SAN FRANCISCO | Projects: Under Construction, Approved, and Proposed [Archive] - Page 62

Jerry of San Fran

Jul 6, 2014, 7:43 PM

The stacks on the right belong to NRG Thermal (www.nrgthermal.com) which produces steam for about 170 customers in the downtown district. I often see steam coming from the stacks from my apartment. You can see some good pictures of it on Google Earth, views from the 400 block of Jessie Street and Stevenson Street. As a bonus you can see the back of the Hampton Inn construction.

Everyone probably recognizes the red brick smoke stacks on the left as belonging to the old U. S. Mint.

Originally posted by simms3_redux
Hampton Inn
http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/ad1/jsimms3/SF%20Construction/SF%20June%202014%20Miscellaneous/MiscSummer2014Pt1073_zpsfe2e3171.jpg (http://s916.photobucket.com/user/jsimms3/media/SF%20Construction/SF%20June%202014%20Miscellaneous/MiscSummer2014Pt1073_zpsfe2e3171.jpg.html)

fflint

Jul 6, 2014, 10:56 PM

I saw steam coming out of the NRG smokestack last winter, on one of the few really cold days we had.

viewguysf

Jul 8, 2014, 6:40 AM

Just a reminder that we have a $2.1B project happening that is not getting much attention...

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=173688&page=3

fflint

Jul 9, 2014, 11:31 PM

Greetings from warm, sunny Lake Tahoe!

Great news--a new JK Dineen article describes what will replace Goodwill at Van Ness near Market:

Big new building for SF offices in the works (http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/SF-plans-big-new-city-office-building-5609502.php)

The Goodwill Industries headquarters at Mission Street and South Van Ness Avenue is to be replaced with a 460,000-square-foot city office building and 550 residential units under a public-private partnership being hammered out between the city of San Francisco and developer Related California Urban Housing.

Under the plan Related would construct a 1-million square-foot complex on the 2.5-acre site with an office building that would wrap around the residential towers on the eastern portion of the site along 11th Street.

Related is under contract to purchase the site and anticipates closing the transaction in early September. The city's total costs for the project are currently estimated at approximately $250 million.
....

timbad

Jul 10, 2014, 5:07 AM

a few random projects from this last weekend

I think this is the new St Anthony's dining room project, just up the street from Hibernia Bank and Renoir Hotel, which are both getting renovated at the intersection with Market

https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2918/14615024174_3a0aac31da_b.jpg

8 Octavia

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5158/14615198384_5b3996203a_b.jpg

this is the street-level experience at 8 Octavia, a little bleak walking west along Market, coming at it from the 'back'

https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2910/14594255386_59a359416f_b.jpg

the little project across Dolores from the new Whole Foods

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3891/14594250106_7c8d9ef2de_b.jpg

333 Brannan, future Dropbox

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3886/14594212176_d43bd66868_b.jpg

Jerry of San Fran

Jul 10, 2014, 3:38 PM

timbad - Thanks for the update. While I can see the top of the St. Anthony building at Jones and Golden Gate (soup kitchen, low income housing) I had not seen the building up close. It looks amazingly nice for a low income building.

Eight Octavia really looks nice now that the glass panels have been installed. But I wonder what it will be like to live in a place with those close vertical panels over the windows. Claustrophobic?

Jerry of San Fran

Jul 10, 2014, 3:56 PM

fflint, Big New Building for Offices for SF Offices in the Works - So glad to see Goodwill Industries selling the large plot. It was alright to have it there before the neighborhood suddenly changed. A walk down 11th Street between Market and Mission Sts. was always a depressing spot what with the "as is" warehouse filled with rags that spilled out into the street.

When I moved into the neighborhood 43 years ago the building on the corner of Mission and 11th Streets was still an active Coca Cola bottling plant. One could see the process from the street.

Across the street from the Goodwill Industries on 11th Street there used to be a skating rink, (and before that I think it was a stable) then Bank of America built it's tower. Bank of America was to build a twin tower next door but got pissed off when the city put an employee tax on workers. The tower had a heliport but after the test runs neighbors objected to the noise so it was never used by the bank.

simms3_redux

Jul 10, 2014, 6:37 PM

333 Brannan, future Dropbox

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3886/14594212176_d43bd66868_b.jpg

333 Brannan and 345 Brannan share the tower crane (2 developers, but that works out in each's favor). So that site is both buildings rising, not just 333 Brannan. DropBox will take over both buildings to create a campus feel. Down the street, SKS Investments is about ready to start up on 270 Brannan, which I believe Pinterest was circling at some point (my recollection might be fuzzy). We all know the controversy around the Pinterest deal in Showplace Square.

timbad - Thanks for the update. While I can see the top of the St. Anthony building at Jones and Golden Gate (soup kitchen, low income housing) I had not seen the building up close. It looks amazingly nice for a low income building.

Eight Octavia really looks nice now that the glass panels have been installed. But I wonder what it will be like to live in a place with those close vertical panels over the windows. Claustrophobic?

I agree, but it's a Mercy Housing project that will house St. Anthony's Dining Room. Mercy Housing has built similar quality before (and don't forget, it was either Mercy or Bridge that built one of the new, more attractive buildings in Mission Bay!).

