SAN FRANCISCO | Projects: Under Construction, Approved, and Proposed [Archive] - Page 20

peanut gallery

Oct 8, 2008, 4:24 AM

I had completely forgotten that the Federal Building was supposed to be open to the pulic, and now it finally is. I think I'll take a look next time I head down that way. From today's Chronicle (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/07/BAQ313CK54.DTL&hw=john+king&sn=008&sc=314):

New federal building open to the public
John King
Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Nineteen months after the first of its 1,700 workers moved in, the tower of the San Francisco Federal Building is open to the public.

The 18-story high-rise near Civic Center includes an open-air "skygarden" punched into the middle of the tower between the 11th and 13th floors. Architect Thom Mayne of the Santa Monica firm Morphosis designed the garden as a public space, but agencies in the building raised security concerns related to public access.

As of Oct. 1, however, the skygarden and the cavernous multilevel lobby are open weekdays between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to anyone who shows a photo ID and goes through a metal detector at the building entrance at 90 7th St.

Inside, visitors can pick up a pamphlet describing the tower's green-building features - such as natural ventilation and lighting - and the artwork on display by Edward Ruscha and others.

"I've read about Thom Mayne, and I like the connection he makes between society and architecture," said Sonja Petrus, an architect from South Africa who was snapping photographs in the lobby recently. "So here I am."

peanut gallery

Oct 8, 2008, 4:31 AM

And speaking of the new Federal Building, it is included in John King's article about "4 new buildings that enrich San Francisco" from the Sunday Chronicle. I won't post the whole thing, but here's the link (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/05/MN2M139PV7.DTL). I will post these photos from the article however:

http://imgs.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2008/09/20/ba-academy21_rev_0499170228.jpg
The Rainforests of the World exhibit sets a scientific stage at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco.

http://imgs.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2008/10/04/dd-bigfour05_phb_0494779313.jpg
The M.H. de Young Memorial Museum's most startling feature is a 144-foot-high tower, a rectangular slab that twists as it climbs.

http://imgs.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2008/10/03/ed-green31_ph_0496637967.jpg
San Francisco Federal Building

http://imgs.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2008/10/03/mn-buildings05_p_0498564511.jpg
Contemporary Jewish Museum

Reminiscence

Oct 8, 2008, 5:24 AM

One of the few times I seem to agree with King. These are all architecturally significant buildings that capture people's attention. I think theres some disseminating opinions about them, but their different and bold design is something I enjoy gazing upon.

peanut gallery

Oct 9, 2008, 5:36 AM

One Kearny looks close to getting it's skin installed:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3008/2926382408_c40ff68061_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3016/2925531347_1b1490ef11_b.jpg

peanut gallery

Oct 10, 2008, 4:55 PM

Hibernia Bank owner ID'd. From the SF Business Times (http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2008/10/13/story6.html):

http://cll.bizjournals.com/story_image/208276-0-0-1.jpg

Friday, October 10, 2008
Hibernia mystery deal solved, buyer revealed
San Francisco Business Times - by J.K. Dineen

In one of the more mysterious San Francisco real estate transactions in recent memory, the Dolmen Property Group has purchased the historic Hibernia Bank building and plans to bring the baroque structure up to code and then lease it.

Dolmen Property Group Managing Director Seamus Naughten said the $3.9 million investment is a long-term hold and that the plans for the 1892 structure at Jones and Market streets are up in the air. He said his company would complete all necessary construction work to bring the structure back to life. He called the Hibernia “a very unique property with unlimited potential.”

“We honestly don’t have anything concrete to put in there, but we see the Hibernia as a gem of a building with oodles of potential,” he said.

He said the building, which served as the San Francisco Police Department’s Tenderloin station from 1991 to 2000 after the bank vacated it, could be used for social events or a cultural use, like a museum.

peanut gallery

Oct 17, 2008, 3:19 AM

Looks like the City College Chinatown/North Beach campus is going to move ahead. According to this article from the Chronicle (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/16/BAES13IREA.DTL), they've already begun excavation. I'll head over when I get a chance to check it out.

Should this have it's own thread? It's not much to look at and it's not very tall. But it's close to Dave and within walking distance for me, so we could keep pretty close tabs on it.

http://imgs.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2008/07/07/dd-place08_ph_0498735825.jpg

Foes of CCSF Chinatown campus lose bid to block high-rise
Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, October 16, 2008

(10-16) 17:21 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- A judge gave the go-ahead today to the City College of San Francisco to build a high-rise campus in Chinatown over the opposition of some nearby businesses.Judge Paul Alvarado of San Francisco Superior Court denied an injunction sought by Montgomery Washington, which owns commercial offices in a building near the planned campus. The company argued that the project would be out of scale for the neighborhood and detract from some of its historic buildings.

The plaintiffs will have another chance to block construction when their lawsuit against City College goes to trial in April. Excavation has begun, but work on the high-rise is not scheduled to start until June.

College officials say the campus - a 14-story, 215-foot building on the northeast corner of Kearny and Washington streets, and a four-story building down the block at Washington and Columbus Avenue - should be completed in 2010.

The buildings will house 42 classrooms and laboratories, administrative offices and a community auditorium to serve 6,500 students. City College students now take classes at about a dozen sites spread around Chinatown.

The City College Board of Trustees used its legal authority in October 2007 to exempt the project from the city's 65-foot height limit for buildings in the area. The lawsuit contends the college illegally exempted itself from the city's planning process and hid the impact of the project from the public.

City College contended that as part of the state community college system, it was exempt from San Francisco's planning rules.

In hearings before Alvarado, Michael McKeeman, lawyer for Montgomery Washington, argued that a settlement of a previous lawsuit required City College to submit its plans to a preservation architect to make sure they were compatible with the neighboring Jackson Square Historic District and the Colombo Building. He said the college had never obtained that review and had falsely stated that it did so.

Alan Sparer, City College's lawyer, told the judge that the settlement contained no such requirement, and that an architectural expert hired by district officials had concluded that the high-rise was compatible with all nearby buildings.

An injunction requiring further architectural review would be "a catastrophe," Sparer said, costing the district $49 million in state bond funds and delaying completion of the campus for at least three years.

Alvarado agreed with Sparer's arguments in today's ruling and also said Montgomery Washington had known of the building design for more than two years before filing suit.

BTinSF

Oct 17, 2008, 12:48 PM

Friday, October 17, 2008
Owner Fritzi Realty seeks to bash through Transbay height limit
San Francisco Business Times - by J.K. Dineen

Downtown property owner Fritzi Realty wants to build a 550-foot residential skyscraper at 41 Tehama St., one of several proposed Transbay District projects that is significantly taller than the current draft rezoning would allow.

The 54-story glass tower, designed by Skidmore Owings & Merrill, would be one of the tallest residential buildings in the new Transbay District, with 350 housing units soaring up from a long, skinny 22,000-square-foot parcel, according to an application for environmental impact review filed with the city.

The proposed condo development is significantly more ambitious than the 23-story, 198-unit building that Fritzi had previously applied to build. That project was scheduled to go before the Planning Commission a year ago when the developer pulled it and resubmitted for a much larger project.

Josh Switzky, Transbay project manager for the San Francisco Planning Department, called 41 Tehama “a significant development site in the district.” He said the current rezoning calls for a 350-foot building on the site, greater than the current 220-foot limitation but much less than what Fitzi is seeking.

“We think 350 feet is appropriate for a variety of reasons including overall city form and composition of the area,” said Switzky. “At this point, their proposal is significantly above existing zoning and heights.”

Robert Tandler, who is heading up the project for Fritzi Realty, declined to comment except to say he is “diligently working with the city to complete the design process.”

Switzky said the overall plan calls for two clusters of tall buildings, one around the Transbay Tower and another climbing up Rincon Hill. Tehama Street lies midway between the two areas, in a part of the district where the city would like to bring heights down.

The building at 41 Tehama is not the only proposed tower in the Transbay District that is significantly taller than the zoning controls the Planning Department is proposing.

Kyoya Corp., owner of the Palace Hotel, is seeking to build a 669-foot tower on southwest corner of the hotel. The current zoning proposal calls for a 400-foot limit on that site.

“At this point, we don’t think the heights they are proposing are appropriate, but we have not seen any project proposal change yet in response to our plan,” Switzky said. “In both these cases we are recommending additional height — just not as much as they are proposing.”

jkdineen@bizjournals.com / (415) 288-4971
Source: http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2008/10/20/story12.html

peanut gallery

Oct 17, 2008, 9:33 PM

Well, that's unexpected. I'd love to see SOM's design for that Tehama tower. And I didn't realize the Palace tower was still on the table. Long term, I don't think they should worry about either of these being out of scale for their location. Especially the Palace tower. It's just off Market and we need more towers in the upper-600 to 900 foot range.

mSeattle

Oct 18, 2008, 12:55 AM

Is there a secret plan to redevelop that triangle building with a tower? Seems so.

http://imgs.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2008/07/07/dd-place08_ph_0498735825.jpg

Reminiscence

Oct 18, 2008, 3:07 AM

Since I dont get to start many threads, I figured I might as well start one about this tower and post news about it as it become available just like we've done before. Its definitly an exciting proposal, especially since its SOM. I've seen nothing but good work from them in the last few months.

