SAN FRANCISCO | 535 Mission Street | 380 FT / 116 M | 27 FLOORS

[Reminiscence]

This project seemed to be taking up space in the 555 Mission thread, so I guess it deserved its own thread ... finally.

535 Mission Street, according to its old design, will be 380' with 27 floors.

Old Residential Rendering:

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/7263/sftower8wx0.jpg

[BTinSF]

Developer drops plans for condo tower
SoMa site's new owner says it wants to build offices there
San Francisco Business Times - April 21, 2006
by J.K. Dineen
Spencer Brown
Charlie Kuffner: "Stars are starting to align."
View Larger
Citing an "overheated" residential construction environment, developer Monahan Pacific has scrapped plans to build a condominium tower at 535 Mission St. and has unloaded the prime south financial district land to Beacon Capital Partners for $30 million.

While the property is approved for a residential complex, a spokesman for Beacon Capital confirmed the company plans to build an office tower on the site, the latest example of what is shaping up to be a revival of new Class A office construction in San Francisco. In addition to the 535 Mission St. site, Tishman Speyer is expected to break ground this year on an office building at 555 Mission St., and Shorenstein Properties is actively seeking tenants for a 350 Bush St. highrise.

Jeff Hutchinson, Monahan Pacific's director of acquisition and finance, said the company had hoped to develop the land as a 34-story housing complex but a "super-heated environment" put construction costs 40 percent above what they were in 2004 when the company finished its 166-unit building at 199 New Montgomery St. Monahan Pacific bought 535 Mission two years ago for $19.2 million.

"It seems like the labor and construction issues were going to get worse before they get better," he said. "The cost environment gave us some pause along the way."

Hutchinson said the project would have been competing for labor and materials with a spate of skyscrapers under construction, including 301 Spear St., One Rincon Hill and Millennium Partners' towers at 301 and 333 Mission St.

"With all the residential that is being built, it's tough to get a crew," said Hutchinson. "We would have been fighting for a tower crane reservation. There is a waiting list for man lifts. Given that type of environment and given that it was going to get worse before it would get better, it was not readily apparent that the costs would settle."

In a sense, the 535 Mission property has come full circle. During the economic downturn, the Hines real estate investment trust abandoned plans to develop an office tower on the site, clearing the way for Monahan to snap it up in 2003 to take advantage of the explosion of demand for high-end condo towers in downtown neighborhoods.

Charlie Kuffner, president of Swinerton Builders, said he now sees residential highrise softening slightly and that "the stars are starting to align so that office makes more sense." That the 535 Mission site has been pulled by market forces from office to condo and back again, makes it a telling microcosm of the overall trends, Kuffner said.

"That site has an interesting tale to tell," said Kuffner.

Hutchinson said his company could have sat on the property until construction costs went down, but that is not the way Monahan Pacific operates.

"We are a development firm -- we were either going to build or move on and do something else with the capital," he said.

The rise in construction costs over the past few years has been staggering. A study by Webcor showed the price of roofing, glass, aluminum, drywall and metal stud jumped by more than 25 percent in 2005. Glenn Gabel, senior vice president of Webcor, said crane towers are "at a premium right now in the Bay Area and continue to get more expensive, but they are available."

"Is the market overheated in construction? I don't know that I'd use that term. But most contractors are pretty well stretched. There are selected trades where it's difficult to get participation," he said.

Over the past year, Beacon has become a major player in the downtown office market, snapping up 50 Beale St., 100 California St., and 1 Sansome St., as well as two other buildings. Beacon Capital Partners Chairman Alan Leventhal did not return a call seeking comment, but last year he told the Business Times that "San Francisco has the type of long-term fundamentals we like, with the highly educated workforce, great financial centers, teaching facilities and research."

Tim Maas and Tony Crossley of Colliers represented Monahan Pacific and John Cecconi represented Beacon in the transaction.

Source: http://www.sfnewdevelopments.com/blog/category/soma/535-mission/

Beacon has been on a buying spree lately and appears to be serious about becoming a major player in SF real estate:

http://www.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2006/07/19/bu_rincon_center_map.jpg

That suggests they didn't buy the 535 site to fool around and we can hope construction could get underway as soon as the cumbersome SF planning process allows.

[Reminiscence]

Fighting for cranes, wow. I bet 10 years ago they were probably dumping cranes in the Pacific because they didnt want them. Now, we see a changing of times in SF and with Beacon coming into the city, aparently this isnt the last we've heard of them. 403' seems a little too short for that site. It should be more like 503' - 515', to mirror more or less 555 Mission Street.

