SAN FRANCISCO | Projects: Under Construction, Approved, and Proposed

[nequidnimis]

Originally Posted by BTinSF

I've been planning to say this for a while: If I were Planning Czar, I'd ban stucco on anything over 4 stories. Personally I think it looks cheap and I can't recall seeing it in large buildings back east--seems like a purely CA thing and not the best feature of the architecture here IMHO.

You wrote earlier:

Originally Posted by BTinSF

I couldn't disagree more. Great architecture comes from allowing great architects and the developers who hire them to build as they want to build without running the plans through committee after committee of bureaucrats, NIMBYs, political appointees and politicians themselves.

So which one would it be if you were Planning Czar?

As an aside, those Legoretta buildings you like so much are stucco.

[BTinSF]

Not running every design through a gauntlet of committees doesn't mean you can't have rules. It does mean you shouldn't have ad hoc rules or rules applied arbitrarily (a good policy both for planning departments and web sites), by the way. San Francisco's procedure creates new rules for virtually every major building.

As to the Legorreta (I'm not sure who Legoretta is) buildings, they generally are not awfully tall. They may exceed 4 stories but not by much and when they do, they usually are not tall in proportion to their other dimensions. Also, stucco is a traditional material for Hispanic/Mediterranean/Southwestern buildings of modest height such as most of those Legorreta designs.

What I don't like is the use of stucco as an exterior not because it's appropriate but because it's cheap. Legorreta uses it because it's appropriate. All over San Francisco you'll see buildings that use it because it's cheap and you can tell.

[nequidnimis]

We agree there has to be rules, at the minimum, as not all developers can be counted to come up with beautiful designs, specially during a downturn. That being said, it still is possible to design bad buildings that meet all the rules. The the old State Office building that will be replaced by the new PUC building, the Philip Burton Federal Building which you dislike, the new Main Public Library, the new InterContinental Hotel all have good materials. And conversely, the Post International which I like is stucco...http://www.mbharch.com/portfolio/housing/post/post.htm

[AndrewK]

Originally Posted by BTinSF

Andrew, that is the site of what was to be the Mexican Museum. There is a beautiful building (I just love it!) designed by Ricardo Legoretta that was intended for that spot

ah yes i had totally forgotten that that was supposed to be there. well luckily there is going to be a cafe in the lobby of the jewish museum, so that plaza will be fully utilized im sure.

[BTinSF]

There is, indeed, a cafe. I checked out the place today. Incidentally, I wasn't expecting much as far as the art was concerned and was pleasantly surprised--it's really quite an interesting installation. And the building is much larger and nicer inside than I had expected. All in all a really worthy addition to the SF museum scene. And there is a second floor window that looks directly down on the food prep area of the cafe--I watched some guy making a Caesar Salad. I'm not sure if that's Libeskind's idea of living art or just an interesting design quirk, but it's fun to watch.

As for the plaza, a lot of it is taken up by a water feature (infinity pool, low waterfalls etc). But there are nice benches and some outdoor tables directly in front of the cafe area.

[Jerry of San Fran]

Jewish Museum, SF - I walked through the museum lobby and book store. The museum is quite dramatic from the north end. The plaza is kind of dull, but the effect of the open space combined with the next door hotel's outdoor dining area is quite nice. I found the lobby of the museum to be stark - too much white. I did not expect much and was quite surprised as to how much I liked the finished product. Have yet to enter the paid area.

[San Frangelino]

55 Ninth St. via http://www.ankaproperty.com/

[nequidnimis]

That's a wow!

[AndrewK]

this is going in on the west side of the street on the corner at jessie right? pretty sure I saw prep work going on for that site a while ago, but i rarely go down ninth street so im not sure what it looks like right now.

unless of course i was just seeing the back side of the mercy project.

[Jerry of San Fran]

55th Ninth Street is located on the east side of the street. This was the lot that the State Fund was to build a new office tower but decided the market was not good and the property has been a sand lot for a long time.

Another neat building to watch being built from my window!

[Jerry of San Fran]

The Argenta This is a view from the 14th floor of the Archstone Fox Plaza where our laundry room is located. Of course the building looks even better in person.

[AndrewK]

Originally Posted by Jerry of San Fran

55th Ninth Street is located on the east side of the street. This was the lot that the State Fund was to build a new office tower but decided the market was not good and the property has been a sand lot for a long time.

Another neat building to watch being built from my window!

ah nice, thats been a vacant lot for as long as i can remember.

[hi123]

WOW! 55 ninth looks great! When will construction start?