Also, RE: 8 Octavia, apparently individual condo owners can adjust those glass rods how they see fit, so if you want to look out on Market St, there's a nob in your condo for that. Should be interesting. Right now all of those glass rods are facing the same direction, but the building is going to look a lot different when owners decide to point them in varying directions as they see fit. Apparently it's not a concern of prospective buyers since a record PSF price for that area (what they are considering Hayes Valley) was set this week (almost $1400psf in that building for a 2 BR with 1 BRs expected to sell higher).

http://sf.curbed.com/archives/2014/07/09/8_octavia_listing_lands_sets_price_per_square_foot_record.php

WildCowboy

Jul 11, 2014, 2:15 PM

We have our first renderings (http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/place/article/Famed-architect-s-plan-for-rippled-S-F-building-5614053.php) and an address of 160 Folsom for Jeanne Gang's 400-foot tower. I imagine it's time for a dedicated thread in proposals forum.

http://ww3.hdnux.com/photos/31/06/60/6581294/3/628x471.jpg http://ww1.hdnux.com/photos/31/06/54/6580996/3/628x471.jpg

colemonkee

Jul 11, 2014, 2:40 PM

^ There may or may not be a happy dance going on at my place right now. Love that Jeanne Gang proposal. One can instantly start the comparisons with Gehry's Beekman tower, which is a good thing, in my opinion. I wonder what the facade materials will be. It appears to be either metal panels or pour-in-place concrete with offset wood board textures on it, similar to the some of the street level textures of Thom Mayne's CALtrans HQ in LA (across the street from my place). Either one could work very well.

This is amazing for San Francisco. Color me a bit jealous. :)

mt_climber13

Jul 11, 2014, 3:25 PM

We have our first renderings (http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/place/article/Famed-architect-s-plan-for-rippled-S-F-building-5614053.php) and an address of 160 Folsom for Jeanne Gang's 400-foot tower. I imagine it's time for a dedicated thread in proposals forum.

Done! (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=212226)

a very long weekend

Jul 11, 2014, 4:05 PM

except that this one looks to be a lot more attractive and street-oriented at the ground levels than does 8 spruce st.

fimiak

Jul 11, 2014, 7:05 PM

They still need permission to go from 300' to 400'...this one is close to the waterfront so it scares me a little even though I am happy with the design. I took plenty of pics of beekman construction when I lived in NYC and this looks like a quality offshoot and has been changed just enough for SF.

a very long weekend

Jul 12, 2014, 12:08 AM

the chron article makes it clear that they're moving forward with two versions (one at 400 and one at 300) so that the city can decide if it wants the extra affordable housing and if not, construction will proceed as of right. recall that projects with substantial non-market housing components now, by law, jump the queue.

fflint

Jul 12, 2014, 12:56 AM

The 160 Folsom proposal is sick! Hope they get the extra height.

Dogpatch

Jul 12, 2014, 2:16 AM

Wow!! That is one badass building.

WonderlandPark

Jul 12, 2014, 6:08 AM

Roadcruiser1

Jul 12, 2014, 7:39 AM

The Beekman Tower finally has a child on the West Coast.

minesweeper

Jul 14, 2014, 9:18 PM

325 Fremont is up for Planning Commission approval this week. SocketSite has a write up (http://www.socketsite.com/archives/2014/07/rincon-hill-tower-slated-approval-week.html).

The Planning Commission has posted a 120-page PDF (http://commissions.sfplanning.org/cpcpackets/2012.1025X.pdf) with some additional diagrams, renderings, and floor plans. The tower will contain up to 118 residential units and will rise 250 feet to the roof with an additional 25 feet for mechanical screening. Combined with its location on Rincon Hill, the top of the tower will be about 304 feet in elevation.

http://i.imgur.com/UnjjBqj.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/IjYrYbgl.png (http://i.imgur.com/IjYrYbg.jpg) http://i.imgur.com/v0me7VDl.png (http://i.imgur.com/v0me7VD.jpg)

http://i.imgur.com/MVazWuU.png

Source: sfplanning.org (http://commissions.sfplanning.org/cpcpackets/2012.1025X.pdf)

crones81

Jul 14, 2014, 10:49 PM

That will make 7 towers under construction along Fremont street alone. Anybody know when they plan to break ground (assuming no appeals)?

Quest4Six

Jul 15, 2014, 7:21 PM

I was in The City yesterday, and can I just say that pictures don't do the skyline justice. Can't wait for 2017.

mt_climber13

Jul 16, 2014, 8:48 AM

http://i.imgur.com/UC5amzM.jpg

mt_climber13

Jul 16, 2014, 3:56 PM

Not a high rise development, but this news has me stoked: MUNI plans to update their light rail and subway trains by 2018!

The current Italian Breda garbage fleet (notoriously know for their "wheel squeal") will be replaced by Siemens (a German company!) trains and will be built locally (in Sacramento).

This is giving me hope in rapid transit in SF. The current trains are so clunky that they have to be severely slowed down because they are too heavy and weren't designed for the tracks.

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/1-2-billion-contract-OKd-for-new-Muni-Metro-5623934.php (http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/1-2-billion-contract-OKd-for-new-Muni-Metro-5623934.php#photo-6600038)

http://i.imgur.com/LMFQW2N.jpg

peanut gallery

Jul 17, 2014, 6:21 PM

JK Dineen's article on the Mission St part of Mid-Market's transformation (http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/How-S-F-s-Mid-Mission-district-is-transforming-5626785.php) mentions another proposal I don't recall reading about:

In the past two weeks alone, developers have submitted plans that would add an additional 750 units of housing to Mid-Mission. AGI Avant has proposed 200 units at 1270 Mission St., now home to a pizza place and parking lot.

(The other 550 units are a reference to the city offices/residential building proposal at the Goodwill site.)

Does anyone have more info on 1270 Mission? I did a quick look around and didn't find much. It's a slender lot and zoned for 120 ft, so the 200 units will probably be pretty small, unless they're asking for a height variance.

minesweeper

Jul 17, 2014, 6:52 PM

Does anyone have more info on 1270 Mission? I did a quick look around and didn't find much. It's a slender lot and zoned for 120 ft, so the 200 units will probably be pretty small, unless they're asking for a height variance.