[AK47KC]

Office floors usually are 4 m or 13 ft, not barely over 3 m or 10 ft here, so its good that there will be some height added on to the tower. As for the cranes around downtown SF, it's looking a bit more like Dubai.

[Reminiscence]

If they used about 13' (4m) per floor and increased the number of floors to 40 or so, then they would end up with roughly 520' (159m), which, I would think, is more appropriate for this tower.

[AK47KC]

I guess this thread title needs to be changed since new office 535 Mission is a 27 story office tower.

[Reminiscence]

Have they announced any new details other than the change of number of floors? Height-wise? Design-wise?

[AK47KC]

No, but I'm guessing the tower is around 350', 106 m tall since office floors usually are 13', 4m tall. (27*13')

[botoxic]

This SF Business Times article from January 1st only has a few tidbits of new information - the architect/engineer, which should read Hellmuth, Obata, & Kassabaum - plus the fact that the application has been filed with the San Francisco Planning Department.

New speculative office development and the battle to reel in big marquee anchor tenants will drive much of the commercial real estate conversation during 2007.

With vacancy rates in San Francisco quickly sinking into the single digits, brokers and tenants will be jockeying for position around two speculative office buildings that broke ground in the fourth quarter -- Tishman Speyer's 555 Mission St. and Lowe Enterprises' 500 Terry Francois Blvd. In addition, McCarthy Cook and RREEF, co-owners of China Basin Landing, will be vying to lure users to the 275,000-square-foot addition they are putting on top of that 825-foot-long Mission Bay property.

Meanwhile, Wilson Meany Sullivan and Shorenstein Properties are ramping up marketing of two entitled projects: the fourth Foundry Square building and 350 Bush St., the only unbuilt highrise site in the financial district north of Market Street.

In addition to projects under construction and those that were entitled during the last economic cycle, the San Francisco Planning Department is starting to see applications for new large office projects trickle in.

These include a pair of green office towers proposed in the south financial district -- 222 Second St. and 535 Mission St. -- as well as proposed expansions of buildings at 100 California St. and 120 Howard St.

For the past two years, Beacon Capital Partners has been the most active buyer of downtown San Francisco real estate, grabbing 100 First St., 1 Sansome St., 50 Beale St., 120 Howard St., and Rincon Center -- a total of 3.1 million square feet of prime space.

Now the Boston-based landlord is looking to jump into the development game.

Beacon has filed an application to construct a LEED-certified 27-story tower at 535 Mission St., a site the firm acquired last spring from Monahan Pacific.

But the 350,000-square-foot proposed building, being designed by Hekkmuth, Obata + Kassabaum, is not the only new space Beacon is aiming to build.

The company has also filed applications to add five stories to two of its existing buildings, 120 Howard St. and 100 California.

[botoxic]

The parking lot that 535 Mission would replace...

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q149/btgibson/SF%20Buildings%2001-28/S4010049.jpg

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q149/btgibson/SF%20Buildings%2001-28/S4010050.jpg

[BTinSF]

Today on the site there is a Planning Dept. notice that this building is on the agenda for the Planning Commission meeting of July 12 for approval of various exceptions to the planning code. The notice says the building is now 27 stories/380 ft. This is consistent with what the Business Times said back in January so perhaps it's time to amend the title of the thread?

[Reminiscence]

I've also changed the description of the project on the first post. Despite its being cut down somewhat, its good to finally hear some news on this project.

Also, it might be a little early to ask, but has there been any insight to a possible redesign of the tower? This one doesnt look all that bad, but it could be better in my opinion.

[BTinSF]

^^^Clearly it has been redesigned since it's the redesign that will (or won't) be approved July 12, but I looked everywhere I could think of for a new rendering and couldn't find one.

[Reminiscence]

^^^ Right, I thought so. I hope they actually went though (or will go through), the process of actually redesigning it (much like they did with Infinity) and not just take its current design and shrink it down for size.

[BTinSF]

^^^I think they had to do some significant redesign since they are now moving forward with it as a "green" building, I believe, which it wasn't before.

[BTinSF]

The Planning Commission hearing on this building has been rescheduled for July 19 vs July 12.

[fflint]

New information: 294 ft., 22 stories.

[FourOneFive]

^ where did you get your figures? according to the planning department's website...

535 MISSION STREET, South side between 1st and 2nd Street, Lots 68 and 83 in Assessor’s Block 3721 – Request under Planning Code Section 309 for Determination of Compliance and Request for Exceptions to setback and separation of towers, ground level wind currents, and bulk requirements, for the construction of a 27-story (plus mechanical penthouse), approximately 380-foot tall building containing approximately 293,760 square feet of office space, approximately 3,700 square feet of retail space, and approximately 12,600 square feet of parking on one underground level, with approximately 32 parking spaces using valet operation. The Project also includes approximately 6,000 square feet of open space in a combination of exterior open space, interior greenhouse and improvements to Shaw Alley. This project lies within a C-3-O (Downtown Office) District, Transbay C-3 Special Use District, and is within a 550-S Height and Bulk District.

