SAN FRANCISCO | Projects: Under Construction, Approved, and Proposed - Page 192

1977 · #**3821** Posted **Jul 11, 2012, 5:53 PM**

Simeon purchased the long stalled 72 Townsend and is expected to break ground sometime next year.

Quote:

Simeon has acquired 72 Townsend St. in San Francisco’s South of Market district. The property is an existing one-story historic brick-and-timber building in the South Beach neighborhood. The company plans to begin construction with Novato contractor West Bay Builders next year to add eight stories to the existing structure. The goal is to develop 74 living units to condominium standards, though the intent at present is to rent.

Quote:

The existing, not quite 30,000 square-foot building, the former Hooper’s South End Grain Warehouse constructed in 1874, is leased through mid-2013, Pitto said, but there is a chance the tenant will exit early. If so, he would and could start construction immediately: “We could pull a building permit right now.” The project is fully entitled.

Source and article: http://news.theregistrysf.com/simeon-nabs-san-francisco-san-jose-sites-for-apartments/

Here is an old rendering of the original proposal which sounds like is being retained:

Source: http://www.sfnewdevelopments.com/

1977 · #**3822** Posted **Jul 11, 2012, 5:57 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbm

was out walking my dog and saw this sign at the entrance to a parking lot 1/2 block south of market, between 12th and Brady, just west of s. van ness. the sign was not there a day or two ago. wonder if a local project is about to get going, possibly 1600 Market. That's the closest I can think of.

That's not a bad guess as I know Webcor was tapped to build the original Saitowitz proposal at 1600 Market. Also, it makes sense because this building will house the required affordable units for the development at 1960-1998 Market which broke ground this week.

1977 · #**3823** Posted **Jul 12, 2012, 6:55 PM**

55 Ninth, aka AVA at 55 Ninth, broke ground today! Kind of hard to see in the picture, but it looks like the design has been tweaked a little bit.

Quote:

AvalonBay Celebrates Ground Breaking of AVA at 55 Ninth
JULY 12, 2012 by PUBLISHER in NEWS RELEASES

SAN FRANCISCO, CA. (July 10, 2012) — AvalonBay Communities, a NYSE-listed real estate investment trust (REIT), today hosted a ground breaking ceremony for its newest San Francisco apartment community, AVA at 55 Ninth. The community is AvalonBay’s seventh in the San Francisco metropolitan area and its sixty-seventh in California. It is also the State’s fourth AVA branded community, designed to attract Gen Y renters. AvalonBay’s first AVA community in San Francisco, AVA at Nob Hill, the redevelopment of an existing AvalonBay community, was opened July 2011.

An enthusiastic crowd of over sixty attended the ceremony and reception, which was held at the site of the new development in the heart of the increasingly popular Central Market neighborhood. Mayor Edwin Lee and AvalonBay executives, led by Meg Spriggs, Vice President for Development, addressed the gathering, pointing to the future community as the latest addition to one of the City’s fastest growing and newest “hot spots.”

Source and article: http://news.theregistrysf.com/avalonbay-celebrates-ground-breaking-of-ava-at-55-ninth/

minesweeper · #**3824** Posted **Jul 12, 2012, 7:55 PM**

Awesome! The design has indeed changed quite a bit. My Google-fu turned up these renderings (the architect is now Solomon Cordwell Buenz).

Click to enlarge:

The designs say the max height will be 188 feet, lower than the previous design's 205 feet.

1977 · #**3825** Posted **Jul 12, 2012, 8:40 PM**

Great find!

northbay · #**3826** Posted **Jul 12, 2012, 9:17 PM**

Looks great! They just keep coming!

rriojas71 · #**3827** Posted **Jul 12, 2012, 11:47 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by minesweeper

Awesome! The design has indeed changed quite a bit. My Google-fu turned up these renderings (the architect is now Solomon Cordwell Buenz).

Click to enlarge:

The designs say the max height will be 188 feet, lower than the previous design's 205 feet.

Great News about another project, but the design is quite mundane and doesn't help SF in our desire to rid ourselves of boxy mid-rise bulidings. I think it will add to the area, but I wish it was had a bit more aesthetic flair.
Overall I'm unimpressed.

CyberEric · #**3828** Posted **Jul 13, 2012, 11:40 AM**

Not too shabby looking. I hope they are serious about attracting Gen Yers, or in other words, I hope these are reasonably priced!

minesweeper · #**3829** Posted **Jul 13, 2012, 6:30 PM**

I walked by 55 Ninth this morning, and it was pretty quiet. Just one lonely backhoe and a worker with a water hose.

viewguysf · #**3830** Posted **Jul 17, 2012, 7:08 AM**

Here comes the second One Rincon Hill tower!! Will someone please create a thread for it?

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/2012/07/construction-to-start-today-on-second.html

timbad · #**3831** Posted **Jul 17, 2012, 7:47 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by viewguysf

Here comes the second One Rincon Hill tower!! Will someone please create a thread for it?

wakamesalad's got you covered:

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=199764

1977 · #**3832** Posted **Jul 17, 2012, 5:20 PM**

Oscar Park presentation from 7/12/12:

http://www.sfredevelopment.org/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=3910

This combined with the new Transbay Terminal park are going to completely change the feel of Dowtown/Rincon Hill/Transbay and provide a lot of recreation and park space for the thousands of new residents that are moving into the area. Love it.

More info at RinconHillSF.

1977 · #**3833** Posted **Jul 17, 2012, 5:27 PM**

And from Hayeswire...

http://hayeswire.com/2012/07/1960-market-begins-to-take-shape.html

Some proof that 1960-1998 Market broke ground.

Source: www.hayeswire.com

CyberEric · #**3834** Posted **Jul 17, 2012, 10:16 PM**

^That looks pretty cool, interesting but handsome. Glad it's being built!

spyguy · #**3835** Posted **Jul 18, 2012, 2:48 PM**

http://www.avaat559thapartments.com/

1977 · #**3836** Posted **Jul 18, 2012, 4:39 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by spyguy

http://www.avaat559thapartments.com/

Great, thanks! Looks like a solid infill project, imo.

easy as pie · #**3837** Posted **Jul 18, 2012, 7:14 PM**

really a lot bigger than i expected, glad to see, even if the parking egress is poorly placed adjacent to the plaza entry on both this and plaza/parking entry on 1 ninth.

minesweeper · #**3838** Posted **Jul 18, 2012, 8:27 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by easy as pie

really a lot bigger than i expected, glad to see, even if the parking egress is poorly placed adjacent to the plaza entry on both this and plaza/parking entry on 1 ninth.

I don't think that's the parking entry on Ninth St. The grey rendering I posted above seems to show the entry is located on that back alley called Laskie St.

There's no curb-cut rendered on Ninth St. I'm not sure what that is. Maybe it's just some utility access or something?

CyberEric · #**3839** Posted **Jul 18, 2012, 9:38 PM**

It's something to be happy with, nice design, nice size. A good infill project for sure.

timbad · #**3840** Posted **Jul 19, 2012, 1:00 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1977

Oscar Park presentation from 7/12/12:

http://www.sfredevelopment.org/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=3910

... Love it.

yes, wow! I wasn't holding out high expectations for this open space, given that most of it is under concrete overpasses, but the presentation is really impressive! so many things going on that I could see myself going out of my way to see and use and show others. I'm a little concerned, given recent episodes of vandalism around the city, that this could also fall quick and repeated victim. beyond users and neighbors keeping eyes out, maybe some more formal monitoring would be needed (unfortunately)