It looks like a brand new proposal. It's in the "Preliminary Project Assessment" phase, so it has a long way to go:

The proposal includes the demolition of a one-story, 1,192 sq.ft. building currently being operated as a pizza shop and surface parking lot on the project site and construction of an approximately 120 foot tall, 13 story mixed-use building containing 199 dwelling units and 3,329 sq.ft. of ground floor retail space. The proposal also includes a Project Variant which includes construction of an approximately 150 foot tall, 15 story mixed-use building containing 238 dwelling units and 3,329 sq.ft. of ground floor retail space.

Source (http://propertymap.sfplanning.org/?dept=planning) (search for "1270 Mission St" and click "Projects" tab)

peanut gallery

Jul 17, 2014, 7:15 PM

Thanks for the info, minesweeper. I guess we won't be seeing a rendering anytime soon then.

peanut gallery

Jul 17, 2014, 8:06 PM

And looking even further into the future, two SOMA parcels are currently on the market. From the SF Business Times (http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/real-estate/2014/07/soma-sf-land-for-sale-residential-development.html):

Two unentitled parcels at 360 5th St. and and 399 5th St. are now on the market and together could accommodate up to 200 units of housing on approximately half an acre and a quarter acre respectively. The property, however, does not yet have entitlements.

….

Both of the 5th Street sites have buildings on them that are 100 percent leased to tenants that can provide cash flow during the entitlement process, according to the brochure.

One is zoned 85' and the other 55' so we're not talking about tall buildings here, but another 200 units in this area would be great.

Edit: there's a map showing the location of the properties at the link. For some reason, I can't get it to show up here.

cmak

Jul 17, 2014, 10:34 PM

One is zoned 85' and the other 55' so we're not talking about tall buildings here, but another 200 units in this area would be great.

if/when the central SoMa plan goes through then the 399 5th St property will get raised 55' -> 85'

but yeah, meh

NOPA

Jul 17, 2014, 10:59 PM

http://sf.curbed.com/uploads/telegraph%20hill%204-thumb.jpg

New development for Telegraph Hill up at the Planning Commission...can't wait for this NIMBY shit show.

http://sf.curbed.com/archives/2014/07/17/telegraph_hill_dwellers_unfooled_by_triplex_disguised_as_houses.php#more

peanut gallery

Jul 18, 2014, 4:33 AM

325 Fremont is up for Planning Commission approval this week.

Hi minesweeper, did you hear if they approved this today?

minesweeper

Jul 18, 2014, 6:36 AM

Hi minesweeper, did you hear if they approved this today?

Yep, according to the SFHAC's Twitter feed (https://twitter.com/sfhac/status/489897892304269312), it was approved unanimously:

SFHAC-endorsed 325 Fremont unanimously approved at the Planning Commission today! tinyurl.com/obg8ked @sfplanning

simms3_redux

Jul 18, 2014, 8:27 AM

325 Fremont is up for Planning Commission approval this week. SocketSite has a write up (http://www.socketsite.com/archives/2014/07/rincon-hill-tower-slated-approval-week.html).

The Planning Commission has posted a 120-page PDF (http://commissions.sfplanning.org/cpcpackets/2012.1025X.pdf) with some additional diagrams, renderings, and floor plans. The tower will contain up to 118 residential units and will rise 250 feet to the roof with an additional 25 feet for mechanical screening. Combined with its location on Rincon Hill, the top of the tower will be about 304 feet in elevation.

Swinerton has a construction trailer on the site already.

peanut gallery

Jul 18, 2014, 7:05 PM

Thanks minesweeper, that's great news.

simms - are you sure that's not there for one of the neighboring projects? I only ask because of this note on Bisnow (http://www.bisnow.com/commercial-real-estate/san-francisco/2327-robotic-garages-to-invade-sf/):

The longtime undeveloped lot at 325 Fremont could be getting a new parent, according to sources. Two years ago, Crescent Heights picked up the entitled project, went back to the drawing board, modernized and jazzed up its design with Handel Architects (growing the Rincon Hill tower to 25 stories and 118 units along the way), but the residential mastermind behind NEMA wants to hand off the project to another party if the price is right. Multifamily (sic) sources say if it does happen, the deal will be quiet and off-market. The planning commission officially approved the new design yesterday. Crescent declined to comment on the potential sale or on its latest endeavor in the city: redeveloping the Honda dealership at South Van Ness and Market.

If they're selling, I don't think they would line up a contractor and have them onsite already. Plus, I recall seeing a trailer on that site before, though I don't remember if it was Swinerton's or not. I'll be bummed if they are looking to sell because I was hoping they would get started right away. New developer means more delay.

Jerry of San Fran

Jul 18, 2014, 8:15 PM

Finally the mountain of sand has been removed from the site and the foundation is being built. There is water being continuous drained from the site which is not unusual for low areas of San Francisco. The water has a sulfurous odor and is being piped into the street drain.

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3913/14499374909_4c1896f87c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/o6g61z)101 Polk Street (https://flic.kr/p/o6g61z)
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3876/14682834701_924c79ae6c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/ontndr)101 Polk Street (https://flic.kr/p/ontndr)

a very long weekend

Jul 18, 2014, 8:55 PM

i walked by on wednesday evening and it looked like the lagging project on the corner of 10th and mission (1415 mission st) has restarted again with crane assembly taking place.

POLA

Jul 18, 2014, 9:04 PM

There is water being continuous drained from the site which is not unusual for low areas of San Francisco.