BTinSF

Oct 21, 2008, 8:31 AM

Monday, October 20, 2008 - 4:19 PM PDT | Modified: Monday, October 20, 2008 - 4:34 PM
S.F. mayor pitches slew of business-friendly initiatives

San Francisco Business Times - by Eric Young

To fend off ill effects from the a sagging economy, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom on Monday announced a grab bag of initiatives he hopes will stimulate the city’s business climate.

“Despite our economic strengths, San Francisco is not immune from the worldwide credit crunch or nation-wide economic downturn,” said Newsom.

“I’ve proposed an economic stimulus package that encourages local spending, reduces the cost of doing business in San Francisco, accelerates capital spending and increases foreign investment.”

The mayor said he wants the city to:

Accelerate capital projects such as the Terminal 2 rebuild at San Francisco International Airport, the San Francisco General Hospital rebuild and the Transbay Transit Center.

Increase foreign investment by establishing a business development office in China.

Cut the cost of doing business in San Francisco by reviewing fees on businesses, helping local business take better advantage of federal, state and local tax credit programs and implementing targeted tax incentives.

Create more local jobs through City Build and other workforce programs, expanding San Francisco tourism marketing more regionally, revising parking and transit polices to make it easier to visit San Francisco, expanding Neighborhood Market Place Initiatives and Business Improvement Districts including the new Tourism Improvement District, reducing retail downturns with the “Shop Local” campaign and increasing funding for business attraction and retention efforts.

Source: http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2008/10/20/daily20.html?t=printable

Your guess is as good as mine what he means by accelerating the TransBay Transit Center. Frankly, given the credit markets and the economy, I've just got my fingers and toes crossed that Hines doesn't back out of the deal entirely. How Newsom could push them to move faster is beyond me. And, of course, the General Hospital rebuild depends on what happens Nov. 4.

peanut gallery

Oct 21, 2008, 10:24 PM

Your guess is as good as mine what he means by accelerating the TransBay Transit Center. Frankly, given the credit markets and the economy, I've just got my fingers and toes crossed that Hines doesn't back out of the deal entirely. How Newsom could push them to move faster is beyond me.

The only thing I can think of is speeding up the approval process, which will bring forward Hines' payment date (90 days after approval). Beyond that, I don't know what the city can do.

peanut gallery

Oct 22, 2008, 4:17 AM

Progress on the new SPUR building on Mission:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3010/2963539342_a77f005e30_b.jpg

peanut gallery

Oct 22, 2008, 6:48 AM

SFView

Oct 22, 2008, 10:03 PM

Source: http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2008/10/20/daily20.html?t=printable

Your guess is as good as mine what he means by accelerating the TransBay Transit Center. Frankly, given the credit markets and the economy, I've just got my fingers and toes crossed that Hines doesn't back out of the deal entirely. How Newsom could push them to move faster is beyond me...

I thought the Transbay Transit Center and Tower already have tight accelerated schedules as it is. Could this mean acceleration for Transbay related projects such as 50 First Street, TJPA Howard Street, 181 Fremont Street, or any of the residental Transbay projects along Beale or Folsom Streets; or could this mean that the Transbay Transit Center Project will be given priority not to be delayed by any yet unforseen reason(s); or some combination of the above? Sorry, I don't really know.

I also think some of the proposed height restrictions currently recommended "Scenerio 1000 Feet..." by Planning should be loosened up a bit. San Francisco could be giving up great economic opportunity, if the city chooses to set new height limits recommended by Planning at such the large reductions from the heights of at least eight of the tallest original developer tower proposals. I also agree with Peanut that a taller Palace Hotel Tower wouldn't be so out of place where it would be. There would also be no big future gap to fill, like with One Rincon Hill.

peanut gallery

Oct 24, 2008, 4:47 PM

Since we're in such a state of flux (to put it as kindly as possible) I thought I'd do a quick status update of some of the bigger current and planned projects here in the rundown thread. Please add/correct/edit as needed.

Transbay Tower - Hines deal approved; awaiting final approval of height zoning changes; I'm just hoping Hines doesn't back out with this economy.

301 Mission - tower and midrise exteriors basically complete; interiors and grounds under construction

One Rincon Hill phase 1 - tower complete; townhomes and landscaping approaching completion

One Rincon Hill phase 2 - on hold

555 Mission - complete; finishing plaza and interior

535 Mission - on hold; excavation complete; piles driven

350 Mission - expected to start in 2009; I'm dubious

The Californian (375 Fremont) - Fifield is trying to sell their development entitlements; basically dead for now

45 Lansing - hard to tell, but I wouldn't be surprised if it officially goes on hold in the near future

Infinity - tower 1 and townhomes complete; tower 2 exterior complete; courtyard nearing completion

631 Folsom - facade largely complete, interior, ground level and landscaping in progress

340-350 Fremont - Peebles is trying to sell their development entitlements; basically dead for now

10th and Market - checked today and the site hasn't been touched; last we heard it was supposed to start in the Fall; has anyone heard anything new?

350 Bush - was supposed to be delivered in 2009; entitled through 2010; nothing is happening onsite; I think it's on hold/dead, but no official statement to that effect

One Hawthorne - under construction; pouring underground levels; rebar up to about street level

Trinity - under construction; I checked today and they're working on level 12

Reminiscence

Oct 24, 2008, 8:18 PM

Thanks for that update p.g. I've lost track of some of these myself.

I probably wont worry too much about Hines backing out. Our economy is in a state of turmoil, but I think they're pretty much set financially. But then again, we've said that before too ...

peanut gallery

Oct 24, 2008, 9:01 PM

You're welcome. I wish there was more good news, but c'est la vie.

BTW, I walked down to Trinity and made updates to that and 10th/Market above.

peanut gallery

Oct 25, 2008, 3:27 AM

Mercy Housing update over at 10th and Mission:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3274/2969875375_9e7279ebf4_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3029/2970716936_b13128ae9d_b.jpg

Looking west along Mission:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3243/2969872495_e2c2bd3c11_b.jpg

And the other housing behind that along 9th, which although BT has reminded me a dozen times, I still can't seem to recall exactly what it is:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3002/2969876621_0228149ee2_b.jpg

ACSF

Oct 27, 2008, 9:59 PM

Since we're in such a state of flux (to put it as kindly as possible) I thought I'd do a quick status update of some of the bigger current and planned projects here in the rundown thread. Please add/correct/edit as needed.

One Rincon Hill phase 1 - tower complete; townhomes and landscaping approaching completion

One Rincon Hill phase 2 - I think the second tower is on hold, but no official statement to that effect

Thanks for putting this together.

One piece of news I can post....A resident of One Rincon recently was told by the developer that there are something like 100 available units right now in Tower I. Once that number gets down to 30, construction on Tower II will begin.

BTinSF

Oct 27, 2008, 10:39 PM

the other housing behind that along 9th, which although BT has reminded me a dozen times, I still can't seem to recall exactly what it is:

Call it Mercy Phase 2--it's senior housing.

peanut gallery

Oct 28, 2008, 5:58 PM

Thanks BT. I wanted to say senior housing, but wasn't sure.

peanut gallery

Oct 28, 2008, 6:03 PM

Thanks for putting this together.

One piece of news I can post....A resident of One Rincon recently was told by the developer that there are something like 100 available units right now in Tower I. Once that number gets down to 30, construction on Tower II will begin.

You're welcome, and a 'thanks' back at you for the info. I would consider that on hold for all intents and purposes. But it's good that they are at least talking about starting at some point. Still, how soon are 70 more units going to sell in this economy? A year? Longer?

I wonder how the townhouses are selling.

peanut gallery

Oct 29, 2008, 7:01 PM

I updated the latest status rundown (http://www.socketsite.com/archives/2008/10/mission_walk_330335_berry_applications_now_available_du.html#comments) with the news that One Rincon Hill Tower 2 is now officially on hold. (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showpost.php?p=3880513&postcount=1353)

BTinSF

Oct 31, 2008, 12:46 PM

Showing, for those who need to be shown, that times like these don't affect every project in the same way:

Friday, October 31, 2008
Stalled housing project gets new life

Developer Holliday is tapped to rescue $150 million plan
San Francisco Business Times - by J.K. Dineen

Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group has tapped veteran builder Rick Holliday to jump-start a 340-unit housing project at the former Coca-Cola bottling plant on Third Street. The $150 million project has been on hold since April when the former developer, Noteware Development, ran into financial trouble.

The first phase of the revived project, 140 units of housing and the city’s first Fresh & Easy grocery store, is now on track for completion in a year to 14 months. The podium of the building at 5800 Third St. was 80 percent complete in April when construction was shut down.

“Rick has all the attributes we seek in a partner,” said Jesse Blout, managing director of Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group. “He is creative, community-minded, and knows how to bring a project in on time and on budget. Just as importantly, Rick has been in the business for more than two decades and has what it takes to successfully develop in a difficult market.”

For Holliday, the development represents a return to his roots after nine years of focusing on the East Bay and beyond. During the 1980s and 1990s Holliday was a pioneer in South of Market loft development, building the 83-unit 601 Fourth St. in 1988 and the 127-unit Clocktower Lofts at 461 Second St. in 1993, as well as live/work projects in Potrero Hill and along Van Ness Avenue.

After 2000 he shifted focus outside of San Francisco, taking on complex mixed-use development in Emeryville, Oakland, Walnut Creek, Sacramento, Novato and Truckee.