[BTinSF]

^^^That's also what's posted at the site (380 ft.).

[northbay]

a little birdie told him ;)

[FourOneFive]

It should be noted that the hearing for this project was delayed to August 2, I believe (2 week delay). Commissioners Moore and Sugaya complained that they did not have adequate time to examine the environmental documents.

[roadwarrior]

I do like how all of these buildings (555 Mission, 535 Mission - future, Millenium, Foundry Square) are doing a good job in terms of blocking the ugly view of the current Transbay Terminal from Mission and Howard streets.

Does anyone know if there are plans to construct any more high rises on the huge area of parking lots between Howard & Mission and 1st & 2nd streets? That seems like a prime area for more development.

[BTinSF]

^^^There's a project which may even be entitled on Howard next to Foundry Square IV (presently a parking lot). It actually dates from the dot-com boom days but I think has now been redesigned as a "green" building. Further down the block (toward 2nd) is a lot (presently with a lowrise building on it) that shows up as a highrise site in plans for the TransBay neighborhood.

You can actually see both these projects on this render--they are in front of the far left end of the terminal building, one shown as approved and one as proposed:

http://www.archnewsnow.com/features/images/Feature0126_04x.jpg

And, of course, the render shows the terminal itself taking up the rest of the space on that block. If you recall, the Century would have been there but the land was taken by eminent domain for the terminal.

[roadwarrior]

^^^There's a project which may even be entitled on Howard next to Foundry Square IV (presently a parking lot). It actually dates from the dot-com boom days but I think has now been redesigned as a "green" building. Further down the block (toward 2nd) is a lot (presently with a lowrise building on it) that shows up as a highrise site in plans for the TransBay neighborhood.

You can actually see both these projects on this render--they are in front of the far left end of the terminal building, one shown as approved and one as proposed:

http://www.archnewsnow.com/features/images/Feature0126_04x.jpg

And, of course, the render shows the terminal itself taking up the rest of the space on that block. If you recall, the Century would have been there but the land was taken by eminent domain for the terminal.

Interesting, although tough to tell from the drawing exactly what will be going on there. I do recall hearing about the Century. It looks to me from the pictures that the lots that I was referring to are depicted as a combination of low rises and parks. I think that could work, as long as there will be numerous shops and restaurants in those areas.

I heard someone mention once that Foundry Square IV was to be considered as a 30 story building. I don't recall where that was from.

Also, is the other lot you're referring to right across the street from Umbria (Howard & 2nd)? That would be a nice site for another development as well.

[FourOneFive]

I heard someone mention once that Foundry Square IV was to be considered as a 30 story building. I don't recall where that was from.

Also, is the other lot you're referring to right across the street from Umbria (Howard & 2nd)? That would be a nice site for another development as well.

Here's a map from the Transbay Redevelopment District by way of San Francisco Cityscape:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/177/396128773_ec3773d3b7_o.jpg

509 Howard/ Foundry Square III may eventually be developed into a 500' tower, but it will be years off.

As the parking lot at Howard and 2nd, it'll become Tishman Speyer's 222 Second St.

[BTinSF]

Interesting, although tough to tell from the drawing exactly what will be going on there. I do recall hearing about the Century. It looks to me from the pictures that the lots that I was referring to are depicted as a combination of low rises and parks. I think that could work, as long as there will be numerous shops and restaurants in those areas.

I heard someone mention once that Foundry Square IV was to be considered as a 30 story building. I don't recall where that was from.

Also, is the other lot you're referring to right across the street from Umbria (Howard & 2nd)? That would be a nice site for another development as well.

Foundry Square IV is built--it's on the northwest corner of 1st & Howard. The remaining lot on the southwest corner would be Foundry Square III if built.

You asked about the block between Howard and Mission. The park and lowrises are on the block between Howard and Folsom.

The diagram posted by FourOne Five shows the proposed building on Howard near Second, but not the one next to Foundry Square IV (both on the north side of Howard and both shown on the rendering I posted) because that building, as proposed, would not exceed the existing height limit.

There is a proposal for the lot across from Umbria also (southwest corner of 2nd & Howard) but that's not one of the ones I was talking about since it's on the block between 2nd and New Montgomery.

