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

[wanderer34]

I'm new to thins thread, and I was wondering when the Transbay project is getting built???? It would be a shame if this project didn't go through. I especially liked the Pelli proposal. It seems that w/ Pelli, everything he designs seems to be very sleek and professional. I liked the SOM proposal as well, I think both of them are great.

Also, what's the SF/Bay Area economy like in comparison to LA's??? What about the quality of life between the two??? I know about Silicon Valley, but I want to know more. Just PM me, thanks!!!

[coyotetrickster]

Originally Posted by wanderer34

I'm new to thins thread, and I was wondering when the Transbay project is getting built???? It would be a shame if this project didn't go through. I especially liked the Pelli proposal. It seems that w/ Pelli, everything he designs seems to be very sleek and professional. I liked the SOM proposal as well, I think both of them are great.

Also, what's the SF/Bay Area economy like in comparison to LA's??? What about the quality of life between the two??? I know about Silicon Valley, but I want to know more. Just PM me, thanks!!!

The Transit Center portion of the project is already underway. The exterior walls of the old terminal are being demolished this week (could be finished by next week). The deep excavation and utilities re-location will be the next phase before the train 'sheds' etc. start construction. When the Tower will rise is totally dependent on the global economy. SF finally returned to positive absorption of office space. How's that for an ambiguous answer.

[ElDuderino]

S.F. America's Cup facilities might move north

John Coté,Will Kane, Chronicle Staff Writers
Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Spectators for the next America's Cup would be able to watch 72-foot catamarans surge across a finish line with Alcatraz in the background under a revised proposal San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is pushing in the city's bid to host sailing's top regatta.

The mayor's staff huddled with race organizers into Tuesday evening trying to craft a plan to shift the main public facilities from south of the Bay Bridge to the northern waterfront between Piers 19 and 29.

That option recently gained popularity because it's cheaper, reduces the amount of public property conveyed for private development and gives spectators a better view of the action.

The push to modify the proposal, with meetings expected to continue this morning, comes as the Board of Supervisors' budget committee is scheduled to hold a hearing today on the fiscal feasibility of the city's America's Cup bid.

The core of the mayor's proposal to host the series of races remains the same - granting development rights and leases of up to 75 years for waterfront parcels to race organizers, led by billionaire Oracle CEO Larry Ellison.

In exchange, race organizers would bring an international sporting event whose economic benefit is eclipsed only by the Olympics and soccer's World Cup. They would also pay to stabilize piers, dredge yacht berths and possibly contribute work to speed the completion of a planned cruise ship terminal at Pier 27.

Ellison's BMW Oracle Racing team, sponsored by San Francisco's Golden Gate Yacht Club, captured the America's Cup in February off Valencia, Spain, and will select the location of the next regatta. The team has set up an event authority arm to handle the commercial side of the Cup and expects to decide on a site by the end of the year.

source and full article: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...BAPI1GN7QU.DTL

[ElDuderino]

East span of Bay Bridge to open months earlier

Michael Cabanatuan, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, December 9, 2010

After years of delays, cost increases and complications on the $6.3 billion Bay Bridge project, finally there's some good news. The new east span will open to drivers traveling in both directions by the end of 2013 instead of the earlier plan to make eastbound motorists wait until 2014.

"We've found a way to open the whole bridge at once," said Bart Ney, a Caltrans spokesman. "It means seismic safety for everyone will arrive at least four to six months earlier."

It also means a complicated series of maneuvers - and traffic changes - to reconfigure the eastern end of the existing Bay Bridge in both directions so that a portion of the incline section can be cut away to make way for construction of the eastbound landing of the new bridge.

"It's going to be challenging, but nothing compared to some of the challenges we've already overcome," Ney said.

Those reconfigurations will bring changes in the alignments of the westbound approach to the existing bridge as well as the eastbound landing, both of which will take a turn to the south. The new eastbound alignment will probably premiere in May or June. The westbound change, which will include a temporary span, is likely to come at the end of 2011.

The cost of the changes has not yet been determined, Ney said, but should not cause the project to exhaust the $900 million contingency fund set aside to cover cost increases.

The accelerated timeline comes after bridge officials offered a package of incentives last December to speed fabrication of the bridge's steel deck and tower segments in China. The tactic apparently worked; steel deliveries have arrived on time or ahead of schedule, and the single tower that will support the suspension span is finally rising from the bay.

On Sunday, a new shipment of steel, including the third of five tower sections to be hoisted into place, will arrive, along with two more pieces of the bridge deck.

"We should be able to get most of the steel up before Christmas," said Peter Lee, program manager for the Bay Area Toll Authority. "It will raise the tower higher than the top of Yerba Buena Island."

The increased speed of the steel deliveries, combined with the changes on the east end of the bridge, will enable the span to open in December 2013, Ney said. For months, engineers have been working on plans to accelerate construction. Their design is complex, but essentially shifts everything to the south to make way for the eastbound landing of the new bridge to be built sooner than 2014. Some lane closures, and potentially a one-direction bridge closure, will be necessary, Ney said.

