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  #141  
Old Posted Oct 3, 2008, 6:17 PM
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San Jose is going the way of rentals for some former condo projects, at least temporarily. This article is from The Mercury News:

Quote:


Downtown San Jose condos can't sell; developers turn them into rentals
By Joshua Molina
Mercury News
Article Launched: 09/30/2008 07:13:00 PM PDT


For years, San Jose's vision for downtown was based on the dream of young professionals living in high-rise condos and shopping and doing business in a hip, fast-paced 24-hour city.

But the collapse of the housing market is forcing developers and the city to put their dreams on hold. Upscale condo sales have slowed to a crawl, and developers in desperation are turning their for-sale homes in the downtown into rentals, in hopes of seeing some return on their multimillion-dollar investments.

For city officials who spent millions in public subsidies trying to create a downtown full of committed homeowners, the trend stings. But they say there is no choice.

"The problem we have now is that a lot of for-sale units are coming online at the same time, and they are obviously struggling," said San Jose Housing Director Leslye Krutko. "Right now our concern is to try to stabilize the market."

The latest project to convert to rentals is Barry Swenson's Skyline, an 11-story, high-rise tower near Highway 87. The San Jose City Council approved the conversion Tuesday after Swenson closed his sales office and ceased marketing the 242-unit project because he couldn't attract buyers.

The project follows two others: The downtown Globe development in June received approval from the city council to rent out 76 units it once considered selling. Swenson's other project, The Lofts, on The Alameda, also recently received council approval to rent the last 11 of 42 units because the developers couldn't sell them.

In each case, the developers are being allowed to rent the units for up to five years. They are banking on the housing market coming back to life, allowing them to sell the units down the road.

But it could take a while. Still, they overwhelmingly prefer renters to empty, vacant buildings. City officials say they want to encourage people to live in the heart of the city.

"We want people downtown whether they rent or own, and we welcome thousands of new residents in the next few years,'' said Councilman Sam Liccardo, who represents downtown. "San Jose continues to have a healthy rental environment despite the economic troubles in recent months."

How many condos are being converted to rentals is hard to calculate. That's because only projects that receive a public subsidy or are in the redevelopment area are required to return to the council for approval to change their use.

With the economy gasping for breath, the housing market spiraling downward and unemployment rates soaring, officials expect more and more valley residents will be living in rentals over the next few years.

In Santa Clara County, condo sales dropped 25 percent from August 2007 to August of this year. The median price of those homes during that period was also way down, from $525,000 to $385,000. As for single-family homes, 5 percent fewer were sold during that period, and the median cost fell from $805,000 to $592,750.

"We have to be realistic that this is the most difficult financial market we have ever seen," said John Weis, deputy director of the redevelopment agency.

Krutko added that "we are seeing our projects in the planning stages converting to rentals instead of sales."

Some of San Jose's downtown towers — such as Swenson's City Heights, which has sold about 50 percent of its units — are doing OK. But they are clearly the exception to the rule.

Swenson began marketing the Skyline project at Lick and Alma avenues in March. By June, the interest was so faint that he decided to convert the first phase of the project — 121 units — to rentals.

Those who bought into the condo projects before the housing market turned sour have mixed feelings about the trend.

Veronica Galvan bought a unit at The Lofts a little more than a year ago. And she doesn't mind that her new neighbors will be renters.

Still, Galvan worries that some of them won't take care of their units as well as the homeowners do. "I think there's going to be a difference," she said. But "let's see in a few years."

Hector Salitrero, a member of The Lofts' Homeowners Association board of directors, said he would rather see Swenson rent the properties than sell them off in a depressed market.

"I don't see it as a bad thing," he said. "I see it as natural reaction to the housing market."
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  #142  
Old Posted Oct 10, 2008, 2:49 PM
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From: http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/...13/story4.html

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Friday, October 10, 2008
Developer Tagami wants all of Oakland Army Base
San Francisco Business Times - by Blanca Torres

Developer Phil Tagami will present an unsolicited offer to the Port of Oakland next week to create a master plan for the entire Oakland Army Base.