Is that what is really going on there? I ask because that is a A LOT of water, and also because those water tanks are so common. There is even one of them at the Herbst Theater Renovation.

Jerry of San Fran

Jul 19, 2014, 6:40 AM

Is that what is really going on there? I ask because that is a A LOT of water, and also because those water tanks are so common. There is even one of them at the Herbst Theater Renovation.

Yes Pola, there is lots of water under the Civic Center which explains why the sidewalk on Polk Street in front of city hall on the north side is often cracked like an egg shell and replaced often.

You can see some nice maps here presented by the Oakland Museum http://museumca.org/creeks/1640-RescMission.html that shows the Hayes Creek. Note that it's creek bed flowed at the site of 101 Polk and under what is now the Essex Fox Plaza. That could be why the corner sidewalk at Polk and Hayes is constantly caving in and being repaired.

chris08876

Jul 19, 2014, 5:20 PM

AirPano has a new San Francisco 360 panoramas up. Might be interesting to check it out.

http://www.airpano.ru/files/San-Francisco-USA/2-2

simms3_redux

Jul 19, 2014, 5:56 PM

AirPano has a new San Francisco 360 panoramas up. Might be interesting to check it out.

http://www.airpano.ru/files/San-Francisco-USA/2-2

While cool, this view appears to be from 2010/11. The change in the skyline just since then is not anything less than striking. I won't even begin to get into what's UC now or all of the little infill projects that have been completed. I like #2 aerial from middle of city because it really shows the density, but like I said, it's pretty outdated.

chris08876

Jul 20, 2014, 6:16 AM

While cool, this view appears to be from 2010/11. The change in the skyline just since then is not anything less than striking. I won't even begin to get into what's UC now or all of the little infill projects that have been completed. I like #2 aerial from middle of city because it really shows the density, but like I said, it's pretty outdated.

Yea idk why they took forever to upload it. I figured it was really outdated because I was looking for the new projects u/c. Gigapan probably has recent panoramas. If I find a recent one I'll be sure to post it. But in the end, the city still looks amazing from the air. :)

Smiley Person

Jul 22, 2014, 4:37 AM

Composite painting of various under construction, proposed, and potential buildings in downtown San Francisco.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h263/firstcultural/art/san-francisco-2030_zpsb1c783c8.jpg (http://www.californiarailmap.com/sf2030)

Jerry of San Fran

Jul 22, 2014, 4:58 AM

Smiley Person - thanks for the nice colorful perspective of what the city might look like in the near future.

fflint

Jul 22, 2014, 5:43 AM

A typically lame piece by John King in the Chronicle (http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/place/article/New-housing-pushes-Market-Street-partway-toward-5634549.php#page-2) nevertheless has a decent roundup of recently completed/under construction/planned residential projects in Upper Market:

Dramatic as it looks on a map, Market Street between the Civic Center and Castro Street for generations has been little more than a broad thoroughfare serving the neighborhoods around it.

No longer.

That mile-plus stretch is undergoing its most profound physical transformation since the now-truncated Central Freeway pushed across it in the 1950s. Six residential buildings have been added in the past year, three more are under construction and a half-dozen more are in the works. When the dust settles, as many as 1,200 new residential units could line its path, most of them perched above shops along the street.
....

http://ww3.hdnux.com/photos/31/20/47/6621670/5/628x471.jpg

http://ww3.hdnux.com/photos/31/20/41/6621290/3/628x471.jpg
38 Dolores

http://ww1.hdnux.com/photos/31/16/63/6614216/3/628x471.jpg
35 Dolores

http://ww3.hdnux.com/photos/31/16/63/6614218/3/628x471.jpg
2175 Market

http://ww2.hdnux.com/photos/31/16/63/6614217/3/628x471.jpg
Market and 14th

http://ww4.hdnux.com/photos/31/16/71/6614619/5/628x471.jpg
Market and 15th

http://ww1.hdnux.com/photos/31/16/72/6614664/3/628x471.jpg
1600 Market

http://ww1.hdnux.com/photos/31/20/41/6621288/3/628x471.jpg
1600 Market

fflint

Jul 23, 2014, 12:58 AM

JK Dineen writes in the Chronicle (http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Hotel-developer-gobbles-up-McDonald-s-site-near-5637623.php) about a new wave of hotel development in the city, which will include the razing of the McDonalds at 3rd and Townsend:

Hotels currently are above 80 percent occupancy, a historical high for the city. Average room rates jumped 13.4 percent over the past 12 months to $203.18, according to STR Global, a hotel industry research group. That was the biggest year-over-year increase in the United States. It also is creating a windfall for city hotel tax revenue, which increased $31.9 million, or 13.2 percent, to $273 million.
....
While the vast majority of San Francisco's 33,000 hotel rooms is clustered in four neighborhoods: Union Square, the Financial District, Fisherman's Wharf and around Moscone Convention Center, the new construction is pushing those boundaries.

"You are going to see more demand for hotel rooms in deep SoMa, Mid-Market and Mission Bay because so many businesses are growing in those areas," D'Alessandro said. "We have heard anecdotally that visitors would like to see smaller hotels outside of the core areas."