Work is already under way. Crews are relocating utilities to accommodate the traffic changes that will begin in 2011. Early in the year, access roads used by Caltrans crews and construction workers will be moved to the south.

In May or June, the eastbound lanes of traffic, after they come off the existing Bay Bridge, will also weave to the south. That will make way for crews to widen the incline section of the old bridge so a segment that blocks construction of the new landing can be cut away.

Once traffic is shifted onto that temporary span, again, curving south, construction of the eastbound landing, officially known as the "Oakland touchdown," can commence.

"The whole effort here," said Ney, "is to get the public on the new bridge, completely, as soon as possible."

source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...MN9O1GNR6K.DTL

[CyberEric]

Two interesting developments, thanks for the updates guys.

[1977]

1285 Sutter was sold. It'd be great if they could retain the Trader Joe's.

Portland Developer Buys San Francisco Housing Site

Submitted November 21, 2010, 3:27 PM

By Sharon Simonson

A Portland real estate development company with a history of large, mixed-use projects has acquired a multifamily parcel in San Francisco for nearly $9 million.

Gerding Edlen Development Co. has bought 1285 Sutter St. from San Francisco’s Rockpoint Group LLC, said Tony Crossley, a senior vice president for Colliers International in San Francisco. Crossley represented the seller in the deal.

The developer plans 106 apartments on the half acre site, Crossley said. The land cost is $85,000 a unit. Trader Joe’s has pre-leased retail on the ground floor, he said.

Gerding Edlen has been on the lookout for San Francisco property for the last six months, Crossley said.

Gerding Edlen has undertaken and completed a diverse mix of commercial and urban mixed-use projects, some very large and all characterized by an overriding emphasis on sustainability, according to its Web site. The developer describes itself as a “pioneer” in green building. Company representatives could not be reached for immediate comment.

San Francisco land sales have gained momentum since this summer after two-and-a-half years of almost no traction, Crossley said. Both apartment and condominium developers are looking toward 2013 and 2014 delivery dates and believing the city’s economy will be well recovered by then.

For developers the allure is plain: Land values remain at half their levels of three years ago, and construction and borrowing costs are low, Crossley said. At the exit, a crush of investors is eager to buy multifamily properties. That is pushing prices up, making the prospects for new product more attractive still.

Crossley and his partner Frank Wheeler sold 45 Lansing St. in San Francisco’s Rincon Hill neighborhood to developer Crescent Heights this summer. The property is entitled for 217 condominiums. Crescent paid $12.5 million; the seller had acquired the property for $30 million in 2006.

Crossley and Wheeler have two additional multifamily sites listed: four acres on the southwestern cusp of the booming Mission Bay neighborhood known as the Daggett Triangle for the outline of the lot, and a second plot at 430 Main St. in the Rincon Hill neighborhood near Interstate 80. Daggett Triangle is intended for 470 housing units, the Main Street site for 113.

Source:http://www.theregistrysf.com/

[CyberEric]

Seems like news about the new Bay Bridge should be posted somewhere.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object...BAQM1GR6PG.DTL

[Dylan Leblanc]

Here's the SF development map, 14 highrise buildings are marked as proposed or U/C - http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/map...&z=13&status=1

Anyone see anything missing or inaccurate?

[northbay]

i'm pretty sure 535 mission IS NOT under construction as they put a parking lot over the foundation work (presumably to restart construction when the economy recovers). and i think the puc building has started construction but i haven't been to the city in over a month so i'm not entirely sure.

[1977]

2001 Market Street Development (AKA Whole Foods Castro) Approved


The proposed mixed-use development at 2001 Market Street was unanimously approved by San Francisco’s Planning Commission last night and should result in an eight story building along Market Street (stepping down to four stories at 14th Street) with 82 residential units over a 31,000 square foot Whole Foods and 101 parking spaces.

Once again, the latest timeline calls for a month of demolition followed by eighteen (18) months of construction. And "assuming that construction would begin in the 3rd quarter of 2011, the building would be ready for occupancy in the 1st quarter of 2013."

Source:http://www.socketsite.com/archives/2....html#comments

[1977]

Originally Posted by Dylan Leblanc

Here's the SF development map, 14 highrise buildings are marked as proposed or U/C - http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/map...&z=13&status=1

Anyone see anything missing or inaccurate?

-Radiance West aka phase 2 is under construction (http://www.socketsite.com/archives/2...uction_un.html)
-CCSF Chinatown is also under construction (http://www.ccsf.edu/NEW/en/our-campu...nblivecam.html)

[dr_strangelove]

Originally Posted by Dylan Leblanc

Here's the SF development map, 14 highrise buildings are marked as proposed or U/C - http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/map...&z=13&status=1

Anyone see anything missing or inaccurate?