The Army Base — a huge parcel of land where interstates 80 and 880 intersect at the base of the Bay Bridge — has the potential to play a key role in the region’s economic growth in the coming years.

Tagami’s bid to be a master developer for the entire site is connected to his proposal to build an office tower and logistics center on just one part of the army base, a city-controlled 108-acre parcel.

Tagami’s firm, California Capital Group, and its partner, AMB Property Corp., are one of four finalists to bid for the rights to develop the city-owned site. The Port owns a separate 157-acre parcel that’s part of the base and is also slotted for redevelopment.
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  #143  
Old Posted Oct 17, 2008, 12:52 PM
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Quote:
Friday, October 17, 2008
Protopappas forges ahead despite struggling market
San Francisco Business Times - by J.K. Dineen and Blanca Torres

Longtime Oakland developer John Protopappas is pushing ahead with projects despite a weak market that has forced other developers to delay or abandon their plans altogether.

His firm, Madison Park Financial Corp., has three projects in the pipeline in Oakland and Emeryville, with plans to start more and eventually expand to Southern California.

“What is driving our optimism and confidence? We are producing rentals,” Protopappas said.

The firm’s current projects in development include a 92-unit live/work residential project at 1614 Campbell St., 101 for-rent residential and live/work units plus 1,000 square feet of retail space at the corner of 39th and Adeline streets in Oakland, and the third phase of its Bakery Lofts development in Emeryville, which will add 61 residential and five retail units.

In the last few months, the firm leased 10 of its 24 live/work units at its latest rental project, the Packard Lofts in Oakland’s up-and-coming Uptown neighborhood. A wine bar called Mimosa will open early next year on the ground floor. Protopappas wants to begin construction on the project at 39th and Adeline streets early next year if he can secure a construction loan — a huge challenge in today’s tight credit market.

Even so, Protopappas maintains his focus on creating assets that will provide returns over time. His company still owns the first property he developed — the David Gray Building, a 27-unit live/work development at 1155 Fifth St. in Oakland.

“The beauty of real estate is that it starts to appreciate as soon as you build it,” Protopappas said. “I’m old enough now to renovate a building I already built.”
Source: http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/...ml?t=printable
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  #144  
Old Posted Nov 7, 2008, 5:36 PM
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from:http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/...10/story9.html

Quote:
Oakland funds Auto Row retail plan

$1.3 million strategy is first step in attracting developers
San Francisco Business Times - by Blanca Torres

Oakland is taking a page out of the playbooks of other East Bay cities such as Emeryville and Walnut Creek to encourage developers to create an in-fill shopping district similar to Bay Street or Broadway Plaza.

The Oakland City Council this week committed up to $1.3 million in redevelopment funds to plan a mixed-use destination retail center in the area that is home to the Broadway Auto Row. The area is now filled mostly with surface parking lots and car dealerships, many of which have left or could be moved to other sites in the city.

The funds will go to pay for architecture firm Wallace, Roberts and Todd to complete the site plan, which involves determining land parcels for development and building design guidelines for elements such as parking structures, building height limits, pedestrian-friendly amenities and public areas.

“You have to convince developers that, yes, there is enough space for me to come in and do what I want,” said Stephen Hammond, director of planning for the San Francisco office of WRT. “One of the things a plan does is that it gets all the regulatory factors aligned with the long-term vision for the area.”


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  #145  
Old Posted Nov 19, 2008, 11:20 PM
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Everywhere you turn, new developments are being canceled or delayed. Although the byline says Sunnyvale Sun, I found this on the SJ Mercury News website:

Quote:
Sunnyvale council votes to allow delay in Town Center project
By Cody Kraatz
Sunnyvale Sun
Posted: 11/19/2008 10:02:12 AM PST


The Sunnyvale City Council voted 4-2 on Tuesday to allow Sand Hill Property Co. to delay its delivery of completed spaces to tenants at the mixed-use Sunnyvale Town Center project, which is now marketed as Downtown Sunnyvale.