[BTinSF]

I did some more research. This is the project next to Foundry Square IV:

Developers dust off plans to build SoMa office tower
San Francisco Business Times - January 5, 2007
by J.K. Dineen and Ryan Tate
A stealth contender among the next crop of downtown San Francisco office buildings, 524 Howard St. seemed to have fallen off the map.

But perhaps not for long, according to developer Higgins Development Partners, which owns the parcel along with financial partner Pritzker Realty.

A 23-story building designed by HellerManus, 524 Howard St. was approved in 2000 and put on ice after the tech boom soured. On a mid-block site between First and Second streets, the project will include 202,000 square feet of office space. Swinerton is the contractor.

With rents rising rapidly in the south financial district, it's time to dust off the plans, said Nader Shah, senior VP of Higgins Development Partners.

"We believe the market has come back and we'll be taking a hard look at it in the first half of 2007," he said.

Higgins, based in Chicago, developed the 820,000-square-foot Yahoo headquarters in Sunnyvale and the Hyatt Center, a 47-story tower in Chicago.

The building at 524 Howard St. would be its first project in San Francisco.
Source: http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2007/01/08/newscolumn1.html

[BTinSF]

Well, after even more time with Google, I found this:

Commercial Real Estate News

SF Office Market: 11M SF in the Pipeline

By Brian K. Miller of GlobeSt.com
Friday, June 22, 2007 - SAN FRANCISCO-There are approximately 23 office projects totaling 11 million sf in the city’s development pipeline, according to a new compilation by the local office of Jones Lang LaSalle. The total includes 2.4 million sf under construction; 890,000 sf that are entitled but not yet under construction; 2.67 million sf for which entitlements are being sought; and four projects totaling four million sf that are in earlier stages of development.

“The city does not publish a list of pending developments,” says JLL’s San Francisco managing director Chris Roeder. “We did some research ourselves to try to sort it out and see how the future development is affected by Proposition M.”

Established in 1986 to control economic growth and development, Prop M caps the amount of high-rise office development that can be approved for development at 875,000 sf per development year, which runs October through September. That means it would take eight years for all of the un-entitled projects in the development pipeline to be approved for development.

“For probably only the second time since Prop M was passed we are going to be in a position where developers aren’t going to be able to develop as much square footage as they would probably like to,” Roeder tells GlobeSt.com. “The limited amount of future development increases the value of entitled and un-entitled land. Coupled with high construction costs, I don’t think we will see any great deals in the next three to five years.”

The 2.4 million sf under construction is divided among six projects. Two of those projects--Foundry Square I by Wilson Meany (400 Howard St.; 335,000 sf; 10 stories) and the new Federal Building (1000 Mission; 600,000 sf; 18 stories)--have no availability. A third project, Shorenstein’s 409-411 Illinois St. (five stories; 450,000 sf), is 50% preleased.

No preleasing has been announced for the other three projects that are under construction. The projects are 555 Mission St. (559,000 sf; 33 stories), which is being developed by Tishman Speyer and Morgan Stanley; 500 Terry Francois Blvd. (258,538 sf; six stories), being developed by Lowe Enterprises; and the 185 Berry St. addition (175,000 sf; two new floors), which is being developed by Rreef.

All of the projects under construction are scheduled for delivery in 2008 except the federal building, which was recently completed. None of the projects under construction is trying for LEED certification from the US Green Building Council, according to JLL.

The project entitled but not yet under construction include 330 Bush St. by Shorenstein (350,000 sf; height TBD); Foundry Square III by Wilson Meany (505 Howard; 220,000 sf; 10 stories); 524 Howard St. by Higgins Development and the Pritzker family (275,000; 23 stories); and 44 Fourth St. by Jamestown Properties (110,000 sf; height TBD).

The largest of the projects currently seeking entitlements are 222 Second St., a 617,000-sf project for which Tishman Speyer is seeking LEED certification; 40-90 First St., a 520,000-sf development by Solit Interest Group; Piers 27-31, a project by Shorenstein and Farallon that tentatively includes 440,000 sf of office; 1401 Third St., a 420,000-sf project by Catellus; and 535 Mission St., a 293,750-sf project by Beacon Capital Partners for which LEED certification is being sought.

Source: http://www.cityfeet.com/News/NewsArticle.aspx?Id=24899&PartnerPath=

222 Second is, I believe, the lot across Howard from Umbria.

[mthd]

a couple of the projects on the map from cityscape have changed since the drawing was made -

222 second street will not exceed the height limit ( see http://www.sfgov.org/site/uploadedfiles/planning/FinalNOP.pdf )

350 mission is also going to be within the 550' height limit, and most likely quite a bit less.

the project being referred to on howard is by heller manus - 524 howard - http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=524howardstreet-sanfrancisco-ca-usa

as noted above, approved, but not built. (thank god ;) )

[CityKid]

The Planning Commission hearing on this building has been rescheduled for July 19 vs July 12.

