SAN FRANCISCO | 706 Mission St. (Mexican Museum + Condo tower) | 510 FT | 43 Floors

[1977]

Originally Posted by peanut gallery

That tangent aside, it's funny you posted those here 1977 because just yesterday I was looking over this thread again. I had noticed this article about the historic low inventory of available residential in San Francisco, which I thought might spur some of the larger proposals to get off the ground. If I recall correctly, several of the Rincon Hill developments are further along but for some reason this is the one I thought about first.

PG...Yeah, we were on the same page. It had been awhile since I had heard or seen anything about it so I did a quick search and found those updated renderings. I'd love to see some more or at least one that had included the whole tower.

[minesweeper]

The latest on this project is that hearing to certify the Environmental Impact Report is scheduled for March 21, 2013. Here is the Draft EIR: http://sfmea.sfplanning.org/2008.1084E_RTC1.pdf

Even if it is approved, the developers still have to get the height limit raised from the current 400 feet to 550 feet for the project to proceed as planned.

[fimiak]

I read through some of the comments about shadows in that pdf and couldn't help myself from leaving one of my own. Those people really have some sort of screws loose if shadows are that big of a concern to them. How can any official take complaints about shadows seriously when the city is having 2.6% pop. growth and ridiculously high housing prices and a positive job market. It boggles my mind.

[NOPA]

Originally Posted by fimiak

I read through some of the comments about shadows in that pdf and couldn't help myself from leaving one of my own. Those people really have some sort of screws loose if shadows are that big of a concern to them. How can any official take complaints about shadows seriously when the city is having 2.6% pop. growth and ridiculously high housing prices and a positive job market. It boggles my mind.

Well the city officials are complete trolls/scumbags so I'm not surprised at all. But honestly, if a shadow is that big of a deal then maybe city life isn't for you.

[spyguy]

[tech12]

Nice, those are the best renders yet. Where are they from?

And assuming this gets all the needed approvals, construction won't start until late next year:

Millennium Partners' 706 Mission: still 18 months from construction
J.K. Dineen
San Francisco Business Times

Millennium Partners still has a long way to go at 706 Mission St.

Last week the developer reached an important milestone when the Planning Commission certified the environmental impact report for the project, which will include between 160 and 185 luxury condos and a home for the Mexican Museum on the bottom four floors.

But it’s only the first in a series of needed approvals. Next up the project will go to the Historic Preservation Commission, which will weigh in on plans to restore the 1903 Aronson Building. The historic building, home of Rochester Big & Tall, will be connected to a new adjacent 47-story tower. The project will then go back to the Planning Commission and the San Francisco Recreation and Park Commission for zoning approvals, as Millennium is proposing to exceed current zoning by 150 feet. Then it goes to the Board of Supervisors and the Successor Agency to the Redevelopment Agency of the City and County of San Francisco.

Millennium Partners’ Sean Jeffries estimates that the additional bureaucratic hurdles will take another three to five months. He hopes to be under construction in August or September of 2014 — more than eight years after Millennium Partners tied the property up. “It's more slow-moving than we would like but we think it’s an important project for the city and that in the end, all the scrutiny will be good for the project and the Yerba Buena neighborhood.”

more: http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfranci....html?page=all

[1977]

Thanks for the renderings spyguy! I really like how this building looks from the east,

[mahanakorn]

The final image in Spy Guy's post #65 above shows the NW side of the Aronson Bldg (from 3rd street, currently a forlorn, blank wall) with windows. Does anyone know if that's part of the 706 Mission / Aronson remodel plan? If so, what an improvement!

[fflint]

Originally Posted by mahanakorn

The final image in Spy Guy's post #65 above shows the NW side of the Aronson Bldg (from 3rd street, currently a forlorn, blank wall) with windows. Does anyone know if that's part of the 706 Mission / Aronson remodel plan? If so, what an improvement!

It appears so, and agreed--a definite improvement.

[timbad]

Originally Posted by mahanakorn

The final image in Spy Guy's post #65 above shows the NW side of the Aronson Bldg (from 3rd street, currently a forlorn, blank wall) with windows. Does anyone know if that's part of the 706 Mission / Aronson remodel plan? If so, what an improvement!

seems so, and just a reminder that window design had been a bit funkier at one point

[mahanakorn]

Originally Posted by timbad

seems so, and just a reminder that window design had been a bit funkier at one point

Woo! Forgot about that one. Funk is fun, but the Aronson is such a nicely proportioned building, I'm glad they're going with something more traditional.