“I’m back in San Francisco and I’m happy about it, given who my partner is and given the excitement along the Third Street corridor,” said Holliday.

Holliday said he sees a chance to create new transit-oriented housing and shopping along the recently built Third Street light rail. With Mission Bay quickly sprouting new biotech lab space and the UCSF campus on one end of Third Street, and Hunters Point set to receive $2 billion in investment on the other end, eventually all of the economically depressed corridor will be ripe for investment, Holliday said.

Houston-based Noteware came into San Francisco with high hopes in 2006, grabbing a site near Candlestick Point as well as 5800 Third St. But when the housing market turned sour, Noteware was stuck with failed condo developments in two of the hardest-hit regions, Phoenix and Las Vegas, according to sources familiar with the situation. Starting in early 2008, Noteware’s two San Francisco limited liability corporations — Third Street Equity Partners and Jamestown Equity Partners — were hit with millions of dollars in mechanics liens from plumbers, engineers, and other subcontractors seeking payment.

James Noteware returned a call to the San Francisco Business Times but said he was unable to comment because of the legal disputes related to the developments.

Holliday said he spoke to Blout about taking on the development last spring when “it was clear there were problems that Noteware couldn’t sort out.”

“As I got to know the Goldman fund and Jesse better, I realized it’s a perfect time for me to reconnect to San Francisco,” said Holliday.

Holliday sees the new development South of Market as taking place in distinct “surges.” The first wave spread loft projects across SoMa in the 1990s. The second extended new condo construction to Rincon Hill and Mission Bay.

Now as the real estate market and the broader economy returns to health over the next two years, he thinks development will spread south through the Dogpatch to the Bayview district. In particular, he said the flat land and transit make it perfect for cheaper wood frame construction that make it possible to sell condos for $500,000.

“We think $500,000 is a number that will be competitive and compelling if you build something good out there on the transit line,” said Holliday.

The Coke plant projects consists of four buildings, the first two with 70 units each and a the second two with 100 each. Cannon Construction is taking over the project, which was designed by Christiani Johnson Architects.

“We don’t expect there to be interruptions from this point forward,” said Holliday.

jkdineen@bizjournals.com / (415) 288-4971
Source: http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2008/11/03/story1.html?t=printable

Just a shame it isn't high-rise.

BTinSF

Oct 31, 2008, 12:53 PM

But as we all know, the reality is mostly bad:

Friday, October 31, 2008
Credit freeze puts major S.F. projects on ice

San Francisco Business Times - by J.K. Dineen

The building explosion that transformed large swaths of the central San Francisco skyline over the past four years has come to a screeching halt as nervous lenders and developers mothball active construction sites and place long-awaited ground breakings on hold.

The frigid environment is affecting not only condo towers but also office buildings and even government projects, and likely spells the start of a two-year drought for major new construction jobs.

At 535 Mission St., Beacon Capital Partners has directed contractor Swinerton Builders to stop work on a 27-story building that represented the only downtown office highrise under construction.

In Mission Bay, Bosa Development is not going forward with the 318-unit phase two of the Radiance until lenders are comfortable with sales in the 99-unit first building.

At One Rincon Hill, developer Mike Kriozere has delayed construction of the second, 42-story tower as his sales staff struggles to sell the remaining 100 units in the building’s first 60-story highrise.

“We own the land, we have the financing (Viewguy, Nequidimis please note) and our construction plans and contracts are in place,” said Kriozere of Urban West Associates. “Like others, our team is watching the economy for the proper time to re-commence construction.”

At 680 Folsom St., TMG Partners and Rreef are reevaluating the timing of plans to start a $200 million renovation and expansion of the old AT&T building, recast as Folsom Place.

The anxiety has seeped into the public sector as well: The Public Utilities Commission has shelved plans for a $188 million super-sustainable headquarters building at 525 Golden Gate Ave.

“Everything is on hold because there is no money to finance anything (well, not quite ANYTHING--see immediately above),” said Chris Foley of Polaris Group. “It looks like there may be some money in the second quarter of next year.”

The combination of tight credit and a likely recession are dampening whatever new plans exist. Some projects that can get financing don’t make economic sense any more, said Michael Joseph, a principal with Kearny Capital.

Condos that could sell for $800 a square foot 18 months ago have dropped in some cases by 20 percent and more, putting values on par with still-high construction costs. Two condo projects, Symphony Towers and the Hayes, are offering at least 20 percent markdowns for some units.

“If you have product that makes economic sense to build, you could get a loan for it,” said Joseph. “The difficult part is finding a project that makes enough sense.”

But with office rents on the decline and condo values dipping, it’s hard to make a compelling case for new condominiums or office towers.

“You are hard pressed to build in the Bay Area for much better than 6 percent return on cost,” said Joseph. “So why would you take all that risk and end up with no profit?”

Apartments and biotech seem to be the two bright spots in the development landscape, said Joseph.

Elaine Forbes, finance director for the San Francisco Planning Department, said the pipeline of new projects of more 25,000 square feet has also dropped precipitously. The first three months of the current fiscal year saw 2.9 million square feet in applications for eight new projects of 25,000 square feet or more; during the same period last year, applications came in for 13 million square feet of major projects.

“We’re seeing revenues lower than we project, but we’re not seeing a dramatic downturn yet,” said Forbes. “We have seen the end of a strong housing cycle in favor of office development and now we’re wondering if that cycle is ending as well.”

jkdineen@bizjournals.com / (415) 288-4971

Source: http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2008/11/03/story5.html?t=printable

BTinSF

Oct 31, 2008, 12:57 PM

Friday, October 31, 2008
Air quality district seeks top-flight headquarters

San Francisco Business Times - by J.K. Dineen and Blanca Torres

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is looking for higher-quality digs.

The 360-person public agency has issued a request for proposals to architects and consultants to evaluate its current 80,000-square-foot headquarters at 939 Ellis St. in San Francisco’s Civic Center district. Options include renovating the structure; tearing it down and rebuilding on the same site; or selling the property and moving. The agency also leases 15,000 square feet in Richmond, according to administrative analyst Matt Serier.

The building was constructed in 1966 and houses 300 employees. Sixty inspectors are based in Richmond. Serier said the agency wants to stay close to public transportation but is not wedded to remaining in San Francisco.

“The building is rather old and we’re spending a lot of money on keeping it up,” he said. “We are seeking the best option for the future.”

Proposals were due Oct. 29.
Source: http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2008/11/03/newscolumn1.html?t=printable

peanut gallery

Oct 31, 2008, 4:16 PM

At One Rincon Hill...our construction plans and contracts are in place,” said Kriozere of Urban West Associates.

Last I heard, they had put a request for bids out, but I never heard whom they chose. I take it from this quote that they have selected a contractor for the second tower. Has anyone heard who that is? I got the sense it wasn't going to be a slam-dunk for Bovis even though they did the first tower.

At 680 Folsom St., TMG Partners and Rreef are reevaluating the timing of plans to start a $200 million renovation and expansion of the old AT&T building, recast as Folsom Place.

Just from watching the utter lack of any activity onsite, I "knew" this was the case but hadn't seen confirmation of it. I'm guessing the same can be said for the other (and much more iconic) former AT&T building on New Montgomery. I know they had grand plans to convert it to condos, but I doubt anything will happen with that for several years.

peanut gallery

Oct 31, 2008, 10:03 PM

WonderlandPark

Nov 1, 2008, 1:21 AM

Crap, I thought 535 Mission would squeak under the wire and go ahead. :(

viewguysf

Nov 1, 2008, 9:30 PM

[QUOTE=BTinSF;3884693]But as we all know, the reality is mostly bad:

“We own the land, we have the financing (Viewguy, Nequidimis please note) and our construction plans and contracts are in place,” said Kriozere of Urban West Associates. “Like others, our team is watching the economy for the proper time to re-commence construction.”

I never forgot about his financing and very much want to see this project completed as designed. It's just that if the demand is not there (which it clearly isn't), no one is going to risk building.

BTinSF

Nov 2, 2008, 10:48 PM

Issued by :
San Francisco Redevelopment Agency
1 South Van Ness Avenue, Fifth Floor
San Francisco, CA 94103
22 October 2008

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Transbay Redevelopment Project Area
Deadline for Submission: January 22, 2009

THE OPPORTUNITY
Propose, design and develop a high-density residential project with ground-floor retail on Block 8 in the transbay Redevelopment Project Area in downtown San Francisco. The development program for the site consists of: 1) a 550-foot residential tower and an adjacent 50-foot residential townhouse development (the “Market-Rate Project”), and 2) an adjacent 65-foot to 85-foot stand-alone, affordable housing development (the “Affordable Project”). The selected development team will be required to enter into a disposition and development agreement with the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency.

THE SITE
Block 8 is a 42,625-square-foot parcel on Folsom Street (north side between 1st and Fremont) in San Francisco’s transbay/Rincon Hill area, adjacent to the Financial District, with excellent views of San Francisco, the Bay, and the Bay Bridge. The site is two blocks south of the future site of the new transbay transit Center, scheduled for completion in 2014.