Does anyone have any more information about this?

14a. 2006.1273EKBX (I. WILSON: (415) 558-6163)

535 MISSION STREET, South side between 1st and 2nd Street, Lots 68 and 83 in Assessor’s Block 3721 – Request under Planning Code Section 309 for Determination of Compliance and Request for Exceptions to setback and separation of towers, ground level wind currents, and bulk requirements, for the construction of a 27-story (plus mechanical penthouse), approximately 380-foot tall building containing approximately 293,760 square feet of office space, approximately 3,700 square feet of retail space, and approximately 12,600 square feet of parking on one underground level, with approximately 32 parking spaces using valet operation. The Project also includes approximately 6,000 square feet of open space in a combination of exterior open space, interior greenhouse and improvements to Shaw Alley. This project lies within a C-3-O (Downtown Office) District, Transbay C-3 Special Use District, and is within a 550-S Height and Bulk District.

Preliminary Recommendation: Approval with Conditions

(Continued from Regular Meeting of July 12, 2007)

From http://www.sfgov.org/site/planning_page.asp?id=64147

[BTinSF]

From Planning Commission Agenda today (August 2, 2007)

REGULAR CALENDAR

12a. 2006.1273EKBX (I. WILSON: (415) 558-6163)
535 MISSION STREET - south side between 1st and 2nd Street, Lots 68 and 83 in Assessor’s Block 3721- Request under Planning Code Section 309 for Determination of Compliance and Request for Exceptions to setback and separation of towers, ground level wind currents, and bulk requirements, for the construction of a 27-story (plus mechanical penthouse), approximately 380-foot tall building containing approximately 293,760 square feet of office space, approximately 3,700 square feet of retail space, and approximately 12,600 square feet of parking on one underground level, with approximately 32 parking spaces using valet operation. The Project also includes approximately 6,000 square feet of open space in a combination of exterior open space, interior greenhouse and improvements to Shaw Alley. This project lies within a C-3-O (Downtown Office) District, Transbay C-3 Special Use District, and is within a 550-S Height and Bulk District.
Preliminary Recommendation: Approval with Conditions
(Continued from Regular Meeting of July 19, 2007)

12b. 2006.1273EKBX (I. WILSON: (415) 558-6163)
535 MISSION STREET - south side between 1st and 2nd Street, Lots 68 and 83 in Assessor’s Block 3721 – Request under Planning Code Section 321 for approval and Determination of Compliance for the construction of a 27-story (plus mechanical penthouse), approximately 380-foot tall building containing approximately 293,760 square feet of office space, approximately 3,700 square feet of retail space, and approximately 12,600 square feet of parking on one underground level, with approximately 32 parking spaces using valet operation. The Project also includes approximately 6,000 square feet of open space in a combination of exterior open space, interior greenhouse and improvements to Shaw Alley. This project lies within a C-3-O (Downtown Office) District, Transbay C-3 Special Use District, and is within a 550-S Height and Bulk District.
Preliminary Recommendation: Approval with Conditions
(Continued from Regular Meeting of July 19, 2007)

It seems to be rolling through the approval process. If 12b gets the nod, is it not then approved by the Planning Commission (unless some NIMBY appeals)?

[BTinSF]

The "Building Green" supplement to the SF Business Times has, on page 13, what appears to be a rendering of the new design for 535 Mission and to my eye it's a stunner. I can't find it anywhere in postable form, though--even as something I could take a screenshot of (I even sent this as a "tip" to Socketsite in hopes they'd come up with a version of it that could be posted but so far they haven't). For those who want to search (and I tried), they list the architect as HOK (wasn't it Heller-Manus once?) and the contractor as Swinerton. The developer is Beacon Capital and Strategic Partners IV--and they say "Available space 300,000 sq. ft in third quarter of 2009"

As to the design, think a slightly miniaturized, glass curtain-walled St. Regis (I'm thinking here of the sloping facet on the corners and the high (lighted??) crown screen).

Counting floors on the rendering, I got 26.

To reemphasize, if they want the space available 2 years from now ("third quarter 2009"), they are going to have to start shovelling pretty soon.

[Reminiscence]

This is encouraging news, and I trust that you have good judgement on the renderings you found ;)

I agree, in order to fulfill that date, some activity should be seen soon.

[BTinSF]

You need trust me no more: I found it (isn't that "Eureka!" ;) ):

http://www.greenbuild.com/projects/images/535mission_rev.jpg
Source: http://www.greenbuild.com/projects/535mission.html

[CityKid]

^^ Looks nice.