Because of the difficulty of signing leases with retailers in this economy, a 2010 grand opening is expected now for the bulk of the site's retail, entertainment and housing, rather than 2009.

Sand Hill has until December 2009 to deliver 110,000 square feet of retail space to tenants for improvements, and until March 2010 to deliver another 40,000 square feet.

"Giving this developer some latitude ... is in the best interests of the city of Sunnyvale," said Councilman John Howe.

Councilmen Dave Whittum and Chris Moylan voted no and Vice Mayor Melinda Hamilton was absent.

"We will sign leases as soon and as fast as we can, but we need some cushion in case things are slow," said Sand Hill owner Peter Pau, adding that his firm is funding construction out of pocket, not with loans, and expanding its marketing and leasing teams.
The site plan from the Downtown Sunnyvale website:
Level One


Level Two


Check the link for renderings and more detail.
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  #146  
Old Posted Nov 21, 2008, 5:54 PM
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Quote:
Friday, November 21, 2008
Prologis/Catellus, First Industrial exit Oakland base race
San Francisco Business Times - by Blanca Torres

Two of four developers have pulled out of the race to redevelop the Oakland Army Base in the past month as companies worry about taking on a complicated, costly, long-term project while the national economy is sputtering.

The two developers still in the running are expected to submit proposals for the 108-acre site by Jan. 22.

The latest to drop out is ProLogis/Catellus. First Industrial Realty scrapped its bid last month.

The remaining two teams are AMB Property Corp./California Capital Group, spearheaded by Oakland developer Phil Tagami, and Federal Development LLC, a Washington, D.C.-based firm concerned its retail and mixed-use proposal may not fit the city’s interests. The four were chosen in July from a pool of 13 developers who responded to a request for qualifications.

The city sees the Army base site — at the intersection of interstates 80 and 880 at the base of the Bay Bridge — as a way to attract new businesses and jobs.

Jessica Crow, a spokeswoman for Denver-based ProLogis, said this week the cost of improving and expanding the site’s infrastructure was too high, coupled with larger problems the company is facing. It replaced its chief executive last week and at the time said it would not start new projects until the economy improves.

First Industrial decided not to proceed because its proposal focused on developing industrial buildings, while the city made it clear it wants other uses such as office and retail incorporated, said Wallace Murfit, the firm’s senior investment officer for Northern California.

David Gazek, senior vice president of Federal Development, worries that some members of the City Council oppose putting retail on the site and has received mixed signals about what the city wants.

“We want to make sure that there’s an interest in what we’re proposing,” he said. “What we’ve been observing is that the process with the city has evolved. The city has been figuring it out as they go and that’s not unusual. It’s a key piece of property for the city and an opportunity they don’t want to squander.”

Tagami and his partner, AMB, continue to work on their proposal, which goes beyond the area identified in the RFP to include a 157-acre parcel controlled by the Port of Oakland and a 24-acre parcel that the city is considering for an auto mall or other retail use.

All three areas share infrastructure, Tagami said, so it makes sense to put them into one master plan. He is still waiting to hear from from the Port on a separate proposal to combine the sites. He estimates the cost of developing the Army base at $300 million to $500 million.

“We need to respect the process,” he said. “There’s no question that there’s a great deal of work that has to happen.”


btorres@bizjournals.com / (415) 288-4960
Source: http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/...ml?t=printable

Not at all surprising--Prologis and First Industrial are in serious trouble right now and undoubtedly hoarding cash.
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  #147  
Old Posted Nov 21, 2008, 6:16 PM
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Quote:
Friday, November 21, 2008
MacArthur BART transit village gets green light

San Francisco Business Times - by Steve Ginsberg

After 15 years of planning, construction could start on a transit village at the MacArthur BART station late next year. A new plaza for BART patrons and a parking garage will kick off the long-anticipated project that will partially transform the neighborhood at MacArthur Boulevard and Telegraph Avenue.