Source: http://www.sfgov.org/site/uploadedfiles/sfra/B8_Document_081015_4web.pdf

Lots more information including maps, photos etc at the source.

peanut gallery

Nov 3, 2008, 5:05 PM

^Jaime at the Rincon Hill blog (http://www.rinconhillsf.org/2008/10/26/1068) posted diagrams of the current configuration and how the ramps will be adjusted for development. IIRC, the developer will need to pay for moving the roads.

FYI: block 11, which is on the southeast corner of Folsom and Essex, was also released last week. This is slated for assisted living for very poor/borderline homeless.

BTinSF

Nov 6, 2008, 7:06 AM

Wednesday, November 5, 2008 - 4:22 PM PST
S.F. delays plan to develop prime Embarcadero lot

San Francisco Business Times - by J.K. Dineen

The Port of San Francisco’s plan to develop a prime lot on the Embarcadero at Washington Street is on hold after a solicitation process drew just one development proposal.

Port of San Francisco project planner Kathleen Diohep blamed October’s financial meltdown for the dearth of proposals for Seawall Lot 351, a triangular parcel across the street from the Ferry Building. She suggested that more time would allow other potential developers to respond and that another round of proposals could be due by the end of the year.

“There were folks who gave us a sense that more time would help them get a proposal together,” she said. “We are talking about a building that is going to last 100 years. What is another few months?”

The one developer that did submit a proposal was San Francisco Waterfront Partners, which redeveloped the Piers at Piers 1 1/2, 3, and 5. Waterfront Partners has an option to buy the abutting property, the 2.5-acre Golden Gateway Tennis & Swim Club and in 2006 submitted an unsolicited plan to develop the two pieces of land in one project.

The Waterfront Partner plan would reconfigure the northeast portion of the tennis club at Washington Street between Drumm Street and the Embarcadero, replacing the clubhouse, two pools and three tennis courts with an 85-foot-tall 170-unit structure. Under the Waterfront Partners plan, the club would lose three of nine tennis courts, but the pools and clubhouse would be replaced. An underground parking garage would have 350 public parking spaces and 170 spots for the condos.

“Obviously we’re disappointed, but we’ll submit another bid,” Waterfront Partners principal Simon Snellgrove said. “We are long-term players and have a long-term vision here.”

Diohep said 175 firms downloaded the request for proposals from the port’s web site, although most were architects and consultants rather than developers. The list of developers who attended pre-submittal meetings on the site included Hines, the Vibrant Group, Rembold Properties, Kenwood Investments and Cal Coastal Development. Hotel groups looking at the site were MetroPacific Properties, Morgans Hotel Group and Sage Hospitality Resources.

Vibrant Group principal Kevin Wakelin said his firm may still be interested in the site, but suggested the deadline should be pushed into 2009.

“Given what’s going on with the economy it’s unlikely I’m going to jump through the hoops to respond to an RFP by December,” he said.

Any development on the site faces fierce opposition from powerful residential groups on Telegraph Hill as well as the northern waterfront. Members of the Golden Gateway Tennis & Swim club have fought and killed several previous attempts to develop the land.

Frederick Allardyce, the founding president of the Barbary Coast Neighborhood Association, said he opposes any project that reduces the recreation facilities and the tennis and swim club.

“The neighborhood is supportive of keeping the club at the present size,” he said.
Source: http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2008/11/03/daily80.html?t=printable

The Rendering:

http://www.socketsite.com/8%20Washington%20Project%20Area.jpg
Source: http://www.socketsite.com/

We can, of course, all thank Aaron Peskin and the Telegraph Hill Dwellers for the fact that it is so SHORT.

peanut gallery

Nov 6, 2008, 4:16 PM

No surprise really. I think they dropped a line from the article above:

"Diohep said 175 firms downloaded the request for proposals from the port’s web site, although most were architects, consultants...and development geeks from SSP."

peanut gallery

Nov 6, 2008, 4:27 PM

Remember this from last February?

http://imgs.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2008/02/04/ba_greenbuilding04.jpg
Source: San Francisco Chronicle (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/04/BA57UPQVF.DTL).

There's a notice on the current building for a hearing today at 1:30 to discuss the demolition of the existing building and construction of this one to replace it. At least the bureaucratic part of the process is moving forward.

WonderlandPark

Nov 6, 2008, 4:31 PM

^^ Good, I was wondering about that little guy's progress.

Its small, green and on primo, primo land, it should be able go ahead in this economy.

AndrewK

Nov 7, 2008, 12:33 AM

ive been looking forward to that starting up since i first read that article, it really intrigued me. good to see its actually happening (well at least looks like its going to).

BTinSF

Nov 7, 2008, 1:27 PM

I'm putting this here because the changes will apparently involve significant alteration to the building as well as what's inside:

Friday, November 7, 2008
Metreon’s new lease on life: Culture, food
San Francisco Business Times - by Sarah Duxbury

http://assets.bizjournals.com/story_image/211205-600-0-1.jpg
Second time lucky? Metreon to get a makeover after struggling for years.

Nearly three years after purchasing the troubled Metreon complex, Westfield and Forest City have settled on a plan for its rebirth.

Sources briefed by the developers say that food and culture rather than retail will drive the reconfigured four-story building. Opened in 1999, it first symbolized the optimism of the dot-com era in San Francisco — and later, its ultimate disappointment.

Building on the cultural density of the Yerba Buena neighborhood — within two blocks are more than a dozen cultural institutions, ranging from SFMOMA to the Cartoon Art Museum— most of the second floor will be converted for cultural uses like museums or performing arts. Meanwhile, the ground floor will feature more than a dozen food options, from standalone restaurants with entrances on Fourth Street to smaller 500-square-foot kiosks like those found in San Francisco Centre’s basement food court. Some of those spaces could end up as retail.

“They are focused on doing something that is really quite unconventional for one of the largest mall operators in the world,” said Julie Taylor, a broker with Cornish & Carey. “The merchandising plan is completely driven by fabulous local concepts, whether that means art, restaurants or retail, and particularly the restaurant operators who are entrepreneurial and local and now oriented to the exterior, making the property engage the street in a much more appealing way than it has in the past.”

The successful AMC movie theater will remain on the third floor; New York’s Tavern on the Green has taken the entire fourth floor, where next summer it will open a 27,000-square-foot restaurant with a 13,000-square-foot terrace.

“These new concepts and ideas will complement the nearby cultural and entertainment activities and increase interest in the complex,” Heather Almond, senior asset manager, Westfield San Francisco Properties, said by email, declining to discuss specifics of the plan or its timing.

The whole project includes about 165,000 square feet of new retail space to lease; the four-story building is 350,000 square feet. “It’s not common to see this much space come to market at once,” Taylor said.

The building itself will see significant changes, including a new main entrance on Fourth Street. The building will also face outward more; restaurants along Fourth Street will have entrances onto the street, and the building will better incorporate the park at its back. With new glass façades on the first two floors, the Metreon will feel much more transparent.

The proposed changes will likely go before the redevelopment commission in December and construction could begin shortly thereafter.

“The Metreon is a property that has not lived up to its potential, and we’re excited about the investment Westfield is making and the very great expertise they bring to retail, and especially downtown retail,” said Amy Neches of the Redevelopment Agency. “I think this will be a successful repositioning of an important asset.”

Several interested tenants have signed letters of intent or are at different stages of negotiations, but nothing is yet final. Brokers all agree that, in this economic environment, until the ink is dry, no deal is guaranteed.

“The building was developed with an inward orientation, and I don’t think it ever worked,” said Carol Gilbert, a broker with CGI. “Westfield is spending a great deal of money to make it work.”

The area doesn’t want for traffic. Taylor estimated that up to 4,000 pedestrians walk past the corner of Fourth and Mission every hour. The sheer number of museums, the nearby convention center and the growing number of hotels clustering South of Market all make the area highly desirable.

The critical mass of museums around there are also a draw to tourists and locals alike.

“They are working hard and thinking outside the box to fill space in a vertical project that addresses entertainment, food and the growing cultural center of the area … I say that SoMa now stands for ‘sort of museum area,’” said Matt Holmes, principal at Retail West.

“I don’t think apparel would be successful down there, so you need to go with another kind of entertainment and cultural mix,” Holmes added, citing the power of the San Francisco Centre and Union Square to the north. “I think they’re really focused on that.”

And food, as it so often is, could be the trick necessary to draw locals into the Metreon at last.

sduxbury@bizjournals.com / (415) 288-4963
Source: http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2008/11/10/story4.html?t=printable

peanut gallery

Nov 7, 2008, 4:39 PM

The building itself will see significant changes, including a new main entrance on Fourth Street. The building will also face outward more; restaurants along Fourth Street will have entrances onto the street, and the building will better incorporate the park at its back. With new glass façades on the first two floors, the Metreon will feel much more transparent.

...

“The building was developed with an inward orientation, and I don’t think it ever worked,” said Carol Gilbert, a broker with CGI. “Westfield is spending a great deal of money to make it work.”

This is music to my ears. This building not only ignores the street long Fourth and Mission, it practically gives it the finger. Just improving the interaction with the sidewalks would make a huge difference to the businesses inside, IMO. While not as bad, the entrances into the park can certainly be improved as well. Can't wait to see actual renderings, but it sounds good so far.

peanut gallery

Nov 7, 2008, 5:36 PM

I'm guessing the same can be said for the other (and much more iconic) former AT&T building on New Montgomery. I know they had grand plans to convert it to condos, but I doubt anything will happen with that for several years.