[BTinSF]

^^ Looks nice.

Well, yeah. For emphasis, let's do 'em, side by side:

We have Heller-Manus:
http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/7263/sftower8wx0.jpg
Source: http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/7263/sftower8wx0.jpg

And we have HOK:
http://www.greenbuild.com/projects/images/535mission_rev.jpg
Source: http://www.greenbuild.com/projects/535mission.html

I'd say that's an IMPROVEMENT! :yes:

[caramatt]

/\ /\

:tup:
Thumbs up! Nice quality for a building of that height.

[Reminiscence]

Geez, I wouldnt even bother putting them next to each other. The difference is clear. I couldnt agree more, this is a vast improvment over H-M. I do see a resemblance to the upper portion of the St. Regis' tower.

[northbay]

well lets see.... hok is world famous
heller is just local um, shit

a VAST IMPROVEMENT! :tup:

[peanut gallery]

Nice! That will look so good next to 555. Great find, BT!

[tyler82]

I'd say that's an IMPROVEMENT! :yes:

This building looks very off to me. Like it's just the top of a very tall building. It looks very off setting cause it's so stumpy. Now it would look very grand if it were 500' taller. Oh well :shrug:

[BTinSF]

^^^I'm going to bet right now that, if it gets built like that rendering, you'll like it. You may wish it were taller, but it'll be nice looking for a building of the height it will be--and notice it appears taller than the existing building at 1st & Mission so it isn't so very short but it IS a fairly small footprint.

[tyler82]

^^^I'm going to bet right now that, if it gets built like that rendering, you'll like it. You may wish it were taller, but it'll be nice looking for a building of the height it will be--and notice it appears taller than the existing building at 1st & Mission so it isn't so very short but it IS a fairly small footprint.

It is an improvement, I remember seeing that Manass rendering (although I never knew it was hit until now) of 535 and remembering how putrid it looked, especially compared to all these new babes going up.

[peanut gallery]

it would look very grand if it were 500' taller. Oh well :shrug:

Well sure, but most skyscrapers would look better if they were another 500' taller! :haha:

[peanut gallery]

it appears taller than the existing building at 1st & Mission

Anything that minimizes the presence of that building is fine by me. It's made from quality material, but I just don't like that building's massing or color at all.

[San Frangelino]

SF Business Times reports that Beacon is getting ready to start construction, they are looking at breaking ground in December.

The Article:http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2007/09/24/newscolumn1.html

[roadwarrior]

Great news! Mission Street is being transformed very rapidly. I only wish that the residential developments in the city would progress at the same pace.

[Reminiscence]

Very good news, I'm glad to see this one finally moving forward. I'll be able to watch it rise in person.

[BTinSF]

Beacon ready to dig in on 535 Mission office project
San Francisco Business Times - September 21, 2007
by J.K. Dineen and Ryan Tate
The crane hoisting steel onto Tishman Speyer's 555 Mission St. may soon have some company. Beacon Capital Partners is reportedly getting ready to break ground next door on 535 Mission St., perhaps as early as December.

The speculative development, which the Planning Commission gave the OK to last month, totals 290,000 square feet and was designed by HOK. The tapered glass building will be completed by 2009 if all goes well, and asking rates average about $65 a square foot for the new space.
Source: http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2007/09/24/newscolumn1.html?t=printable

[botoxic]

Bids were due today (the 9th) from contractors for the piledriving portion of the 535 Mission project.

[peanut gallery]

Very cool! Can't wait to see that parking lot get torn up.

[northbay]

good news.

btw i like that public space on top of the garage right next to this lot. maybe they could have a direct connection to it?

[tyler82]

The news I find as exciting as the new design:

"The project will feature a stormwater cistern, and project goals include a 40% reduction in water use and the diversion of at least 75% of the construction waste from being landfilled."

So the excess rain water will be used for the septic tanks and toilet flushes. Cool!

[BTinSF]

^^^Pretty much all the TransBay designs do the same thing.

[sfguy]

I think the second rendering looks much better than the first. Can't wait till construction starts.

[Downtown Dave]

Yeah, imagine this section of street will look one day with all of the parking lots gone!

[hi123]

Have they started any site prep yet?

[peanut gallery]

Nope. It's still a parking lot. They haven't even posted any signage onsite about public comment, permits, etc.

[roadwarrior]

Well, we still have 3 weeks remaining in December, if they're sticking to this date. I did hear that 555 Mission is renting out slower than expected, so I wonder if this will have an effect on the pace of development for 535 Mission.

[BTinSF]

The BizTimes article said "as early as December". Such targets tend to be optimistic. I'd look for dirt to move in February or March.