MacArthur Transit Community Partners LLC plans to start construction of Phase I’s centerpiece, a 400 space parking garage, in late 2009. The garage will free up acreage to build future condominiums and retail on land now used for parking. Phase I also includes the building of two new streets and infrastructure improvements to the current BART station. It will take about 12 months to complete the garage and infrastructure improvements — the cost is around $35 million.

The $340 million project will create 624 multi-family condominium units in later phases along with 42,500 square feet of retail.

Much progress was made last summer when the city certified MacArthur Transit’s environmental impact report and the state of California granted the project $34.3 million from Proposition 1C funds, which created bonds that target transit-oriented development. Oakland’s redevelopment agency had previously committed $32.5 million.

The development team comprises San Francisco’s Bridge Urban Infill Land Development — a nonprofit — and Oakland’s McGrath Properties, a for-profit developer.

“Our focus now is on the first phase.While we have most initial commitments lined up for the second phase (of condos and retail), that phase is pretty far out, so we don’t anticipate closing on the residential financing until 2011 and 2012,” said Joe McCarthy, a project manager for Bridge Housing.

Bridge will manage the 108 affordable housing units there while McGrath will handle the market-rate component. Bridge has done transit-oriented development projects at the West Oakland station while this is McGrath’s first of this type.

Residential construction will likely not start until 2011 or 2012. It will be at least four to five years before the project’s first residents move in. The final phase is expected to be completed by 2018.

The project has gone through various design gestations and was originally conceived as a pair of twin condo towers rising 23 stories above the heavily used (6,500 riders daily) station. Critics didn’t like the scale and the project now will be series of four buildings, with the tallest building at six stories.

Another major issue was replacement parking. The developers had hoped to reduce the current 600-spot parking lot to 300 spots. BART patrons complained and now the plan will provide 510 spaces. The developers are acquiring two motels along Telegraph Avenue for more acreage to allow for the additional parking. City redevelopment funds will contribute for the land acquisitions that are currently being negotiated.

The trend in Oakland now is to convert condo projects to rentals in lieu of the housing slump and the developers are eying the market.

“Currently, we anticipate selling them as condominiums,” said McCarthy. “However, depending on market conditions as we get closer to construction, there is the possibility to go rental in the short term. The first phase of residential construction is projected to start in 2012 with 213 units of market-rate condos and 90 affordable units, all built at the same time.”

Project Schedule

Preliminary development plan application filed Oct. 5, 2007.
Certification of the final environmental impact report and necessary discretionary approvals in July 2008.
MTCP anticipates the start of construction on the BART Plaza in spring 2009 followed by the phased development of the parking garage, site infrastructure, affordable development and first market-rate phase starting in late 2009 through 2013. The development of the remaining parcels will be phased through 2018.

sanfrancisco@bizjournals.com
Source: http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/...ml?t=printable
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  #148  
Old Posted Nov 21, 2008, 6:20 PM
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Friday, November 21, 2008
West Oakland looks to SoMa’s revival model
Condos join mix of older housing and warehouses

San Francisco Business Times - by Blanca Torres

West Oakland is on the cusp. The neighborhood, which sits at the base of the Bay Bridge, could become the Bay Area’s next great success story — if it can survive the current economic downturn.

Some developers see West Oakland as the next South of Market, a San Francisco neighborhood transformed from an under-utilized industrial zone to a booming office and residential district.

West Oakland’s location seems ideal, with easy access to both downtown San Francisco and downtown Oakland. Its acres of empty land and abandoned industrial sites make it ripe for redevelopment.

Investment mostly skipped over West Oakland for decades, but that changed in the last several years. The neighborhood now balances attracting investment with preserving a rich history and sense of community.