[c1tyguy]

Wow Argenta looks MUCH better than I had expected!

And 55 Ninth looks amazing as well.. I wonder how tall it is? I'm sure there will be more information shortly. The sloping design is kind of refreshing.

[Jerry of San Fran]

A picture I took June 11th from my balcony, 27th Floor of the Archstone Fox Plaza. The green arrow shows the sand lot presently at 55 9th St. where the proposed condo highrise would be. It look small in the picture but is actually a substantial lot. You can see a cool view at the Microsoft Virtual Earth site.

[Downtown Dave]

Mercy housing, today. I presume they are using unstrained construction:



A few more angles on Argenta:







As I was taking these photos, a man came up to me and started screaming at the top of his lungs:

AAAAAAAHH!! Barry Bonds is a cheater! AAAAHHHH!!! The home run king is going to jail!!! AAAAHHH!!! Put THAT in the paper!! AAAAHHH!!!

So at least residents of Argenta will not need to go far for the latest in sports news.

[Jerry of San Fran]

Downtown Dave - nice pictures of the Argenta.

I live across the street from the Argenta, so I well know about the crazies in the neighborhood. All we have to do is open our patio door to see what the pychyactric forecast is for the day. One reason we are happy to get a lot more neighbors in the neighborhood - it might cause a decline of the undesireables!

[c1tyguy]

It was sixteen months ago that we first plugged you in to the proposed design for a ten-story mixed use development at 300 Grant (corner of Grant and Sutter). At the time the design called for 66 units, two floors of retail, two levels of below grade parking, and a “landscaped terrace, clubhouse and solarium on 3rd floor for residents.”

And while we haven’t heard much about the project over the past year or so, it’s in front of the planning commission today. The proposal still calls for ten-stories with two floors of retail and up to 40 parking spaces, but the application cites “up to 45 units.”

No word on whether or not the proposed design (by MBH Architects) has evolved as well.

Source: SocketSite

I love the design for this building! Its kind of old school meets new school. Also, GREAT location! And with parking, I'd call this place home in a second.

[WonderlandPark]

The grand new SF skyline from Potrero Hill on Wednesday:

original is 10,000 pixels wide as a 7 image stitch.



I still haven't got over the Intercontinental color, but it sure makes its mark. Its probably fine.

[BTinSF]

Friday, June 13, 2008
Deal struck on S.F. site for 1,200 homes
San Francisco Business Times - by J.K. Dineen

Longtime Schlage Lock owner Ingersoll Rand and developer Universal Paragon Corp. have reached an environmental cleanup agreement that paves the way for $450 million, 1,200-unit project on a tract of former industrial land near the San Francisco/Brisbane border.

Under the agreement, Ingersoll Rand has agreed to transfer the 12.3-acre Schlage Lock property to Universal Paragon. In exchange, UPC will pay for most of the $25 million cleanup of the property, which contains hazardous volatile organic compounds and chlorinated hydrocarbons used for decades in the manufacturing of metal locks at the site.

UPC, which owns a six-acre former Southern Pacific rail yard next to the Schlage land, has also dropped a 10-year-old groundwater contamination lawsuit against Ingersoll Rand. UPC has spent more than $10 million on Department of Toxic Substances Control-mandated cleanup on the Southern Pacific land. The DTSC will oversee the cleanup of the Schlage property.

"Our company has been cleaning up a mess we didn't create for many years, and at great cost," said Jonathan Scharfman, development director for UPC.

The entire cleanup is slated to last 30 months, according to Universal Paragon General Manager Steven Hanson.

The agreement comes a week after the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency published an environmental impact report on the Schlage site. The plan for the site includes 100,000 square feet of retail in addition to the 1,200 homes. It also includes a large park and the restoration of the historic Schlage Lock headquarters. The cleanup will start as soon as the city approves the EIR, Hanson said.

With two T-Third Muni stops on the site, and a Caltrain station within walking distance, the Schlage site is ideal for the sort of transit-oriented housing that city planners have been pushing for years, Hanson said.

"This project will be a great economic rebound for Visitacion Valley and a catalyst for further economic vitality in an area that really needs it," said Hanson. "It's not going to be necessarily easy, but it will be a very positive opportunity for the neighborhood."

But after a $25 million investment to prepare the land for development, it will be a tough business proposition, he said.

"This is a challenging project economically, especially given the economic issues with housing development at this point," said Hanson.

In 2000, neighbors beat back a proposal for a Home Depot on the site, arguing that the land was more suitable for housing and open space.


[email protected] / (415) 288-4971

Source: http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2008/06/16/story9.html?t=printable