The city is also looking at potential sites for a mega-hotel near Moscone Center. Two city-owned garages - the Moscone garage and the Fifth and Mission garage - could be redeveloped with a hotel tower over parking. "These large groups want to have their people in as few hotels as possible," D'Alessandro said.
....

http://ww4.hdnux.com/photos/31/21/52/6625975/7/628x471.jpg

http://ww2.hdnux.com/photos/31/21/43/6625481/3/628x471.jpg
The McDonald's fast food restaurant on the corner of 3rd and Townsend Streets as seen on Saturday July 19, 2014, in San Francisco, Calif. A developer has purchased the property that the McDonald's now occupies, which is a big hang out for Giants fans on game day, but it may be torn down to make way for a hotel. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

minesweeper

Jul 23, 2014, 4:17 AM

JK Dineen writes in the Chronicle (http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Hotel-developer-gobbles-up-McDonald-s-site-near-5637623.php) about a new wave of hotel development in the city, which will include the razing of the McDonalds at 3rd and Townsend

McDonalds' lease lasts through January 2017 (http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/real-estate/2014/04/sale-of-soma-mcdonalds-site-across-from-giants.html?page=all), so it'll be a few years before we see any activity there.

It's odd that the Chronicle article left out the hotel project at 250 Fourth Street (http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/2013/04/two-new-downtown-hotels-ready-to-roll.html). Olivet University has moved out already, the demolition permit has been issued, and the building permit has been pulled. I wonder if all the construction around that site for the Moscone Station of the Central Subway will delay that project at all.

Jerry of San Fran

Jul 23, 2014, 6:36 AM

Concrete has been poured in the foundation in the last 2 days. The view is from the 19th floor of the Fox Plaza.
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3870/14536532378_32cf34dc5e.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/o9xwCA)2014_07_22 (https://flic.kr/p/o9xwCA)

minesweeper

Jul 23, 2014, 4:12 PM

Hoodline has an update on the 55 Laguna project, which has been branded Alta Laguna (http://www.bararch.com/project/home/alta-laguna):

http://hoodline.com/2014/07/an-update-on-55-laguna

Jerry of San Fran

Jul 23, 2014, 5:16 PM

minesweeper - Thanks for the link to the update to 55 Laguna. I had not heard of Hooline before - a nice neighborhood site.

Here is a photograph taken July 22nd of Alta Laguna (55 Laguna) as seen from the 19th floor of he Fox Plaza.

From the left side bottom to right: 8 Octavia (blank east wall); dome of the Baptist Church; 55 Laguna; upper right is Davies medical center and far edge is 100 Van Ness Avenue reclad.

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3852/14726695665_269c7ca847.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/ormaxX)55 Laguna Development - 2014_07_22 (https://flic.kr/p/ormaxX)

spyguy

Jul 23, 2014, 5:23 PM

923 Folsom - 114 units, retail, 80 parking spaces
http://i57.tinypic.com/2nsm7hd.jpg
http://i60.tinypic.com/33yl3eb.jpg

346 Potrero - 70 units, retail, 43 parking spaces
http://i62.tinypic.com/nvr3ft.jpg
http://i58.tinypic.com/2n6ypsl.jpg
http://i58.tinypic.com/1608uv5.jpg
Sort of reminiscent of another Handel building, 170 Amsterdam in NYC

fimiak

Jul 23, 2014, 6:09 PM

Wow that is some incredible architecture right there. I am amazed at its sleepy/strange location, and yet this immaculate design...I am really impressed.

I remember 170 amsterdam being half-built last time I was there, but I haven't seen it finished in person.

The North One

Jul 23, 2014, 6:23 PM

San Francisco is getting some amazing modern architecture, like damn, they don't mess around.

Jerry of San Fran

Jul 23, 2014, 6:54 PM

spyguy - great post! The 346 Potrero Street proposal is stunning! It is one of the most original designs I've seen in a long time. Terrible location. I've been in the area many times through the years. Between a gas station and a Mc Donalds will make for some strange odor combinations. Being that gas stations are disappearing from the city rapidly these last few years I suspect it will be developed into something else sooner rather than later. The new highrise will encourage more development in like kind nearby.

fflint

Jul 23, 2014, 11:32 PM

I'm loving the 346 Potrero proposal! It's a pretty out-of-the-way location--except for people who work at General Hospital.

fflint

Jul 24, 2014, 12:45 AM

Holy crap--Renzo Piano's designs are dust, but now we've got Norman Foster designing what John King at the Chronicle (http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/place/article/A-gasp-inducing-plan-for-S-F-skyline-from-the-5640301.php#photo-6630340) is calling "San Francisco's second tallest building!" There are actually two proposed towers--one 910 ft. and one 605 ft. AWESOME!

A gasp-inducing plan for S.F. skyline, from the ground up (http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/place/article/A-gasp-inducing-plan-for-S-F-skyline-from-the-5640301.php#photo-6630340)

http://i.imgur.com/0jQcJON.jpg
A computer rendering of the city's future skyline with the proposed 910-foot 50 First St. on the right side of a cluster of three towers
that are not now there. The tallest, in the middle of the trio, is the 1,070 foot Salesforce Tower. The one on the left is 181 Fremont,
now under construction, which will measure 802 feet to the top of its spire. Photo: TMG/Foster + Partners

http://i.imgur.com/JHDEG8o.jpg
A skyline view with the proposed 910-foot tower at 50 First St. in the middle. To its right are two towers now under construction
but not yet visible on the skyline: the 1,070 foot Salesforce Tower and the 802-foot tower at 181 Fremont. Photo: TMG/Foster + Partners

http://ww1.hdnux.com/photos/31/22/57/6630340/5/628x471.jpghttp://ww2.hdnux.com/photos/31/23/00/6631477/3/628x471.jpg

http://ww4.hdnux.com/photos/31/22/53/6630095/5/628x471.jpg
The design for the taller tower at First and Mission includes a half-acre of public open space beneath the high-rise, which would
begin 70 feet in the air, held in place by diagonal columns. Photo: Anonymous, TMG/Foster + Partners

http://ww1.hdnux.com/photos/31/22/53/6630096/3/628x471.jpg
A Foster + Partners drawing showing the goal of a wide-open ground-level mix of plazas and paths amid the proposed towers
and nearby buildings. Photo: TMG/Foster + Partners

A new pair of towers proposed for downtown San Francisco would include the city's second-tallest building - and perhaps its most startling public space, an open-air plaza set beneath the main tower's elevated first floor.