Like other neighborhoods in the city, West Oakland experienced a housing boomlet with 1,000 units recently completed, under construction or approved. Plans are also in the works to revive the West Oakland Train Station, a historic site now vacant for more than two decades.

West Oakland, an area encircled by freeways, includes industrial warehouses, artist lofts, Victorian homes, one of the busiest BART stations, soccer fields, decades-old businesses and the train station that once served as the primary portal for newcomers to the Bay Area.

Perhaps no one understands the analogy between SoMa and West Oakland better than developer Rick Holliday. The first developer to build work/live units in SoMa in the early ’90s, he decided to make a similar bet in 2000 on West Oakland by buying 29 acres between Frontage Road and Wood Street to build a master development called Central Station.

Holliday eventually sold off some parcels of the land to other developers. He kept a section with a former cannery that he redeveloped into 163 lofts that hit the market in September.

Central Station also includes 130 townhomes by Pulte Homes, 99 affordable apartments built by Bridge Housing and another 350 to 400 apartments by Emeryville-based HFH Limited. Pulte has built more than a third of its units while Bridge Housing recently began construction on its site. HFH has yet to break ground.

Other developers such as Kathy Kuhner of Dogtown Development and Bill Lightner of Lighter Property Group are holding on to entitled residential projects there until the economy recovers.

Phil Tagami of California Capital Group, who also worked on restoring the Rotunda building and the Fox Theater, signed on to lead the restoration of the train station, which may become an events space.

Along with new housing, a neighborhood like West Oakland also needs to grow its job base, said Malo Hutson, assistant professor of city and regional planning at the University of California, Berkeley. The city is working to attract green companies, many of which may end up in West Oakland.

“The question is how do you attract green business and also, what do you do with the land?” Hutson said. “That could drastically change what happens in West Oakland.”

The large tracts of new construction sit in contrast with an existing residential neighborhood lined with Victorian homes.

One issue some residents have is that shiny, new housing is built while they feel the existing community is ignored.

“This is a historically African-American neighborhood,” said Maxine McKinney De Royston, who bought a renovated Victorian in West Oakland about a year and a half ago with her husband Reggie Royston. “I don’t want West Oakland to look like Emeryville.”

The Roystons, African-American graduate students at UC Berkeley, want to live in a neighborhood with a strong sense of community and a diverse population. They say their main concern with the multi-family developments is that the residents want to stay in their units rather than become part of the neighborhood.

“The sentiment is that ‘We’ve been fighting for so long to have some sort of development’ and now there’s all this investment, but it caters to newcomers,” Hutson said.

Holliday has tried to address that issue by enlisting artist and entrepreneur Marcel Diallo to set up two galleries in the Pacific Cannery Lofts to showcase the work of about 30 artists who live within three blocks. The projects also includes a space for a café that Holliday is shopping to Tanya Holland, owner of the nearby Brown Sugar Kitchen. The restaurant opened in January and is usually packed.

“People here are just so happy to have a restaurant like this in the neighborhood,” said Holland, who moved to West Oakland three and half years ago. “As a resident, I definitely feel a sense of community and pride. People here like connecting with each other.”

More residents could support better amenities such as a full-service grocery store, dry cleaner and more restaurants. Residents also want more bus lines and infrastructure improvements.

The Roystons support the idea of improving the neighborhood with new development, but they would like to see it happen alongside a revitalization of the existing housing stock — house by house.

“We want people to buy these houses and do them up,” Reggie Royston said.

Holliday’s Cannery Lofts also need buyers. The developer considers the project the best he has built, but the one that has fared the worst in terms of sales.