[minesweeper]

Last night, an appeal of the EIR certification was heard before the Board of Supervisors. According to Sup. Eric Mar, the Board unanimously affirmed the EIR:

Eric Mar
‏@ericmar415

#SF Board just voted unanimously to affirm the EIR of the Mexican Museum project near Yerba Buena Ctr…
http://instagram.com/p/ZCNgWWnUb3/

Long way to go with this one, but it's one more hurdle crossed.

[rocketman_95046]

Originally Posted by minesweeper

Last night, an appeal of the EIR certification was heard before the Board of Supervisors. According to Sup. Eric Mar, the Board unanimously affirmed the EIR:



Long way to go with this one, but it's one more hurdle crossed.

That was a HUGE hurdle.

[tech12]

Socketsite has a new rendering up, and the planning commission is expected to approve the tower this week:

http://www.socketsite.com/archives/2...ower_to_r.html

With the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for Millennium’s proposed 550-foot tower to rise at 706 Mission Street certified two months ago, this week San Francisco’s Planning Commission will hold a special session in which the 47-story tower with up to 215 condos over a four floor Mexican Museum is expected to be approved to be built upon the site.

Amongst the items on the Commission’s agenda, reclassifying the project site (click image above to enlarge) from a 400-foot to a 520-foot Height and Bulk District and agreeing that the building’s shadows would not be adverse to the neighborhood or Union Square.

The adjacent Aronson Building would be rehabilitated and attached to the tower. Parking for the development would be below-grade within the existing Jessie Square Garage with a total of 470 parking spaces, of which 210 would be public and 260 private.

[theskythelimit]

Originally Posted by tech12

Socketsite has a new rendering up, and the planning commission is expected to approve the tower this week:

http://www.socketsite.com/archives/2...ower_to_r.html

Looking at the rendering, is the Tower recessed back from the sidewalk? It looks like it is a little behind the Aronson Building. It would be cool if they could incorporate the Tower with the top of the Aronson Building and connect it allowing for an outdoor park area. Sort of like the TransBay Tower will be connected to the TB Terminal Park.

[tech12]

Originally Posted by theskythelimit

Looking at the rendering, is the Tower recessed back from the sidewalk? It looks like it is a little behind the Aronson Building. It would be cool if they could incorporate the Tower with the top of the Aronson Building and connect it allowing for an outdoor park area. Sort of like the TransBay Tower will be connected to the TB Terminal Park.

I'm pretty sure the tower is not set back, it just looks like it in the rendering because of the cornice poking out on the Aronson building. Other renderings make it look like it's up against the sidewalk. And yeah a rooftop garden/park on the Aronson building would be awesome.

[ozone]

This is going to be one of more important infill project IMO. More residents SOMA. Plus I never liked the Westin Hotel and this tower will kind of hide it from view within the park.

[fimiak]

Originally Posted by theskythelimit

Looking at the rendering, is the Tower recessed back from the sidewalk? It looks like it is a little behind the Aronson Building. It would be cool if they could incorporate the Tower with the top of the Aronson Building and connect it allowing for an outdoor park area. Sort of like the TransBay Tower will be connected to the TB Terminal Park.

I love that idea for the Aronson Building Park. It could even be a feature that is attached to the Mexican Museum, if Aronson owners are down for it. The rooftop has great views of Yerba Buena Park. SF is not slacking on bringing culture to the city with the Mexican Museum and the SF MoMA expansion and of course SFJazz/Warriors/Americas Cup/Moscone expansion etc happening now.


This is a lot more than simple infill, its a great addition with public space, over 500 ft, and I cant wait until it passes.

edit: The glass portion is recessed a little bit, while the white portion sticks out alongside the Aronson facade. The street wall seems to all be intact at the base, however. You can see this from the renders at the top of the page.

[fflint]

Originally Posted by ozone

Plus I never liked the Westin Hotel and this tower will kind of hide it from view within the park.

Haha, right? The first time my Mom saw the building (it was built as a Le Meridien, if I recall correctly) she seriously believed it was a jail.

[viewguysf]

Originally Posted by fflint

Haha, right? The first time my Mom saw the building (it was built as a Le Meridien, if I recall correctly) she seriously believed it was a jail.

The building is a bomb--I liked the sleek steel skeleton from Union Square when it went up in the early 80s, but then they covered it in bare concrete with some weird white abstract artwork on it (hideous). Plus, it blocked off the view from Kearny Street due to its angle, and such angles were not allowed again. It was built as Le Meridien, then became the ANA (we called it the Anal), that gave way to the Argent (when it was painted tan), and finally to the Westin Market Street (a street it's not on), as the Westin franchise that it is today.

706 Mission will also further hide the Marriott, one of my least favorite buildings of all time. It's a cheap POS in most all dimensions, including the quality of its building materials.