South Beach & Rincon Hill, San Francisco: Condo & Real Estate Guide
South Beach is the waterfront district along the Embarcadero and King Street, from the Bay Bridge south to Oracle Park and Third Street, and it holds the largest condominium stock in SF District 9. The Assessor’s subdistrict 9H counts about 5,350 parcels on the 2025 roll, of which about 3,980 are condo units (including BMR and economic units) and about 760 are live/work condos; it has a single house parcel.
Inland and uphill, the tower blocks of Rincon Hill overlap the subdistrict. A 2017 marketing effort called the area “The East Cut,” but the city’s planning documents still use Rincon Hill, and listings still use South Beach. Mission Bay starts across Mission Creek to the south.
South Beach homes for sale
South Beach market report
Thirty years of condo construction
Almost every South Beach condo was built after 1990. Grouping the roll’s 3,672 market-rate condo units by recorded build year:
| Build years | Condo units (9H) | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Before 1910 (converted buildings) | 19 | under 1% |
| 1991–1998 | 617 | 17% |
| 2000–2009 | 2,403 | 65% |
| 2010–2015 | 375 | 10% |
| 2020–2021 | 256 | 7% |
The peak year was 2008, with about 740 units recorded. The roll also lists about 285 BMR condo units and 15 apartment buildings of 15 or more units, and no condo units at all with build years between 1910 and 1990.
That age profile shapes resale. Buildings from the 1990s and 2000s are now old enough for waterproofing, window, elevator and garage work to show up in reserve studies and special assessments, so the association’s records carry as much weight as the unit itself.
Rincon Hill’s tower rules
The Rincon Hill Area Plan covers about twelve blocks bounded generally by Folsom Street, the Embarcadero, Bryant Street, Beale Street, the Bay Bridge approach and Essex Street. It treats housing as the principal use, removes the residential density limit and anticipates as many as 10,000 new residents.
- Tower spacing: at least 115 feet between towers, with a few reduced minimums for named sites, and no more than three towers per block.
- Podiums: a consistent 45- to 85-foot street wall, with upper-story setbacks above 65 feet on Spear, Main, Beale, Fremont and First streets.
- Folsom Street: planned as the neighborhood’s commercial street, with at least 75% of its frontage in ground-floor retail.
- Public realm: a new two-acre park at Harrison and Fremont streets and “Living Streets” on Spear, Main and Beale, funded partly through a community facilities district.
At First and Harrison streets, Planning’s map shows RH-DTR (Rincon Hill Downtown Residential) zoning with a 45/550-R height district. Tower spacing rules protect light and air between buildings, but they are not a guarantee of any particular view; check the zoning of the parcels in front of a unit.
One practical point for searches: parcels on Rincon Hill fall under two Assessor codes. Blocks near the Embarcadero are almost entirely 9H, while the western blocks mix 9H with 9B, the “Financial District South” code that has no separate guide on this site, so search both.
South Park, the South End and the waterfront
Below the hill, the grid changes. At Second and Brannan streets the map returns SB-DTR (South Beach Downtown Residential) zoning, a 105-F height district and the East SoMa plan area, and the same point is inside the South End Historic District, an Article 10 district adopted in 1990 under Ordinance 104-90 with 78 properties. Planning’s Article 10 layer also lists the smaller Clyde and Crooks Historic District, 19 properties with a 1906 to 1935 period of significance and a December 2018 date, in the same part of South of Market.
South Park, the small oval park encircled by South Park Street, dates to 1852. Along the water, Oracle Park sits in the district’s southeast corner beside McCovey Cove, and the Embarcadero frontage falls under Port of San Francisco jurisdiction and the Waterfront 1 special use district; our point check there returned no ordinary zoning district.
The result is a district where historic warehouses, 1990s mid-rises and 2000s towers can share a block. Article 10 status affects exterior changes to buildings in these districts, so owners there should expect historic preservation review before altering a facade.
Bay mud, the seawall and flood maps
Every low-lying point we checked in South Beach is inside the state liquefaction zone: Second and Brannan, and the Embarcadero near Brannan. Rincon Hill is different; the point at First and Harrison returns no liquefaction zone. All three points are in FEMA’s unshaded Zone X on the March 2021 map.
The bigger long-term issue is the Embarcadero Seawall. The Port describes it as a roughly three-mile rock and concrete wall built without current seismic standards on young bay mud, which can amplify shaking. It expects 3 to 7 feet of sea level rise by 2100, costly flood damage beginning between 2030 and 2040, and improvements that could cost up to $5 billion.