“I’m still bullish on West Oakland,” Holliday said. “The real estate business in general has been hit hard of late, so it’s hard to look at any area with enthusiasm and optimism because the market has been challenged so much. If you put that aside, and think that there will be a stabilized market soon, West Oakland is as good as it gets.”

btorres@bizjournals.com / (415) 288-4960
Source: http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/...ml?t=printable
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  #149  
Old Posted Nov 21, 2008, 6:26 PM
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Friday, November 21, 2008
Jack London Square’s office, market to open in ’09
San Francisco Business Times - by Steve Ginsberg

With Jack London Square’s $350 million redevelopment well under way, the pressure is on developer Ellis Partners LLC to find retail and office tenants for its two new buildings. The project promises to turn the district into Oakland’s culinary hub, akin to San Francisco’s Ferry Building.

Jack London Market, a spec 170,000-square-foot mixed-use building under construction, is the centerpiece of Phase I. A public food hall will fill the first two floors, roughly 72,000 square feet of space. Another four floors of the market will be Class A office space. The $55 million building is scheduled to open in April 2009, but needs a core group of tenants.

“We will open the market in two phases and will not open each until a substantial portion is committed to. We would like to see each phase with 75 percent (of the space) committed. We need critical mass to open the first phase,” said Jim Ellis, managing principal. “We have signed 10 letters of intent and 20 are in negotiation. We need 32 to achieve our goal and we are well along to meeting our goal.”

Ellis hopes to sign 15 restaurants throughout the project and turn JLS into Oakland’s culinary hub. The first anchor restaurant to sign is Bocanova, a pan-American concept by San Francisco chef Rick Hackett, in a 6,500-square-foot space inside a building adjacent to Jack London Market. Daniel Patterson, the well known San Francisco chef behind Coi, will open Bracina, a 3,000-square-foot restaurant on the market hall’s ground level.

Finding tenants for the office portion of Jack London Market is a greater challenge, with none signed so far.
Ellis Partners has shifted its leasing strategy to find multiple tenants for the waterfront offices instead of trying to land one or two anchors.

Phase I also includes 1 Ferry Landing, a 30,000-square-foot mixed-use building containing retail and office space. It is 80 percent leased, Ellis said. The third piece of the Phase I construction is a 1,100-spot parking garage with 32,000 square feet of ground floor retail space, which is 75 percent complete. Ferry Landing is expected to open when the Jack London Market opens. Ellis is hopeful to land a drug store for the garage’s retail anchor since no pharmacies serve the Jack London waterfront district.

There have been several significant leases signed at the project. At the historic 66 Franklin, Catellus signed a lease for 7,400 square feet and Miette Patisserie signed a lease for a baking school and retail shop. Another win for Ellis Partners was the $30 million acquisition and remodeling of the Waterfront Hotel, which it bought with boutique operator Joie de Vivre, which is running it. Caribbean restaurant Miss Pearl’s Jam House opened in the hotel in September.

Another hospitality option will be the centerpiece of the second phase of the project, with a Westin hotel and conference center planned. Ellis Partners is in discussions with the city and Port of Oakland for gap financing for the hotel.

The $150 million second phase also consists of two office buildings, the first of which will be a 130,000-square-foot multi-use building to be built on the current Barnes & Noble store site at the front entrance of the project. Ellis Partners is now negotiating with an entertainment tenant to fill the building’s first two floors. The building will also have office space. A second 130,000-square-foot office building is envisioned for a later date and will be next to Jack London Market.

Ellis is hopeful that all construction at JLS will be complete in five years.


Ellis Partners has been reshaping venerable Jack London Square for nearly a decade, but the current recession could slow leasing there. Its financial partners include conglomerate Cargill, and it also has extended financing through a major national pension, National Electrical Benefit Fund.

sanfrancisco@bizjournals.com
Source: http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/...ml?t=printable

Last edited by BTinSF; Nov 22, 2008 at 3:01 AM.
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  #150  
Old Posted Nov 21, 2008, 8:11 PM
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The MacArthur transit village would sound a lot more exciting if its centerpiece wasn't a parking garage.