On the other hand, there is a chance they will move forward. From yesterday's Examiner (http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/Board_approves_changes_to_old_ATT_location.html):

Board approves changes to old AT&T location
By Katie Worth
Examiner Staff Writer 11/6/08

SAN FRANCISCO – As legend has it, the first transatlantic telephone call from the West Coast was made from the Pacific Telephone and Telegraph office at New Montgomery and Howard streets, and the man to pick up the phone on the other end was Winston Churchill.

But telephones are no longer the business at the striking 1925 art deco skyscraper in SoMa. The building has been vacant since 2007, when a developer bought the terra-cotta structure and Pacific Telephone’s descendent, AT&T, moved out to make way for 118 luxury condominiums.

The project — which the developer says will cost more than building a similar project from the ground up — will require gutting the interior of the building to allow for seismic improvements and the conversion from offices to condos, said Tom Sullivan of San Francisco development firm Wilson Meany Sullivan. The outside of the terra-cotta building will be mostly preserved, though its steel-framed windows — now rusty and leaky — will be replaced, he said.

Despite these drastic changes, the project received a nod of approval Wednesday from the Landmarks Preservation Board. The project could receive final approval from the Planning Commission within a month, Sullivan said.

“We will be losing a lot,” board member Courtney Damkroger said, adding she would like to see the building designated a historical landmark as a way of preserving part of its past.

Sullivan said the project should progress despite the stagnant economy. Developers are having trouble finding financing, but, he said, if the financial markets loosen up in the coming months there should be no problem going ahead and finding buyers for the extremely high-end units.

“The upper end of the market is less affected by the current ups and downs with the economy,” Sullivan said. “It’s one of the finest buildings in The City. There’s no other building like it and there never will be another building like it in The City.”

Here are a couple of photos of this magnificent building:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2091/2421997367_5bcac53ea8.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3102/2517949942_31c39ba68d.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3200/2616630651_c056f4022f.jpg http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2200/2419456963_6c8aed0fbd.jpg

peanut gallery

Nov 8, 2008, 1:30 AM

They've started on the new facade of One Kearny:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3143/3011025671_84ba7ec04b_b.jpg

peanut gallery

Nov 10, 2008, 5:05 PM

There's a notice on the current building for a hearing today at 1:30 to discuss the demolition of the existing building and construction of this one to replace it. At least the bureaucratic part of the process is moving forward.

This is 110 The Embarcadero. It was approved by the planning commission. Next up, the Board of Supervisors. According to an article in Saturday's Chronicle (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/07/BARC140BBI.DTL), that's not necessarily a slam-dunk:

Debate on plan for greenest West Coast building
Robert Selna, Chronicle Staff Writer
Saturday, November 8, 2008

A world-class architect who promises to build the West Coast's greenest commercial building on San Francisco's Embarcadero has nonetheless raised the hackles of some residents and city officials.

They say the building is too tall for the city's majestic shoreline and might set a bad precedent for future development along the boulevard.

The plan by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects was backed by the city's Planning Commission this week on a 4-3 vote, but city planners, architecture critics and some neighbors say they wish the 123-foot, 10-story building could conform to the waterfront's 84-foot height limits. "The city's general plan says buildings can go to 84 feet on the waterfront so you don't just start granting exceptions just because it's a green building," said Planning Commission President Christina Olague, who voted against the project.

Project developers say a big chunk of the structure's estimated $58 million price tag is the result of its predicted Platinum environmental rating - the best score granted by the U.S. Green Building Council. The extra height would create more rentable space, helping to pay for the added costs of making the building green, they say.

The project also needs approval from the Board of Supervisors, which generally supports green building practices, but has been known to reject commission recommendations when citizens raise concerns.

Planning Commissioner Michael Antonini, who favored the plan, said an exception should be made for the building because it is unique and shows San Francisco's nascent commitment to green building. The building is not large given its high cost, he said.

"I don't see this setting a precedent down there," Antonini said. "It's a building that will someday be a landmark and when people see it from the bay or the bridge, it will be a beacon for green tech building in the city."

Dubbed 110 The Embarcadero, the building would replace a long vacant two-story structure. It would stand next to the Audiffred Building, a three-story brick landmark from 1889 at the corner of The Embarcadero and Mission Street, which houses Boulevard Restaurant.

Seven other buildings share the block, including the beloved brick 1924 YMCA building, which is nearly as tall as the proposed 110 The Embarcadero. Skyscrapers loom just a couple of blocks to the east and to the north and south.

As it stands, 110 The Embarcadero would include a host of green characteristics, including solar panels, recycled wood and a wastewater recycling system. Its marquee feature would be "living" exterior walls in which planters on each floor would hold a mix of vines trained to create a net of foliage.

Chronicle architecture critic John King said the building could be "the most exquisite addition to the waterfront since the Embarcadero Freeway came down in 1991." But King described its height as "clumsy," recommending that it be lowered one or two stories.

The city Planning Department welcomes the building's innovations, but also has concerns about its height and recommended that the commission disapprove the project.

"There was a concern about supporting a parcel-specific change in height without looking at broader impacts of that change to urban form," said city planner Kevin Guy. "The compatibility of the building on a block that is smaller in scale and fronting The Embarcadero was a consideration."

Paul Paradis, an executive at Hines, a development firm, said only five commercial buildings exist in the United States with a Platinum rating, and none is on the West Coast.

"We think there are companies out there that will want to have their business in a green Platinum building and we want to bring that building to the market," Paradis said. "Right now if a company really wants to show its commitment to the environment by locating in the most green building that can be built, it has no options."

BTinSF

Nov 14, 2008, 1:37 PM

Friday, November 14, 2008
Market turning flashy S.F. condos into rentals
San Francisco Business Times - by J.K. Dineen

For months, observers of San Francisco’s condo industry have been wondering when the Anka Property Group would start selling units at the Argenta, the handsome new tower at One Polk St. completed in September.

Now the answer is clear: no time soon. Instead, the Australian developer has listed the entire Civic Center property for sale with Cushman & Wakefield and is marketing it as a rental building. Offers were due on Nov. 11.

The 17-story structure is one of a number of San Francisco condo projects that are going rental — or considering going rental — at a time when the apartment market remains strong but condo prices are declining. Another condo development, the 52-unit Artani at 818 Van Ness Ave., has been advertising units as both condos and rentals in recent weeks. At 1401 Market St., Crescent Heights is planning apartments rather than condos in a two-tower project approved 18 months ago for 720 units. Crescent Heights attorney Tim Tosta, a partner with Luce Forward, said the units are being redesigned to better fit the rental market.

The choice of whether to gamble with a dismal housing sales market or go rental and wait for a recovery is a decision many developers are facing, according to Paul Zeger, president of Pacific Marketing Associates.

“Anybody who has not closed a unit yet has to be looking at going rental,” said Zeger, “If the retail value as condos is not enough to pay off the bank and return the equity of the developer then going rental is a way to preserve equity and provide a return for investors.”

But it’s not an easy transition. Developers looking to switch to apartments either have to refinance their debt for several more years or find new lenders willing to step in.

“You have to be confident or patient enough that you can wait until the market recovery is in place,” he said.

As a rental property, the Argenta could command a premium because of location and design, said Zeger. The 179-unit tower is expected to fetch between $75 million and $80 million, or between $400,000 and $450,000 a unit. That is significantly less than the $100 million or so that industry observers estimate Anka spent on land acquisition, construction and entitlement fees.

Officials from Anka did not return several calls seeking comment.

A marked slowdown in the start of new condo projects suggests that there will be little new inventory in 2010 and 2011. That may provide a nice opportunity for high-quality apartment buildings originally intended for condos.

“I think it will eventually go condo — everything you see right now that is going rental will come back,” Zeger said.

jkdineen@bizjournals.com / (415) 288-4971
Source: http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2008/11/17/story15.html

BTinSF

Nov 14, 2008, 1:40 PM

Friday, November 14, 2008
S.F. General marshals its construction troops
San Francisco Business Times - by Chris Rauber

Now that San Francisco voters have overwhelmingly approved an $887.4 million bond issue to rebuild San Francisco General Hospital, the safety net hospital is wasting no time in moving ahead with preparations for the massive project.

Gene O’Connell, S.F. General’s longtime chief executive officer, said a Nov. 20 San Francisco Planning Commission hearing will be “the final step” in the environmental impact report and permitting process for the roughly 442,000-square-foot, 284-bed rebuild.

The hospital, run by the San Francisco Department of Public Health, is making plans to start preliminary elements of construction early next year. Several trailers that house health-care programs in the vicinity of 23rd Street and Potrero Avenue will be removed to make room for a temporary parking lot, O’Connell said. Early work digging up old underground utilities could begin by next March, and certainly by late spring.

Groundbreaking and more significant construction are slated to start in the fall of 2009. Officials expect the new structure to be open for business by January 2015.

Hospital officials also are preparing to submit an application to state regulators asking for a two-year extension on meeting state seismic deadlines, from January 2013 to 2015.

Without such an extension, hospitals are expected to meet an early 2013 requirement to rebuild or retrofit any inpatient structures that don’t meet California’s hospital seismic safety laws. To gain an extension, a hospital must prove it has a seismic plan well under way.