555 Washington- Dead
PUC building- under construction (they are at the 3rd floor now last time I rode by
535 Mission- not under construction- on hold



Missing: Crescent Heights @ 10th/ Market streets (proposed- on hold)
45 Lansing St. (proposed- on hold)
Chinatown CCSF building- under construction (Washington & Kearny Sts.)

[ElDuderino]

Someone should snag some pics of the PUC building

[Dylan Leblanc]

Thanks guys, I have made all the changes you suggested. The SF development map is now up to date - http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/map...&z=13&status=1

Originally Posted by 1977

-CCSF Chinatown is also under construction

Sorry, that one's too short to go on the map. Highrise buildings only.

[Cory]

The conceptual design for the Powell Street Promenade. The final design will be determined by the city. Image: RHAA

Mayor Gavin Newsom has announced the city’s latest Pavement to Parks project, a two-block pedestrian promenade [pdf] on Powell Street between Ellis and Geary near Union Square that will provide sorely needed public space for one of San Francisco’s most crowded commercial districts. In a heavy dose of irony, the car-free space will be financed by an automobile company, Audi of America, who approached the city about six weeks ago.

Read more:http://sf.streetsblog.org/2010/12/17...o-you-by-audi/

[1977]

942 Mission was approved.

Mission Street hotel's plans sidestep growth wars

When a proposal for a new 15-story hotel on the blighted block of Mission Street between Fifth and Sixth streets came to the Planning Department, the reaction was quiet. Almost too quiet.

"Here I am processing a 15-story building, and nobody is calling me," said Planning Department staffer Rick Crawford. "That was unusual."

In this city, the idea of new construction, particularly on the fringes of the Tenderloin, can be an invitation to hand-to-hand combat. In the 1980s, bitter development fights in the Tenderloin put strict limits on growth and stopped the building of new hotels dead.

The idea was to preserve low-income housing for residents. Although it did that, it also contributed to a malaise that left chunks of the neighborhood impoverished, shabby and deserted.

The tired old rant that any development, anywhere, is a plot against true San Francisco values is shortsighted. Cities need to grow and build updated structures. That's how they stay fresh and vital.

But the ease with which 942 Mission St. passed may be a sign of progress.

"The growth wars have been really divisive," said Gabriel Metcalf, executive director of the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association. "But I think now we are reaching the point where we say yes to positive additions instead of no to everything."

Some think the harsh reality of the troubled economy may have softened the tough stance on growth.

"The reality of the deficits is sinking in among city officials and agencies," said Tim Colen, executive director of the San Francisco Housing Action Coalition. "If it is a good deal for the city and it pencils out, let's do it."

Even land use attorney Sue Hestor, who is often an outspoken critic of development, signed off on the Mission Street hotel.

"They convinced people that a hotel made sense and that it will be good for the neighborhood," she said. "So it's acceptable."

The project has a lot going for it. There are already some five-star hotels in the area, but this will be priced as a midrange option. It is near the new Mint Plaza development and a short walk from the Moscone Convention Center. It will also be a conspicuous new project on a block that has more graffiti than retail shops.

"I think it is part of a trend," said architect Michael Stanton, who designed the building. "I think it can be a harbinger for the block."

Not everyone has such a rosy outlook.

"I'm not sure things are much better," said Don Falk, executive director of the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Coalition. "There are still people fighting tooth and nail. But I would say that this is a project that probably would not have garnered this much support 30 years ago."

Metcalf is more optimistic.

"I know there are still people who oppose everything new," he said. "But I hope that this is a generational change where people get their minds around the idea that change can be good."

Metcalf said the bitter growth battles were actually helpful in some ways. Neighborhood development plans were created that gave builders a blueprint of what was acceptable. He said the success of projects such as Mission Bay reassured residents that "gentrification" didn't have to be a dirty word.

It's about time. If there is one unfortunate truth about the city, it is that a small, loud group can derail worthwhile projects. They always insist that they are representing the "real" San Franciscans but never seem to have any way to demonstrate that.

If things are changing, the day may come when erecting a building in the city is just like anywhere else.

Almost. When the 942 Mission project was proposed, planners wanted to know what had been in the location before. It turned out to be the studios of Kink.com, an Internet porn site.

It's still San Francisco after all.

C.W. Nevius' column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. E-mail him at cwnevius@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page C - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle



Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...#ixzz18U95lcmi

[Jerry of San Fran]

I stopped by the Trans Bay terminal the 2nd week of December 2010 & got this picture. I can't say anything good about the building except that it served its' pupose for the time.

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[CyberEric]

Thanks for the updates everyone, particularly to the map.

924 Mission looks like a handsome building, I hope hotel patrons don't get too turned off by the Tenderloin nearby.
And the Powell park looks nice.

[peanut gallery]

Originally Posted by Dylan Leblanc

Sorry, that one's too short to go on the map. Highrise buildings only.

The CCSF building is 215' tall. Is that not within the highrise category? Here's its thread.

[edwards]

PUC headquarters, 3 days ago, blurry drive-by shot but still works.