I sure hope the new JLS developments are a success. Imagine that becoming enough of a regional draw to entice people to take the ferry over for dinner. I'm amazed at some of the pre-leased numbers they are quoting. I hope they don't get a lot of companies backing out.
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  #151  
Old Posted Nov 21, 2008, 8:35 PM
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JLS has always seemed to me to be one of those areas that was 90% there - nice, sure, but nothing quite nice enough to draw people in or really realize full potential. Hopefully in a few more years.

MacArthur, meh, I'm still extremely dissappointed at what we consider a "TOD success" here in the Bay Area, especially after a trip to the DC area a few weeks ago (it had been a few years since I'd been out to that area). I mean, c'mon, it's right next to a BART station in a walkable area! Why are we building something with a density not much higher than what we're building in areas not close to heavy rail transit? What a waste of multi-billion dollar infrastructure.
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  #152  
Old Posted Nov 21, 2008, 8:56 PM
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Exactly. Instead we're left gaping at the greatness of a parking garage. This paragraph says it all:
Quote:
The project has gone through various design gestations and was originally conceived as a pair of twin condo towers rising 23 stories above the heavily used (6,500 riders daily) station. Critics didn’t like the scale and the project now will be series of four buildings, with the tallest building at six stories.
So typical.
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  #153  
Old Posted Nov 26, 2008, 8:19 PM
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More on Sunnyvale Downtown:

(I may have to stop calling it "funnyvale")--
Here are some recent pics of the Sunnyvale Downtown project... In a couple of them, you can see how a significant portion of the project will have 4 stories of residential on top of two floors of retail. It looks to be "Santana-Rowish", to those of you familiar with that project in San Jose. At the very least, it's urbanish in the sense that it's heavy on mixed use and a new degree of density for Sunnyvale. It is just a block away from the Caltrain station, btw.

I'm not worried about the delay--it doeasn't sound like a construction delay, rather a leasing/grand-opening issue. Most of the exterior structures are already completed.

I also just came across this live webcam which illustrates my point even better!
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  #154  
Old Posted Nov 28, 2008, 6:22 PM
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Friday, November 28, 2008
New look for hospital wins OK for Kaiser
San Francisco Business Times - by Blanca Torres

Two months after Oakland sent it back to the drawing board, Kaiser Permanente won approval for its second design proposal to replace its Oakland hospital.

The health-care giant is now on its way to meeting the 2013 state-mandated deadline to bring all hospitals up to seismic safety codes.

The Oakland Planning Commission had concerns about the building’s signage, exterior walkways and the appearance of the building’s 12-story tower, which sits atop a five-story base.

“We listened to the community and to planning commissioners,” said Michael Lane, project manager for the hospital replacement.

The new design incorporates a different color scheme and new designs for façades, windows and entrances.

The 349-bed hospital will cost about $900 million and is part of an expansion that includes two medical office buildings, a 500-space parking structure, a 1,200-space parking garage and other buildings.


Michael Colbruno, chair of the Planning Commission, had called the original plan “hideous.” He said the new design is not perfect, but is one that the commission and community agreed would work.

“We’re all glad we pushed back, and I think Kaiser is glad we pushed back,” Colbruno said. “In a better economy, we would have pushed a little harder. … They worked really hard to get the best design they could within their cost parameters.”

The next step is for Kaiser to get permits to demolish the existing structures and lay the groundwork for the construction.


btorres@bizjournals.com / (415) 288-4960
Source: http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/...ml?t=printable
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  #155  
Old Posted Dec 1, 2008, 8:15 PM
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I found some renderings of the hospital. These are all from The Oakbook.

The original proposal:


The new proposal:


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  #156  
Old Posted Dec 1, 2008, 8:19 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by leftopolis View Post
(I may have to stop calling it "funnyvale")--
Here are some recent pics of the Sunnyvale Downtown project... In a couple of them, you can see how a significant portion of the project will have 4 stories of residential on top of two floors of retail. It looks to be "Santana-Rowish", to those of you familiar with that project in San Jose. At the very least, it's urbanish in the sense that it's heavy on mixed use and a new degree of density for Sunnyvale. It is just a block away from the Caltrain station, btw.

