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water-filled hole at 360 5th Street in SoMa has become an eyesore for the neighborhood, marred by "graffiti, garbage, mosquito infestations and standing water," according to a lawsuit filed by City Attorney David Chui against Leap Development. The developer's affiliate, San Mateo-based 360 Fifth, owes more than $1 million in fines related to the property. In 2019, Leap Development excavated the two-thirds acre site to build 127 condominiums, but construction was halted during the pandemic. The contractor, Thompson Builder, filed a lawsuit claiming that Leap Development owed $5.8 million for its work, which the developer denied. The city has tried to get Leap to address health and safety issues at the site but the developer has been unresponsive. The property has become a blighted parcel of land filled with standing water, mosquitos, overgrown vegetation, piles of trash, and abandoned construction equipment blocking the sidewalk.

    San Francisco has numerous development sites on hold, including four other major parcels once primed for redevelopment on Fifth Street alone. These include a shuttered donut shop, a fenced-in gas station, a former tennis club, and a one-time maintenance yard.

    Leap Development defaulted on a $10 million loan linked to the abandoned lot at 360 5th Street. The developer had previously listed the project site for an undisclosed price, according to a marketing brochure.