For owners, the seawall program is a planning horizon rather than a closing issue, but it belongs in a buyer’s questions about insurance and building reserves. Our San Francisco hazard maps guide explains the liquefaction and flood layers.
4th and King and the Embarcadero lines
- Caltrain: the San Francisco terminal at 4th and King, on the district’s southern edge.
- Muni Metro: the N Judah ends at 4th and King, and the T Third stops there on its way between Mission Bay and the Central Subway.
- E Embarcadero: the heritage streetcar line between Fisherman’s Wharf and 4th and King was listed as not operating in 2022; check current service.
- Buses: per published route lists, the 30 Stockton and 45 Union/Stockton end at Townsend and Fourth streets.
- Driving: the Bay Bridge and Interstate 80 rise from the north end of the district, and Harrison, First and Fremont streets carry heavy bridge traffic, as the Rincon Hill plan notes.
Ballpark events add crowds and traffic on game days. Buyers who commute by car should test the drive from their garage on one.
Selling a condo in South Beach
With thousands of comparable units, pricing in 9H is about precision. Buyers compare floor, exposure (bay, bridge, ballpark or city), parking, dues and building age, and lenders review the association before they approve the loan.
- Request the HOA package early, including the reserve study, budget, minutes and the Civil Code Section 5551 inspection report, which condo associations of three or more units needed by January 1, 2025 and need at least every nine years after.
- Disclose known building projects and any special assessment, with amounts and timing.
- Confirm the unit’s classification: live/work, BMR and standard condo units sell to different buyer pools; see our BMR homes guide for program resales.
- Prepare the city requirements on our San Francisco selling requirements page.
Our San Francisco condo guide and luxury condo guide go further on building review. Diamond may refer you to partners we work with; you’re free to choose any provider. For current 9H prices, see the market report on this page.
Questions people ask
Is Rincon Hill part of South Beach?
They overlap. Rincon Hill is a separate area plan north of South Beach, but many of its parcels carry the Assessor’s 9H South Beach code, while others are coded 9B, Financial District South.
How old are South Beach condos?
Mostly 1991 to 2015. About 65% of the market-rate condo units on the 2025 roll were built between 2000 and 2009.
Is South Beach in a liquefaction zone?
The low-lying points we checked, at Second and Brannan and on the Embarcadero, are inside the state liquefaction zone. The top of Rincon Hill, at First and Harrison, is not.
What is the Embarcadero Seawall Program?
A Port of San Francisco program to strengthen the roughly three-mile seawall against earthquakes and rising seas; the Port says improvements could cost up to $5 billion.
Is South Beach in a FEMA flood zone?
The points we checked are in unshaded Zone X on FEMA’s March 2021 map, outside the 100-year floodplain, but the Port expects coastal flooding to worsen with sea level rise.
What transit is near South Beach?
Caltrain’s San Francisco terminal, the N Judah and the T Third at 4th and King, plus bus lines ending at Townsend and Fourth streets.
Considering a sale in South Beach or Rincon Hill? We can compare your unit with recent sales in the same and competing buildings and review the HOA documents before you list. Ask for a valuation, compare nearby Yerba Buena and South of Market, or see the SF District 9 overview and our San Francisco guide.
Sources & notes
- DataSF / SF Assessor-Recorder: Assessor Historical Secured Property Tax Rolls, 2025 closed roll (parcel counts by property class and build year, medians and parcel extents for neighborhood codes 9F-9K, queried October 2026)
- San Francisco Planning: PlanningData map service (zoning, special use, height, Article 10, port jurisdiction, planning area, FEMA flood and seismic hazard layers; point and area queries, October 2026)
- San Francisco Planning, General Plan: Rincon Hill Area Plan
- Port of San Francisco: Embarcadero Seawall Program
- California Civil Code Sec. 5551, balcony, deck and stairway inspections for condominium associations (California Public Law mirror)
- Wikipedia: South Beach, San Francisco (South Beach, Rincon Hill, South Park and Yerba Buena descriptions; background only)
- Wikipedia: South of Market, San Francisco (boundaries, history, landmarks; background only)
- Wikipedia: T Third Street (stations, 2007 opening, Central Subway service from January 2023)
- Wikipedia: List of San Francisco Municipal Railway lines (route names and termini; status as of July 2022)
Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.