[BTinSF]

"Beacon Capital reportedly will start construction in May on a 290,000-square-foot tower at 535 Mission St."
Source: http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2008/01/21/story2.html?t=printable

[Reminiscence]

"Beacon Capital reportedly will start construction in May on a 290,000-square-foot tower at 535 Mission St."
Source: http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2008/01/21/story2.html?t=printable

This is exiting news along with the article that Peanut Gallery posted on the 555 Mission thread, which also touches up on 535 Mission. Hopefully we start seeing the first sign of activity around my birthday :)

[Surrealplaces]

This is a pretty decent looking tower.

[Downtown Dave]

These folks were discussing approaches for pile driving. Note the plans laid out. I'd say that is a good sign. :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v106/NelsonAndBronte/SanFrancisco/535Mission/535Mission-8740.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v106/NelsonAndBronte/SanFrancisco/535Mission/535Mission-8750.jpg

[SFView]

:previous: A pre-construction conference?

[Downtown Dave]

Seemed that way. The fellow to the left of the one in red was laying out some approaches to pile driving.

[James2390]

I'm sure I am in the minority here, but I like the first design better. The new one is great, too though.

[fflint]

The actual render is even better than what's shown in this thread. Sorry, though--don't ask. I can't tell.

[northbay]

The actual render is even better than what's shown in this thread. Sorry, though--don't ask. I can't tell.

teasing us?!

how mean! ;)

i thought the render in the thread was looking good:

well lets see.... hok is world famous
heller is just local um, shit

a VAST IMPROVEMENT! :tup:

[GlobeTrekker]

These folks were discussing approaches for pile driving. Note the plans laid out. I'd say that is a good sign. :)


Wow, what a fun job! :)

I like this tower too. Mission St. is really going to be interesting east of 2nd. Are there any plans for the mid/low-rises between 2nd and 3rd?

[BTinSF]

Tishman moves forward with 535 Mission St.

With Tishman Speyer gaining serious traction at 555 Mission St., the on-again, off-again ground-breaking at 535 Mission St. is heating up once again.

After delaying construction for about a year, developer Beacon Capital Partners is laying the groundwork to start work this spring. On March 12 the company filed permit applications with the Department of Building Inspections to begin pile testing and shoring on the lot, according to public documents.

The 27-story spec tower, which the Planning Commission gave the OK to last August, totals 290,000 square feet and was designed by HOK. Asking rates on the average about $65 a square foot.

Tishman Speyer started 2008 with a bang at 555 Mission St., landing deals with DLA Piper and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. The developer is reportedly closing in on a third agreement, and is well-positioned to have most of the 550,000-square-foot structure leased by the time it opens next winter.
Source: http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2008/03/31/newscolumn1.html

http://www.socketsite.com/535%20Mission%20Rendering.jpghttp://www.socketsite.com/535%20Mission%20Site.jpg
Image source: http://www.socketsite.com/

[dimondpark]

wow that's gorgeous-wish it were oh, 800 feet taller, but I'll take it.

[nequidnimis]

Wish it were less symmetrical: it would make it more interesting.

[Reminiscence]

I dont know about the 800' taller part, but it would be nice to see it around 500' or so. Even so, I still like this proposal very much. The curtainwall looks very nice and the shape of the building differs from the usual box shape of buildings (granted, the latest boxes going up are nice).

[peanut gallery]

If it is indeed that light/clear, it will make a great contrast to the various green neighboring buildings. I'll keep my eyes open for an onsite notice of demolition or any other pending work. They'll have to shut down the parking lot pretty soon if they're doing pile testing.

[hi123]

Have they closed the lot yet?

[peanut gallery]

Not as of Friday.

[roadwarrior]

Not as of Sunday either. :(

[CityKid]

Everyone at the office will be THRILLED to find out about the pile driving. :)

[peanut gallery]

That reminds me: you'll probably get a notice ahead of time when they are about to start. I might even be close enough to get one. I'll ask our office manager about it.

[peanut gallery]

I walked over and chatted-up the attendants in the parking lot. Unfortunately, they knew even less than I did about the timing. So at the very least we know that it isn't starting soon enough for USParking to tell their employees about it.

[hi123]

Still no new news on this one? I really hope it gets built!

[peanut gallery]

At least once a week I look around for a demo/construction permit notice to be posted. Nothing yet.

[hi123]

I suppose that since this one shows no sign of progress that it will break ground this summer?

[JAC6]

Count me as another who might prefer the original design. I'm new to imagining how a rendering might look as an actual building, but it seems to me that the residential design was more appropriate for the modest footprint and that that new design is trying to do too much with too little space.