The project straddles the northwest corner of First and Mission streets, with a 605-foot tower on Mission and a broad 910-foot high-rise on First. By comparison, the Salesforce Tower under construction on the southeast corner will top off at 1,070 feet.
....
Developer Covarrubias said the target is for the project to be approved next summer, with construction to begin in early 2016. While the paperwork has just been filed, details of the project were shown last month to city planners in a session that included a presentation from Lord Norman Foster, who founded his firm in 1967 and has received such honors as the Pritzker Architecture Prize and the American Institute of Architects' Gold Medal.

Hallidie

Jul 24, 2014, 2:59 AM

I hope this new skyscraper trend in San Francisco continues.

Eightball

Jul 24, 2014, 3:19 AM

Wow, excellent posts Fflint. Exciting times in SF!

WonderlandPark

Jul 24, 2014, 3:31 PM

I smell another Proposition M coming, this is like the 80's boom that provoked a backlash. I really hope not, but it would not surprise me in the least.

SFView

Jul 24, 2014, 7:33 PM

Dogpatch

Jul 25, 2014, 12:44 AM

They might have to look for a bigger space.

greystonesfo

Jul 25, 2014, 3:15 AM

It looks like all those gift shop souvenirs and depictions of San Francisco's skyline with the Transamerica Pyramid and 555 California dominating are going to be outdated in about 3 or 4 years. I wonder what the Beach Blanket Babylon hat is going to look like in 2020.

Funny that you say that! I was just in the Transamerica Pyramid last week and I noticed that they had opened there own gift shop with Transamerica figurines, mugs, clothing with the Transamerica logo. It also has an area with the history of the building with a video to watch. They also have on loan one of the Beach Blanket Babylon hats with a figure of Val. This cool to get up close the the skyline hat.

JWS

Jul 26, 2014, 5:39 PM

Socketsite has a blurb and very poor quality rendering of the tower proposed for the Goodwill site:

http://www.socketsite.com/archives/2014/07/first-peek-plans-1500-mission-street-tower-development.html

Jerry of San Fran

Jul 26, 2014, 10:02 PM

JWS - thanks for the link for the first look at what 1500 Mission might look like. I like it very much, but the finished product may not look as nice, or might be even better.

Jerry of San Fran

Jul 26, 2014, 10:11 PM

Today the crane at 1401-1415 Mission Street was assembled - always an awesome sight to see. In the foreground is the crane for 1400 Mission Street (Swinerton)

Notice the lighter color of the brick on the tower of the building (corner of Folsom St.) in the upper left corner of the photo. This is the replacement brick for the damage from the 1989 earthquake. Part of the corner fell to the street. A large crack was in the structure leaving the corner in a precarious way.

https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2901/14729063806_d2019a15be_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/oryivY)1415 Mission Street (https://flic.kr/p/oryivY)

The drawing if from The Build Group, Inc. web page: http://www.buildgc.com/groundup/portfolio-item/1401-1415-mission/
http://www.buildgc.com/groundup/portfolio-item/1401-1415-mission/
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3867/14752116015_3f19f97e7c_o.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/otAs8R)New Design 10-2013 (https://flic.kr/p/otAs8R)

a very long weekend

Jul 26, 2014, 10:46 PM

I'm very pleased that the city has seen fit to retain the little deco clock tower building on the goodwill site. like that so much for real neighborhood character.

fflint

Jul 27, 2014, 12:42 AM

JWS - thanks for the link for the first look at what 1500 Mission might look like. I like it very much, but the finished product may not look as nice, or might be even better.

http://www.socketsite.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/1500-1580-Mission-Street-Rendering.png
Good catch.

This appears to be the view from Mission Street, looking eastward toward the corner with South Van Ness, and--if I'm right--includes a conceptual sketch of what will eventually be built at the Honda dealership at the far left.

I'm loving the massing--this part of town can certainly use more density. Right now, that weird intersection is really...well, there's just no there there.

pseudolus

Jul 27, 2014, 1:11 AM

The drawing if from The Build Group, Inc. web page: http://www.buildgc.com/groundup/portfolio-item/1401-1415-mission/
http://www.buildgc.com/groundup/portfolio-item/1401-1415-mission/
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3867/14752116015_3f19f97e7c_o.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/otAs8R)New Design 10-2013 (https://flic.kr/p/otAs8R)

I've been playing with SketchUp the last few days. I'm starting to see where designs like this are coming from.

JWS

Jul 27, 2014, 6:28 AM

http://www.socketsite.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/1500-1580-Mission-Street-Rendering.png
Good catch.

This appears to be the view from Mission Street, looking eastward toward the corner with South Van Ness, and--if I'm right--includes a conceptual sketch of what will eventually be built at the Honda dealership at the far left.

I'm loving the massing--this part of town can certainly use more density. Right now, that weird intersection is really...well, there's just no there there.

Thanks, that actually conceptualized it significantly for me...I think you're 100% right about the Honda dealership tower massing. That intersection is so hilarious to me...the two most major streets intersecting in SF, and you have a Honda dealership, a Walgreens, and a donut shop.

jd3189

Jul 27, 2014, 1:37 PM

First time commenting here. Amazing development. SF's skyline is stepping up along with the various other projects throughout the city.

mt_climber13

Jul 28, 2014, 5:29 AM

fflint

Jul 28, 2014, 7:48 AM

8 Octavia is a disappointment. It was supposed to be transluscent but instead it looks like a parking garage circa 1958.

That said, people who arrive by freeway cannot possibly complain about aesthetics. Period.