I'm not worried about the delay--it doeasn't sound like a construction delay, rather a leasing/grand-opening issue. Most of the exterior structures are already completed.

I also just came across this live webcam which illustrates my point even better!
Thanks for the links. You can see much progress has taken place. I'm hopeful for Sunnyvale. This might really expand and activate what is currently left of downtown. The remnant of downtown on Murphy Street leads right into the new development, so I hope over time they both become synonymous with "downtown Sunnyvale."
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  #157  
Old Posted Dec 2, 2008, 3:40 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by peanut gallery View Post
Thanks for the links. You can see much progress has taken place. I'm hopeful for Sunnyvale. This might really expand and activate what is currently left of downtown. The remnant of downtown on Murphy Street leads right into the new development, so I hope over time they both become synonymous with "downtown Sunnyvale."
There's alot going on in Sunnyvale right now, wrt development. Not near downtown, but adjacent to a light-rail station, is the:
Moffet Towers project.
It includes nearly 2 million sq. ft. of office space--some in 8 story "towers", along with a parking garage of equal hight--so no surrounding acres of parking lot, which was the old school Silicon Valley. Much of the project is nearing completion at this point.

On the other end of town, there's this cool Mary Ave. Pedestrian Bridge, which crosses 280 and connects Sunnyvale/Cupertino:
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  #158  
Old Posted Dec 2, 2008, 12:43 PM
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on edit:

(I meant to post a comment as well, but was dozing off when i posted this last night.) Given the current economic situation, I'll believe it once it's well underway--in part though, that's what's impressive--that the developers still persued the approval vs the numerous "on hold" projects as of late. Secondly, 18 stories of mixed use in Milpitas, is impressive! While 6-8 stories seems the norm today, for new cunstruction in Silicon Valley--outside of Downtown San Jose, 18 stories is unusual.

Strangley, it still has a suburban feel to it, but I'm OK with that, it is the suburbs afterall. Also, I'm not seeing the "problem" that the city official mentions wrt the blending of the two parts of the tower. The red brick office floors work well enough with the condo portion above IMO.

*************************

18-story upscale tower in Milpitas approved
Quote:
by Ian Bauer
Posted: 11/26/2008 10:03:47 AM PST

Landmark Tower, a first-of-its-kind 18-story condominium project planned for western Milpitas, received conditional approval last week from Milpitas City Council. It approved the proposed $500-million, 375-unit mixed-use residential, retail and office high-rise at 600 Barber Lane at the former Billings Chevrolet dealership site.

Billed as a place that will offer unmatched views of the North Valley, Landmark Tower would also include three private parks contained inside, as well as one rooftop park.

The council's approval for Landmark Tower, following a Milpitas Planning Commission recommendation in late October, signs off on the final environmental impact report, conditional use permit, and general plan amendments that change the land-use of the three acre site from general commercial to very high density mixed-use with a high rise overlay.

"This is an infill site that is being redeveloped with high density," James Lindsay, Milpitas Planning and Neighborhood Services director, told the council.

In addition, Lindsay said the project will feature 148,805 square feet of planned retail space and 48,690 square feet of office space.

With a completion date for fall 2011, Landmark's 18-story tower would feature 14 stories of residential condos, four stories of office units and three stories of basement parking. An attached eight-story garage will also be constructed....
(...cont'd @ link above)

Last edited by leftopolis; Dec 2, 2008 at 11:26 PM.
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  #159  
Old Posted Dec 2, 2008, 11:49 PM
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Old Posted Dec 3, 2008, 12:15 AM
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I like the Moffett Towers project and love the pedestrian bridge. But I do not like the Milpitas building. The massing makes it look much shorter than 18 stories. Plus, it will be right on 680. I'm not sure where BART will cut through, but if it's close that would be a plus. I agree that it's amazing that it has even been proposed right now.
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