Here are two shots from above that give some additional perspective as to the footprint. The rendering suggests that the parking garage on the left (with the park-like roof) is staying, as is the alley next to the little brick building on the right (which contains Salt House, a tasty restaurant). That's not a lot of space, particularly when compared to its two major neighbors, including 555 Mission.

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg30/jcrotty_bucket/skyscraper/lot01.jpg

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg30/jcrotty_bucket/skyscraper/lot02.jpg

[AndrewK]

i personally love the rendering, and cant wait for work to get started on this. it also reminds me that i havent been to salt house yet.

[BTinSF]

It's a small footprint, but I can't see what that has to do with whether or not you prefer the glassy, green and radical new design or the trite, conventional old one.

PS--The parking garage with the park on the roof is definitely staying. The new building will be built only on what is now a surface parking lot. Even the alley next to the Salt House is not part of the project, I don't believe.

[JAC6]

It's a small footprint, but I can't see what that has to do with whether or not you prefer the glassy, green and radical new design or the trite, conventional old one.

PS--The parking garage with the park on the roof is definitely staying. The new building will be built only on what is now a surface parking lot. Even the alley next to the Salt House is not part of the project, I don't believe.

Putting aside the choice of adjectives, the new rendering looks to have some design ambition whereas the old design has more modest ambitions. Putting a glass tower with a rakish angular design next to a much larger green box might make those ambitions look just a bit too ambitious. My thought is that it gets dwarfed by 555, which has a much larger footprint and will be significantly taller.

But, again, my experience projecting renderings to reality is limited.

[peanut gallery]

Personally, I like the new design and think the tight footprint and shorter stature make it even more important to stand out. Plus, it will take attention away from 100 First, which is always a good thing.

Andrew - you can also now try Salt House's seafood counterpart in the back of the alley. I haven't yet, but the same folks are behind it so I imagine it's pretty good.

[JAC6]

It has been suggested in this thread that the design has changed again. That will be interesting, if true. I hope the next rendering includes 555 so there's some sense of scale and context.

I hadn't heard about this new restaurant. What's it called?

[peanut gallery]

It's called Anchor & Hope (I couldn't remember and had to check).

On the design, I thought we were comparing this (old):
http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/7263/sftower8wx0.jpg

With this (new):
http://www.greenbuild.com/projects/images/535mission_rev.jpg

Is there something newer out there I haven't seen or heard about?

[Reminiscence]

Just for the sake of self exploring, here is the site again at street level. The garage and the alley on the right stay and the parking lot site serves as the foundation for the tower.

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i297/Quetzal_Azul/DSC02273.jpg

[hi123]

Too bad there are still no closure notices on the parking lot or anything, hope this one happens

[nequidnimis]

Putting aside the choice of adjectives, the new rendering looks to have some design ambition whereas the old design has more modest ambitions. Putting a glass tower with a rakish angular design next to a much larger green box might make those ambitions look just a bit too ambitious. My thought is that it gets dwarfed by 555, which has a much larger footprint and will be significantly taller..

The small rakish angular LVMH glass tower in New York is across 57th. Street from the much larger IBM green box, but it stands out:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gundust/300001390/

Such contrasts make for interesting streetscapes.

[JAC6]

As to a new rendering, I was referring to Comment No. 68.

I'll have to try the new restaurant.

I would be delighted to be wrong about being overwhelmed by the mass of 555, which I almost surely am. But I'd also love to see whatever the most current rendering is in the context of the block as it currently stands, with 555.

Whatever it is and assuming it moves forward, I'll get to see it go up from above.

[peanut gallery]

I completely forgot about fflint's tease. Now I'm all excited about it again. And about your view, JAC, you know we'll expect lots of great updates from you! :)

[Downtown Dave]

At last...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v106/NelsonAndBronte/SanFrancisco/535Mission/535Mission-4010.jpg

[rocketman_95046]

^:cheers: :tup: :banana: :pepper: :upload_71700: :banaride: :awesome: :tomato: :drummer: :cucumber: :apple: :leek: :fruit:

[hi123]

Awewsome! Go SF!

[BTinSF]

At last...


Whoa! Someone here is now famous. :worship:

From a plugged-in reader:

I was reading the forum over at skyscraperpage.com and it seems that 535 Mission is preparing to break ground. The parking lot is now closed and a few workers were on site. Can anyone confirm? Photo is courtesey of Downtown Dave at Skyscraperpage.com....
Source: http://www.socketsite.com/

As to the mass and it's relationship to 555, the rendering shows this building taller than the corner building and it looks to me like there will be a stairstep effect up to 555, then down again to 101 Second. I don't think it will be unpleasant.