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Originally Posted by The New Fillmore
38-Story Oval Condo Tower Unveiled
Skidmore design would add 300 units facing St. Mary’s on Cathedral Hill
A 38-STORY oval-shaped tower with 300 market rate condominiums is being planned on Geary Boulevard across from St. Mary’s Cathedral. The proposed tower is a glass-walled, slender oval, angled so that its axis points toward the front doors of the cathedral. It would sit between the Cathedral Hill Plaza apartments and the Sequoias, where the Cathedral Hill Plaza Athletic Club swimming pool and tennis courts are now located. The tower was designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, the global architectural firm that designed the international terminal at the San Francisco airport and many high-rise office buildings here and around the world. The ADCO Group already owns the Cathedral Hill Plaza apartments at 1333 Gough Street, on the block bounded by Post, Gough, Geary and what used to be Octavia Street. ADCO also owns the 1200 Gough Street tower, Normandy Apartments at 1155 Ellis and other residential and commercial buildings in the city. Architect Craig Hartman said at last month’s meeting of the Cathedral Hill Neighbors Association that the goal was an elegant building that would honor the cathedral. He said it is important the building be striking because it will be visible from all over the city. The slender oval would not be a visual barrier, he said, and would not exacerbate wind problems, as a rectangular building could. The tower will be set back about 75 feet from the Sequoias. Residents of surrounding buildings pro tested the tower could ruin views for which they had paid dearly. But the sponsors noted that there are limited sites for infill projects in an urban setting, and city policy permits putting a tall building on a hill. As presented, the tower would soar over 400 feet, about 170 feet above current height limits for the site. In the new plan, the lobby of the existing apartment building would be reoriented to face Post Street, rather than Gough, as would the lobby of the new tower. Driveways to the buildings would also be from Post; the service entrance would be on Geary, with an exit on Post. The developer plans five floors of underground parking, with one space for each residential unit and 90 spaces for guests and the small commercial businesses to be included on the Geary side. That would eliminate the surface level parking structure that encircles the existing building. With parking underground, a Japanese garden would be added on Post Street between the driveways. An education center available for community use would be erected at the corner of Gough and Geary, and the owners will seek a nonprofit group to operate it. Next to the education center, facing the cathedral, would be spaces for small neighborhood businesses such as a coffee shop or dry cleaner, designed to serve the residents and bring pedestrian life to the street. One neighbor applauded the addition of businesses that would make Geary friendlier to pedestrians. The low buildings along Geary would be topped with a landscaped green roof garden accessible to those on the garden level and visible to the residences above. The existing 60-foot swimming pool now on the site would be replaced by a 75- foot underground pool and fitness facility. Membership will be limited, but there will be a spa open to the public. Th e tennis courts will not be replaced. About half of the 300 condominiums will be studios or have one bedroom. The other half will have two or more bedrooms. All will be sold at market rates, but the company is working to find a site within one mile to build 60 moderately priced units, as required by the city. The planning and permitting process is expected to take a year. Construction will take 24 months. A contractor has not been selected. In addition to questions about the height and the blockage of views, neighbors expressed concern about wind and shadows. Others raised questions about the additional traffic likely to result from 300 new units. Linda Corso, general manager of Cathedral Hill Plaza apartments and project manager for the site, said all these issues and ways to mitigate potential problems would be addressed by the environmental impact report the developer must prepare as the first step of the permitting process. One resident said the building would set a bad precedent for Japantown, a couple of blocks away. Corso said a presentation is scheduled for the May meeting of the Japantown Task Force.
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