Dogpatch

Jul 28, 2014, 2:57 PM

I haven't seen this building from this angle yet. Yikes! Looks like a jail.
Turns out it's ugly from every which way.

NOPA

Jul 28, 2014, 2:57 PM

I've had friends compare 8 Octavia to a prison. All it would take is some paint over the concrete and it would look much better. Also, the lot next door is zoned for up to 85 feet and when new development comes it will hide the east-facing concrete side.

Jerry of San Fran

Jul 28, 2014, 4:26 PM

8 Octavia - I like it as well but agree that the concrete wall is a disappointment. I have seen a a highrise jail that looks just like the wall on 8 Octavia and that was depressing enough! I have seen it from the sidewalk many times and kept thinking that it would at least get a nice coat of paint.

I've seen the louvered panels in different positions now and find them to be clever and attractive. The tenants won't have to buy expensive window coverings!

greystonesfo

Jul 28, 2014, 5:29 PM

tech12

Jul 28, 2014, 5:49 PM

twin eleven story office buildings proposed for SOMA:

http://www.socketsite.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/598-Brannan.jpg

http://www.socketsite.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/598-Brannan-Aerial.jpg

http://www.socketsite.com/archives/2014/07/big-plans-modern-building-park-brannan-fifth.html

While currently only zoned for building up to 55 feet in height, Tishman Speyer is pushing forward with plans to develop a pair of modern eleven-story buildings on the northeast corner of Brannan and Fifth Streets, behind which a new public park could sprout in the middle of the Central SoMa block.

jpdivola

Jul 28, 2014, 10:17 PM

I do like 8 Octavia from Octavia St., but this view of the building, as seen from the freeway offramp, and the first thing that thousands of daily visitors to SF see, is very.. ugly. This was a huge mistake to let this building be built like this at this corner. Damn..

Looks terrible in photos, no doubt about it. Any chance there will eventually be a taller building to the right of it to draw some attention away?

Perhaps with some surrounding infill and a little bit of time this will settle into just being an ugly, but unremarkable background building. NYC, Paris, etc all have tons of terrible buildings that just get lost in the surrounding chaos of the city.

EDIT: I see someone commented that the lot next door is zone for 85 ft. So that will help.

fflint

Jul 29, 2014, 12:54 AM

It doesn't just look bad in photos--it looks and feels bad on the street. Really terrible outcome on that project.

cv94117

Jul 29, 2014, 4:06 AM

It doesn't just look bad in photos--it looks and feels bad on the street. Really terrible outcome on that project.

Still like it better than that abomination NEMA - which will never be able to hide.

viewguysf

Jul 29, 2014, 4:28 AM

That said, people who arrive by freeway cannot possibly complain about aesthetics. Period.

As much as I've respected your comments for a very long time, I can't let this one go. Let's get off of the elitist cyclist remarks--many people arrive in SF by car, including over both bridges, and it definitely matters what we look like! With that having been said, I've never see 8 Octavia from that angle since I've obviously not arrived via car there. I've walked by it and seen it many times from Market Street where it looks...interesting?...at times. This view is atrocious. I've complained about much of our architecture many times, but our beloved City often earns and deserves it.

mt_climber13

Jul 29, 2014, 4:43 AM

Yes, an awkward comment. Who cares what 98% of the people who arrive to the city (via roads and freeway, buses, cabs, rental cars) think. We must only impress all those people biking here from Portland, right? Lol

And the BART stations are much worse than this freeway exit. Didn't they have to shit down an escalator because all the poo gummed up the mechanics?

I really like 8 Octavia above street level, facing west. The rest of the building has awkward concrete and plastic looking separations that look very hastily planned. But, overall, I think it's a pretty cool building. The louvres are really eat and useful. The glass is great quality.

POLA

Jul 29, 2014, 5:22 AM

Yes, an awkward comment.
No, it's not. There's no arguing that freeway are ugly as shit (unless your a traffic engineer from 1950). That's all he was getting at.

Didn't they have to shit down an escalator because all the poo gummed up the mechanics?
Freudian slip? :haha:

viewguysf

Jul 29, 2014, 6:01 AM

[QUOTE=POLA;6673008]No, it's not. There's no arguing that freeway are ugly as shit (unless your a traffic engineer from 1950). That's all he was getting at.

The Bay Bridge is part of a freeway as is the Golden Gate Bridge. 280 is not ugly for most of its length. I'm no fan of freeways, especially in cities, and I really hate 101 down the Peninsula, but come on. Many surface streets in many places are ugly too, as are views from railroad tracks, etc.

minesweeper

Jul 29, 2014, 4:29 PM

J.K. Dineen has a story about the looming Prop. M office space crunch (http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/S-F-law-blocks-tech-boom-expansion-5652707.php), and how it's already pushing new proposals towards housing:

For the first time in nearly 15 years, San Francisco's most powerful commercial developers are gearing up to face off in a competition to win the approvals needed to construct the city's next generation of office buildings.

The problem is that while there is no shortage of demand at the moment - companies like Google, LinkedIn, Dropbox and Pinterest seem to have an insatiable appetite for expansion space - developers are bumping up against Proposition M, a 1986 San Francisco voter-approved law that caps the amount of new office space allowed at 875,000 square feet per year.

[...]

"We are not discouraging new office applications, but we are letting people know it's not just first come, first serve anymore," he said. "It's only fair that we look at these projects as a whole."

