Commission Approves $44.8M Renovation of Chinatown Health Center

San Francisco's Public Works Commission unanimously greenlit the first-ever renovation of the Chinatown Public Health Center, awarding a $44.8 million construction contract to Suffolk Construction for a facility that hasn't been upgraded since 1971. The commission also heard that the mayor's call to eliminate 500 city positions has put Public Works jobs on the chopping block, even as the department rolls out tools to speed downtown economic recovery.

• $44.8M contract awarded for the Chinatown Public Health Center's first renovation in 55 years, including seismic retrofit and Broadway Tunnel lane closures

• Mayor calls for 500 position cuts citywide; Public Works asked to propose layoffs amid rapidly shifting budget talks

• Free site-plan templates remove costly architect requirement that had stalled downtown street-event permitting

• Zuckerberg General Hospital capital project briefing pushed to April over packed agenda

The commission's marquee action was approving a $44,790,096.60 construction contract to Suffolk Construction Company for the comprehensive renovation of the Chinatown Public Health Center at 1490 Mason St. — a three-story, 30,000-square-foot facility that hosts more than 19,000 patient visits per year, with over 80% of patients speaking Chinese dialects.