Other upcoming milestones include the second phase of a design review, scheduled for January, and various submissions due to the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development beginning in January, according to a timeline created by Ron Alameda, the Department of Public Works’ project manager for the San Francisco General rebuild. OSHPD is in charge of monitoring hospital construction projects and compliance with seismic safety requirements.

Although the current financial crisis has affected construction plans for a number of hospitals locally and nationwide, O’Connell and other city officials don’t expect it to disturb their plans to float bonds for the project.

Once the Nov. 4 election results are certified, and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors approves the bond issue and authorizes the spending it supports, city finance experts will try to “time the market” to get the best interest rates they can.

If need be, they can use other financial instruments, such as so-called bond anticipation notes or BANs, to fund early -stage construction.

One insider said the city will likely go out for about $100 million in phase one bonds, enough to pay for much of the early construction, noting that “by January, we expect the (bond) market to look much better.”

Overall costs for the rebuild are likely to top $1 billion, and could exceed $1.7 billion, including bond financing charges.

Officials are buoyed by an August boost to San Francisco’s credit rating by Moody’s Investors Service. As a result of that move and the Nov. 4 election returns supporting the project, “we’re all a little bit more optimistic” about having a successful bond issue, O’Connell said.

crauber@bizjournals.com / (415) 288-4946

Source: http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2008/11/17/story19.html

peanut gallery

Nov 14, 2008, 5:48 PM

At 1401 Market St., Crescent Heights is planning apartments rather than condos in a two-tower project approved 18 months ago for 720 units. Crescent Heights attorney Tim Tosta, a partner with Luce Forward, said the units are being redesigned to better fit the rental market.

First news we've heard on that in a long time. Perhaps it will actually start someday. At least there is a possible path toward starting on it.

peanut gallery

Nov 14, 2008, 6:01 PM

A few of updates from the last couple of weeks, notably 45 Lansing and 10th/Market.

In Progress/Complete
301 Mission - tower and midrise exteriors basically complete; interiors and grounds under construction

One Rincon Hill phase 1 - tower complete; townhomes and landscaping approaching completion

555 Mission - complete; finishing plaza and interior

Infinity - tower 1 and townhomes complete; tower 2 exterior complete; courtyard nearing completion

631 Folsom - facade largely complete, interior, ground level and landscaping in progress

One Hawthorne - under construction; pouring at street level; rebar up to first/second level

Trinity - under construction; last I checked they were working on level 12

Proposed/Still Alive
Transbay Tower - Hines deal approved; awaiting final approval of height zoning changes; I'm just hoping Hines doesn't back out with this economy.

350 Mission - expected to start in 2009; I'm dubious

45 Lansing - Turnberry sold 50% stake to Group 24; excavation due to begin Q1 2009; project should take 30 months to complete

10th and Market (Crescent Heights) - interior being redesigned for apartments rather than condos; timing unknown

On Hold/Dead
One Rincon Hill phase 2 - on hold

535 Mission - on hold; excavation complete; piles driven and being sealed for the wait until construction starts again

The Californian (375 Fremont) - Fifield is trying to sell their development entitlements; basically dead for now

340-350 Fremont - Peebles is trying to sell their development entitlements; basically dead for now

350 Bush - was supposed to be delivered in 2009; entitled through 2010; nothing is happening onsite; I think it's on hold/dead, but no official statement to that effect

BTinSF

Dec 3, 2008, 9:18 AM

http://www.socketsite.com/2200%20Market%20-%20Thai%20House.jpg

An observant tipster notices the application to demolish the Thai House Restaurant on the corner of Market and 15th streets (2200-2210 Market to be exact).

As proposed, the single story restaurant and surface area parking lot would become a ground floor restaurant and retail with 22 residential units above in 5 stories along Market, 4 stories along 15th, and with 12 parking spaces beneath (including one for car share).

Unfortunately that's about all we know about this project, but perhaps a plugged-in reader can provide the scoop on what could be an example of the Market-Octavia Plan in action.
Source: http://www.socketsite.com/

BTinSF

Dec 3, 2008, 6:12 PM

http://www.socketsite.com/PHSH%20Aerial.jpg

In 2004 Forest City Development was awarded the Presidio’s Public Health Service Hospital project to redevelop the long abandoned and graffiti filled building into apartments.

The non-historic wings of Building 1801 will be removed together with other non-historic buildings and additions. Up to 133,000 sf will be demolished and new construction consisting of up 35,000 sf at the rear of Building 1801 and a 16,000 square-foot building on Belles Street on the “central green” west of the Wyman Avenue residences may occur. Up to 186 dwelling units will be provided in combination with approximately 76,000 sf of other uses, including offices and cultural/education. More than half of the proposed dwelling units will be studio and 1-bedroom units, which are in highest demand for Presidio-based employees.
And on Friday, Forest City officially breaks ground on 154 units.
Source: http://www.socketsite.com/

Jerry of San Fran

Dec 4, 2008, 7:21 PM

San Francisco - Trinity Plaza progress (foreground construction), December 4th, 2008, in infrared, taken from my window, 27th floor of the Archstone Fox Plaza.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3150/3082194103_882d0c0f97_b.jpg

peanut gallery

Dec 4, 2008, 7:49 PM

Makes the city seem kind of sinister. I love the perspective from up there. You can see Trinity is starting to take its place on the skyline.

BTinSF

Dec 5, 2008, 1:11 PM

Friday, December 5, 2008
Builders chase $440M Transbay prize
‘Grand Central of the West’ is just one coveted public project
San Francisco Business Times - by J.K. Dineen

The Bay Area’s biggest contractors are jockeying for blockbuster public construction jobs at a time when many of the region’s largest condo developments and office towers have been indefinitely halted.

The Transbay Joint Powers Authority board is scheduled Jan. 8 to pick a contractor for the first phase of the Transbay Terminal in San Francisco. The $440 million contract includes demolition of the current terminal and extensive pre-construction work on the high-speed rail and office tower. The two finalists are Clark Construction in a joint venture with Webcor, and Turner in a joint venture with Bovis Lend Lease.

The team that wins the $440 million contract will be a front-runner to capture the $500 million next phase of the project being billed as the Grand Central Station of the West.

“This could be the biggest thing in San Francisco since the Bay Bridge,” said Russ Getschet, pre-construction manager for Bovis Lend Lease. “Thank God for them, it’s starting.”

Construction industry executives are hoping that the arrival of several major public jobs, including the Transbay and the $887 million San Francisco General Hospital rebuild voters approved Nov. 4, will be enough to offset some of the losses stemming from the cancellation or postponement of private residential developments, including phase two of One Rincon Hill and the 720-unit Crescent Heights project at 10th and Market streets. The U.S. Commerce Department reported that construction spending dropped by 1.2 percent in October; housing construction has dipped 4 percent since September.

In October, after completing excavation, Beacon Capital Partners abruptly stopped construction on its office tower at 535 Mission St. The decision left Swinterton Builders executives scurrying to find new assignments for the dozens of construction managers and tradesmen who had been working on the now-mothballed building.

“The Beacon project was stopped when the wheels were moving — the materials were on the way and the team was staffed up,” said Swinerton President Charlie Kuffner. “You have your top guys on a job like that, and now you have to redeploy them.”

Not surprisingly, when the dust settled the workers were not redeployed to private condo towers or office buildings, but to public works jobs like the $350 million replacement of the Highland Hospital/Alameda County Medical Center and the $35 million job constructing four performing arts centers for the Campbell Unified School District. Swinerton just finished two Valley Health Centers in Sunnyvale and Gilroy, and is chasing Catholic Healthcare West as well as a number of funded construction projects at junior colleges.

“The private developers are unable to get commercial credit,” said Eric Foster, senior vice president of Swinerton. “We are refocusing on things financed by public bonds or parcel taxes.”

The same goes for Bovis Lend Lease, which recently completed the 269-unit Arterra and was general contractor for phase one of One Rincon Hill. Bovis recently won three contracts for San Francisco City College totaling $140 million and is also looking to bid on health-care projects, a specialty the contractor has done plenty of in other markets, but not San Francisco.

“We are quite capable of building hospitals, and that is where the market is heading,” said Getschet.

The Bay Area’s largest contractor, Webcor Builders, is also shifting its focus to public projects, but still has a significant pipeline of condo developments under construction. Webcor is building San Francisco’s three major condo developments still under construction: Jackson Pacific’s 180-unit One Hawthorne St., one of the few projects to break ground this year; phase two of Tishman Speyer’s Infinity; and the 419-unit Millennium Tower at First and Mission streets. In addition, Webcor has four projects in Los Angeles in the $250 million range, including LA Live and the Century.

“Those are still going strong and are halfway through construction,” said Webcor senior vice president Jes Pedersen. “Those will continue through 2009.”

Meanwhile, Webcor is pushing aggressively into public projects. Webcor is general contractor on the new San Francisco General Hospital and is chasing the Transbay job. But the economic downturn is even hurting some public projects. The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission has put its new $188 million headquarters building on hold and is reevaluating whether the super-green structure makes economic sense at a time when tax revenues are falling. Webcor is slated to be the contractor on that project as well.

“They have not made up their minds,” said Pedersen. “They are still asking questions — we like to believe there is still life left in it and something is going to happen.”

Kuffner said he hoped a new president and administration would shake the credit markets loose and restore some optimism in shell-shocked developers.