The looming cap crunch is already sending developers back to the drawing board on major SoMa projects. At Fourth and Townsend, Tishman Speyer is proposing to build upward of 1,000 housing units on a property that is home to two restaurants, the Creamery and Iron Cactus, as well as the furniture showroom HD Buttercup.

Here's the current status of Prop. M limits: http://www.sf-planning.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentID=9276

The City went from having over 5.1 million square feet in the bank during 2012-13 to about 2 million now. Another 875,000 gets added to the pool on October 17th each year. According to that PDF, the 50 First Street (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=185537) project will consume more than a year's worth, over 1 million square feet, on its own.

simms3_redux

Jul 29, 2014, 5:37 PM

That 875,000 SF includes 75,000 allowable for "small" office projects under 100,000 SF and 800,000 SF available for "large" office projects.

That PDF is great and really makes it clear how it works.

biggerhigherfaster

Jul 29, 2014, 6:42 PM

if these office projects get converted into housing (e.g., 1000-2000 units), that might end up being a good result; we desperately need more housing downtown and around the city generally. It might also turn the downtown core into a place that's more active at all hours

a very long weekend

Jul 29, 2014, 7:23 PM

it's a tough call. it's an obviously bad rule that will surely harm economic growth, but the housing argument is a good one. i see a cartelism forming here where groups of developers collaborate to game the system so that everyone can get along - all moving similar sized projects forward or whatever to run just under the cap. i also see underbuilding of valuable land as we say with the foundry projects, because building something is better than building nothing. i see city hall giving priority to some projects over others, which could be good or bad depending on how they do this (approving transit first-friendly projects without parking, for instance over others, would be a plus), and we could see more mixed residential/commercial tower projects as developers try to jigger to get at least some office built.

and it'd be great to get more residential built in the soma - but, again, given how important that area is to the city's economic vitality, this is pretty short-sighted. like, there are very few areas in sf to build a 500,000 sqft office tower, so burning those on residential seems sort of nuts, everything considered.

Crackertastik

Aug 2, 2014, 9:58 PM

fflint

Aug 2, 2014, 10:32 PM

Rendering is out for the new TMG/Northwood Two tower development near the Transbay site on 1st and Mission. Looks very cool. Second tallest coming to SF. And tallest residential tower of the west coast.

http://m.inhabitat.com/inhabitat/#!/entry/foster-partners-reveal-first-images-of-san-franciscos-transbay-first,53db83e3025312186c360a0c

Designed by Foster + Partners
We already discussed this proposal when it was first revealed. Check out the huge renderings a couple pages back, they are truly awesome.

Also, remember both towers are now going to be mixed-use. That means the First Street tower will be the tallest mixed-use residential tower west of Chicago. The Wilshire Grand tower currently under construction in Los Angeles will be the tallest mixed-use (office and hotel) and the tallest overall tower west of Chicago.

rriojas71

Aug 2, 2014, 11:10 PM

fflint

Aug 2, 2014, 11:40 PM

This late-coming little blurb from a website I've never heard of--"Inhabitat"--has no special access to, nor provides, any special new information. Indeed, it seems to have gotten some of the details wrong.

The taller tower will be 910' with the crown. The shorter will be 605'. Both are now going to be mixed office and residential.

tech12

Aug 3, 2014, 12:27 AM

Can anyone confirm if this is just to the roof and doesn't include the crown?

Confirmed. The tower site is zoned for 850 to the roof, and that article apparently has it confused with the total structural height.

1977

Aug 5, 2014, 5:40 AM

Renderings of 2177 Third. Simple, clean, looking good.

...109 new units with with waterfront views, courtyard gardens, and a now-ubiquitous rooftop terrace. Renderings from architecture firm Woods Bagot have just been released and show a seven-story building that draws its inspiration from the neighborhood's industrial past, especially through the use of materials such as bronze-anodized aluminum and metallic-fritted glass.

http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs/53dfca76f92ea1467a01dc75/UbPqinJKLEkj_0xtwIcrfn2XnYGj86GaPAiQZ9OVV_U.jpeg

http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs/53dfca77f92ea1467a01dc7c/SMwsB4npvgj-KmWI0txDrY5ICj-7kbbBqJPLUZrRULo.jpeg

More renderings and info at sf.curbed.com (http://sf.curbed.com/archives/2014/08/04/first_look_renderings_released_for_new_third_street_condos.php)

fflint

Aug 5, 2014, 6:06 AM

Dogpatch has really been filling in--especially between Third and Illinois.

My Dad knows a septuagenarian SF native who relocated to the suburbs a couple decades ago who cannot recount ever setting foot in Dogpatch. It's kind of a point of pride for my Dad, but to be fair, it really is a 'new' neighborhood even though it is the original port. Nobody, generally speaking in the last century, lived there or had any reason to go there except for work.

Nowadays--it's hot.

Personal plug: "Just For You" has the best beignets in the City!

peanut gallery

Aug 5, 2014, 7:42 AM

Looks like it would take the rest of the block. Next to Pier 70 too. Nice project.

In other news, The San Francisco Business Times (http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/real-estate/2014/07/transbay-san-francisco-office-land-parcelf-block4.html) reports that Transbay parcels F (space between 540 Howard and the corner that will be a park someday and is currently being used for construction staging) and 4 (north part of the temporary terminal) may get sold long before they're available, which is 2018 at the earliest.

Reminder of what's in store for these two parcels (from the article):
Parcel F is a 32,700-square-foot site slated for up to 735,000 square feet of office and residential space in a tower up to 750 feet high. Block 4, a 43,000-square-foot site, could accommodate up to 590 units of housing.

Given how hot things are now and knowing that it never lasts, this would be a good time to sell these parcels. I wonder if someone will be willing to pay now, knowing they can't recoup their investment for at least 4 years?