieve its goals.  GLIDE anticipates submitting a formal Project Application in mid 2023.

The Preliminary Project Assessment (PPA) is reflective of the very early project stage GLIDE is at presently. The financial scope of the modernized integrated-services building is still to be determined. Initial cost estimates are $150- 200 million, but that may change based on final building designs, timelines, and GLIDE’s funding options and ability to secure resources for the proposed and much needed project.

  • GLIDE’s submission of the PPA is scheduled for mid 2023. The Planning Department will then issue a PPA response letter to GLIDE within 60-days providing feedback on the proposal.
  • The PPA document submitted to the City is available for public viewing here.  Drawings of the PPA proposal can be viewed here. A link to the Planning Department’s response letter to GLIDE’s PPA will also be posted on this website once available from the City.
  • As GLIDE continues to develop details regarding the project proposal, we will provide updates on our website. In the near future, we plan to host community meetings to share more details regarding the project plans and to welcome feedback from our GLIDE community, the Tenderloin neighborhood and surrounding community.