“It’s definitely a change in times,” said Kuffner. “I think in Q2 or Q3 we will know if we can count on the financial markets. Unfortunately, it’s not something we have any control over.”
Source: http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2008/12/08/story2.html?t=printable

BTinSF

Dec 5, 2008, 1:15 PM

Friday, December 5, 2008
Forest City set to start Presidio rental project
San Francisco Business Times - by J.K. Dineen

Forest City starts construction this week on a $71 million residential redevelopment of the former Public Health Service Hospital in the Presidio, despite the crippled credit market that has stalled new housing developments across the Bay Area.

Susan Smartt, senior vice president of Forest City Residential West, said her firm was able to obtain construction financing for the 154-apartment complex because of the site’s unusual bucolic-yet-urban Presidio setting and the relative resilience of San Francisco’s apartment segment. Forest City’s strong experience as a national urban developer was also a factor, she said.

“It’s a testament to Forest City’s track record that this loan got done in the heat of the financial crisis,” said Smartt. “It got done based on relationships and the strength of the location.”

Wachovia is the lead lender for the loan, which closed the last day of October — a wicked month on Wall Street during which the Dow Jones lost 14 percent of its value. Wells Fargo will end up with the loan through its takeover of Wachovia.

“We have a long-term investment horizon, and while things are pretty down right now, you really should be building when the market is down so you bring product online when the market is up,” said Smartt.

Five-year journey

The start of construction comes five years after the Presidio Trust picked Forest City to redevelop the 1932 hospital at Lake Street and 15th Avenue, a structure that has been empty for 20 years. Forest City underwent a four-year community process during which residents in the abutting inner Richmond neighborhood convinced the developer to pare back the project from 350 to 154 units. The developer also agreed to knock down the non-historic wings of the hospital.

The Presidio Trust is investing another $20 million in the district around the former hospital. About $7.8 million of this will go to renovating the 70,000-square-foot former nurses dormitory into office space. Another $11 million will go toward revamping 13 historic homes along Wyman Terrace, set to start construction in March. The rest of the money will be invested in landscaping and trails.

The 1,500-acre Presidio has seen a flood of investment in the five years between the time Forest City started working on its plan and the start of construction. In 2005, the 860,000-square-foot Letterman Digital Arts Center opened for business. In 2007, a roster of other new tenants inked leases there, including Babcock & Brown, Francisco Partners and Clarium Partners. New restaurants have popped up, including La Terrasse, Pres A Vi and the Presidio Social Club, and a new Walt Disney Family Museum is under construction and set for completion in August 2009.

Office leases feed housing

The burst of activity has only improved the prospects for a residential project in the Presidio, especially in a region where eco-conscious workers want to walk or bike to work, Smartt said.

“The Presidio as a location for companies has become more established, and we certainly will be doing a lot of marketing to existing employees,” said Smartt.

The Presidio has a 2 percent vacancy rate for its 1,089 apartments, and just 5 percent of the 3.5 million square feet of office and warehouse space within the park is vacant. Most of the office leasing deals were completed in 2006 and during the first half of 2007 — just before the economy slowed.

Presidio Trust Executive Director Craig Middleton said the park has been insulated from the recession by “what we call Presidio magic.” Still, he said he was worried that Forest City might have trouble financing its project.

“I would have to be deaf, dumb and blind not to be concerned about what is happening in the overall economy and what it might to do the Presidio,” Middleton said.

Strong rental market

San Francisco’s apartment market continues to be among the strongest in the United States. Asking rents in San Francisco have shot up 6.3 percent since the third quarter of 2007 to an average of $1,827 a month — second only to New York, according to a market report from Reis Inc., a New York-based research firm. In addition to Forest City’s Presidio development, three major apartment projects are under construction in the city: Trinity Properties’ 1,900-unit development at 1169 Market St.; Avalon Bay’s 260-unit project at 355 King St.; and Urban Housing Group’s 192-unit project at 555 Mission Rock Blvd.

Smartt said if the project were set to be condominiums, rather than apartments, “we surely would not be doing it.”

The units will be junior one bedrooms, one bedrooms and two bedrooms, and range between 400 square feet and 1,500 square feet.

Congress established the Presidio Trust in 1994 to manage the Presidio, a former army base with nearly 6 million square feet of buildings, including 469 historic structures that contribute to its status as a National Historic Landmark District. In establishing the Trust, Congress mandated that it make the park financially self-sufficient by 2013.

“The trust has done a good job of trying to balance out some economic activity to support broader goals on open space and trails and preserving historic resources,” said Smartt. “It has become a place where there are people everywhere doing different things.”

The contractor on the project is Plant Construction, and SMWM, which recently merged with Perkins + Will, is the architect.
Source: http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2008/12/08/story4.html?t=printable

BTinSF

Dec 5, 2008, 1:20 PM

Friday, December 5, 2008
Top Vision halts $240M Candlestick condos
San Francisco Business Times - by J.K. Dineen

Work on the $240 million phase three of Top Vision Development’s Candlestick Point has come to a grinding halt, with the builder unable to secure construction financing for the waterfront project.

In the latest in a series of San Francisco condominium complexes placed on the back burner due to the tight credit markets, Top Vision General Manager Jerry Brunstein said project lender United Commercial Bank recently informed his firm that it would not finance the 465-unit third phase of the Candlestick Point project. Other major housing developments that have been shelved include the 292-unit phase two of One Rincon Hill and the 318-unit phase two of the Radiance in Mission Bay.

Brunstein said the decision to stop building was based entirely on the inability to secure a construction loan, not on the generally abysmal housing market. He said phase three will take 24 to 30 months to build, long enough for the residential market to bounce back.

“If somebody will lend us the money, we have great confidence in the market,” said Brunstein.

The decision is a blow to the city’s plans to create 2,800 units of housing on Candlestick Point, the isolated waterfront land between Highway 101 and Monster Park in the city’s southeast corner. Top Vision sold out its first 128 units in 2001 and thus far has unloaded 146 condos in the 176-unit phase two, although Brunstein said sales have slowed to a handful a month since the summer. He said the buyers continue to be attracted to the quiet waterfront location, a site that offers nature trails and windsurfing, but lacks the public transportation, shopping and restaurants that most San Francisco neighborhoods offer.

“We were selling 10 a month during the best of times. Now we are lucky if we get one a week.”

While Top Vision’s first two phases are wood frame over podium, which is much cheaper to build, the third phase is concrete and steel highrise construction, with a pair of 16-story structures and another two of seven and eight stories. Brunstein said it is unlikely that a new lender will step in anytime soon.

“We have a broker or two out there hunting, but they don’t give us a lot of optimistic reports,” said Brunstein.

Meanwhile, next door to the Top Vision site, Signature Properties is still building Candlestick Cove, a 125-unit phase of a cluster that will eventually total 499 units. Signature Properties President Michael Ghielmetti said they are cautiously moving forward with their wood frame units, adding five-unit townhouses as warranted by sales of completed units. He said Signature has no immediate plans to start work on the taller 100-plus-unit podium buildings it has entitled.

“Sales are slower than we would like,” said Ghielmetti, “but we have not changed anything.”

Chris Foley of Polaris Group, which is handling sales for Top Vision, said it’s not surprising construction was put on ice.

Office and residential highrises are on hold because no one knows what the economics are going to be when we come out of this financial situation,” Foley said.
Source: http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2008/12/08/story15.html?t=printable

BTinSF

Dec 5, 2008, 1:23 PM

Friday, December 5, 2008
Developer wins battle vs. preservationists
San Francisco Business Times - by J.K. Dineen

Developers looking to build a 13-story condo tower on the site of a 1920s-era auto dealership at Bush and Franklin Streets in San Francisco have beaten back efforts by historic preservationists to torpedo the project.

On Dec. 2, the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency Commission voted unanimously to approve a 70-unit project proposed by Pacific Heights Franklin Partners, a partnership between Dan Schalit and Jim Helfrich of Village Properties. The vote endorsed the environmental impact report, the design of the building and the demolition of the current structure, which is occupied by Cars Dawydiak.

San Francisco Heritage Executive Director Jack Gold said he argued at the hearing that the single-story building deserves preservation because it is part of the “auto row historic district,” a cluster of early automobile businesses on and near Van Ness Avenue.

“It’s one of a type of auto-related buildings in that neighborhood that represent the flowering of the auto industry in San Francisco,” said Gold.

The building was designed by Frederick Meyer, who was the architect of the Bill Graham Auditorium, as well as a number of classic residential buildings like 980 and 999 Bush St., 775 Post St., 795 Sutter St. and 956 Post St. Gold called Meyer “one of the most important architects in the city.”
Source: http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2008/12/08/story16.html?t=printable

peanut gallery

Dec 5, 2008, 5:35 PM

...the cancellation or postponement of private residential developments, including...the 720-unit Crescent Heights project at 10th and Market streets.

Obviously nothing is happening at this site and none of us expect that to change anytime soon, but has there been an official notice that this is on hold? That's probably an academic question given all indications are that it is. Just curious if anyone has seen/heard anything from the developer.

SFView

Dec 5, 2008, 5:46 PM

Source: http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2008/12/08/story16.html?t=printable

I'm going to miss driving by Cars Dawydiak. I very much enjoy glancing at the classic Porches, Ferrari's and other occasional classic or exotic sports cars each time I pass by. I call it the "Toy Store" of cars to my family. They also sell the cute Vespa's there. I sure hope that the building that is going to replace it is going to be worth it.

Gordo

Dec 5, 2008, 5:58 PM

I'm going to miss driving by Cars Dawydiak. I very much enjoy glancing at the classic Porches, Ferrari's and other occasional classic or exotic sports cars each time I pass by. I call it the "Toy Store" of cars to my family. They also sell the cute Vespa's there. I sure hope that the building that is going to replace it is going to be worth it.

I agree. I don't support the building being preserved as historical, but it is certainly being put to good use now. In a perfect world some of the vacant or underused buildings on Bush between Franklin and Van Ness (right around the corner) would be redeveloped first.

BTinSF

Dec 5, 2008, 8:01 PM

I'm going to miss driving by Cars Dawydiak. I very much enjoy glancing at the classic Porches, Ferrari's and other occasional classic or exotic sports cars each time I pass by. I call it the "Toy Store" of cars to my family. They also sell the cute Vespa's there. I sure hope that the building that is going to replace it is going to be worth it.

There are a number of suitable--and landmarked--buildings on Van Ness to which they could move: The long-vacant former Honda dealership at Eddy & Van Ness, the not-as-long vacant Mercedes dealership at O'Farrell & Van Ness and now, I understand, the Chevrolet dealership on Van Ness.

Gordo

Dec 5, 2008, 8:05 PM

...I understand, the Chevrolet dealership on Van Ness.

Really? Where are they moving? Or is it simply a closure?

BTinSF

Dec 5, 2008, 8:13 PM

Maybe I read it wrong--they aren't closing BUT:

Ellis Brooks Chevrolet dumping GM line
Andrew S. Ross
Friday, November 21, 2008

Not only does San Francisco's Chrysler Jeep dealership close, now you can't buy a new Chevy from Ellis Brooks Chevrolet on Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco's Auto Row. If you haven't heard, Ellis Brooks said last week that it won't be selling any more new GM vehicles after Dec. 15. If you want a used one, however, you'll still be in luck. And they'll still do some leasing.

But Ellis Brooks, which started out as a used car dealer in 1939, may not be gone forever. General Manager John Brooks said he hopes to get back into the new-car business some time next year. But it wouldn't be with GM, whose management he has some choice words for. CEO Rick Waggoner "needs to be removed. He's destroying America's greatest company." In its next iteration, said Brooks, grandson of the company's founder, Ellis, the dealership will sell imports.

Some of the dealership's woes reflected the bad economic times. Brooks said business was down 60 to 70 percent this year. On the bright side, Brooks has said he would make every effort to move the showroom's remaining new-car inventory at "very attractive prices to clear our floors." And Christmas is right around the corner. "No reasonable offer will be refused," Brooks said.
Source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/21/BUN4148PNR.DTL&type=printable

Gordo

Dec 5, 2008, 8:33 PM

:previous: Thanks, missed that article. Sounds like maybe the place will still be a car dealership, but just sell Hyundais or something else not yet sold on Van Ness.

peanut gallery

Dec 5, 2008, 10:24 PM

Here's the rendering for the proposal at the Cars Dawydiak site, if you haven't already seen it:
http://www.socketsite.com/1450%20Franklin%20-%20Rendering.jpg
source: SocketSite (http://www.socketsite.com/archives/2008/12/1450_franklin_the_proposal_and_preservationists_challen.html)

peanut gallery

Dec 6, 2008, 2:58 AM

Did anyone notice they took the wraps of 120 Montgomery? We can now see the new skin:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3077/3086175022_d7e87587da_b.jpg

They're still working around the bottom floors:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3167/3085342887_7709ac3f2e_b.jpg

A closer look:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3262/3086176374_bcf6d49086_b.jpg

There's one strip where you can still see the old marble. They've basically added a newer version of the same material that's a little lighter in color:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3149/3086175702_9d6d9d9f02_b.jpg

I think it looks pretty nice (holding judgement on the bottom until it's done). Basically they've restored it to its original state.

caramatt

Dec 6, 2008, 7:33 AM

I think 120 Montgomery looks pretty wonderful. I work around the corner and when I first caught sight of it with the scaffolding down it stopped me in my tracks. The reflectivity of whatever polished stone they chose for the exterior is really gorgeous. It changes over the course of the day, so it always gives a different impression. One of my favorites in the area.

SFView

Dec 7, 2008, 12:06 AM

Looks like a very nicely done renovation for 120 Montgomery. Does anyone have any before photos they can post for comparison?

viewguysf

Dec 7, 2008, 7:05 AM

I agree. I don't support the building being preserved as historical, but it is certainly being put to good use now. In a perfect world some of the vacant or underused buildings on Bush between Franklin and Van Ness (right around the corner) would be redeveloped first.

I also agree. Cars Dawydiak in the present building creates an interesting and charming corner that the new building will most likely diminish.

flight_from_kamakura

Dec 10, 2008, 1:51 AM

ah damn, i love the cars dawydiak building. luckily this one is unlikely to proceed in the short to medium term.

peanut gallery

Dec 10, 2008, 3:28 AM

One Kearny yesterday. They sure are moving slowly on the facade.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3169/3096379359_2e78b058db_b.jpg

livin' in the city

Dec 10, 2008, 6:11 PM

Thanks for the update. How is the Millenium lobby/streetscape coming along? Saw that they Gavins turning the shovel today on the temp. Transbay Terminal.

BTinSF

Dec 10, 2008, 6:16 PM

One Kearny yesterday. They sure are moving slowly on the facade.

They may be buying one fake brick at a time--as/when HSBC finds some cash under the sofa cushions. ;)

peanut gallery

Dec 11, 2008, 4:41 AM

Thanks for the update. How is the Millenium lobby/streetscape coming along? Saw that they Gavins turning the shovel today on the temp. Transbay Terminal.

That seems to be moving slowly as well, but I think they're just doing a lot of interior work and other things that aren't visible to a casual observer like me. I did notice they filled the last gaps between the building and the sidewalk along Mission. Last I checked, the auto entrance on Fremont was making progress. And I see lots of workmen inside the first floor, but I can't really tell exactly what they're doing. I'll try to make a point of going by there at lunch soon so I can take a little more time to check it out. I mostly just walk by on the way to and from work.

They may be buying one fake brick at a time--as/when HSBC finds some cash under the sofa cushions. ;)

LOL!!

SFView

Dec 14, 2008, 3:11 AM

(edit)

POLA

Dec 15, 2008, 5:34 AM

bad ass:

http://vimeo.com/2489687

cityjogger

Dec 15, 2008, 4:38 PM

The plaza at 555 Mission was open this morning - fences all down.

peanut gallery

Dec 15, 2008, 8:40 PM

^ I posted some photos (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showpost.php?p=3971311&postcount=626) of that from last week in the 555 Mission thread.

Busy Bee

Dec 16, 2008, 1:06 AM

120 Montgomery looks great. This is a sharp building. SF should be proud of such a quality re-skin project.

CityKid

Dec 18, 2008, 10:00 PM

Hi guys. I've been trying to take a photo of the new construction in the Richmond of the Institute on Aging Senior Campus, but it hasn't quite worked out with my schedule. I went to the website just now and found this:

http://www.earthcam.net/external/image.php?t=e85325bfa4e09d742061a30e5061eb8d&m=instagingmp.jpg
Image from earthcam.net.

Pretty cool, huh? I know it's not a big project, but at least it's a project. It will also be nice to see more density in the Richmond.

They even have a video posted on youtube detailing the design (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14Me8BcmJlM). They don't start talking about the new campus until about 4:50.

Hope all is well with the regular posters. Happy Holidays!

peanut gallery

Dec 19, 2008, 5:50 PM

A tower crane! After seeing so many for so long, it's now become more of a rarity -- especially that far west. Happy holidays to you too, CityKid!

hi123

Dec 23, 2008, 7:38 AM

Has any work been done on 680 folsom lately? It seems as though the project is stalled perhaps?

peanut gallery

Dec 27, 2008, 4:18 AM

Not a thing. I haven't read anything official, but I'm under the impression it's on hold.

JAC6

Jan 7, 2009, 6:57 AM

John King thinks 101 Second Street works better now that it has taller neighbors. I think there's something to that.

Why Zampa Bridge, 101 Second St., Target work
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/06/DDCS150N6H.DTL

... If Zampa Bridge was blessed by an act of subtraction, the addition of towers to San Francisco's skyline is what makes 101 Second St. look even sharper now than when it opened a decade ago.

From the start, to be sure, the 26-story tower had a presence that belied its modest height. It broke with the cut-and-paste historicism that defined too many towers of the prior 15 years, pairing green glass with pale yellow limestone and wrapping both around a rectangular shaft bowed slightly on the east.

The difference now? This tower no longer rises in isolation. New towers are popping up all around it - four in the past two years alone, each climbing higher and each clad in glass.

And each makes 101 Second stand out all the more.

The recent arrivals share a 21st century sheen. They're designed to make a splash, iconic markers of Now. They also lack depth, because glass by its nature has a two-dimensional look.

By contrast, 101 Second's design, by Craig Hartman of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, is all about texture and layers. There's ample glass, but the heavy limestone puts down roots. The details are modern, but the tower's stepped-back form conjures up a sense of the past.

It looks as if it belongs - high praise in San Francisco....