I expressed my opinion on the Skyscraper forum that the mall was a big mistake from the beginning & I know nothing about retail except that I like to shop! I did not believe that downtown could support more retail.
I actually testified at the Planning Commission in favor of it. That was several years before it was built and actually before online retail took off. At that time they had tentatively signed up Target for a large chunk of the space. But the delay in approval and then in construction eventually led Target to find an alternative site which turned out to be the Metreon (do they still call it that?).
Regardless of the amount of total retail in downtown, the southern Tenderloin, northern SOMA and mid-Market do not have the sort of retail that supports the people who live there. Sure there's plenty of high end retail in Union Square but 5-10 years ago where was there you could walk to from this area to buy basic groceries or inexpensive, basic clothing (the dept store outlets have also arrived since "Market Street Place", as it was called, was first conceived).
And that was the concept the developer put forward: That unlike, say San Francisco Center, this mall would have retail that served the mainly lower income community around it for basic goods such as one might find at, say, Walmart (which, unfortunately IMHO, would NOT be there) or Target (which would have) or Ross or TJ Max or other discounters (some of which have also moved further down Market St. since then). I still think that sort of retail would be useful in this location but something happened between the concept and the realization--something even more than Target going elsewhere (to a place that doesn't serve that neighborhood nearly as well).
here's the one getting a make-over on Folsom between Second and Third:
speaking of make-overs, here is Folsom St
and since we can't update the Avery thread any longer:
the difference in curbs
I was hoping the shroud would have been off the one at california and Powell by now, oh well
it was recently mentioned somewhere that people would actually finally start moving into the one at Laguna and Fulton this fall, after all the developer's shenanigans. still hoping they can find a new tenant for the grocery store space
the little alley seen in that second pic looked potentially inviting. it has black cobbles for texture, and the development appears to be making space for plantings
the affordable one also on Laguna, at Fell
I was surprised to see this one one had gotten underway, finally
another angle of the one at Market and Haight (Fast Frame)
this is on 10th I think, near Folsom, and I believe is a school
the ones on 12th near Harrison, adjacent to the future Eagle Plaza (seen in last pic)
Last edited by timbad; Aug 5, 2019 at 6:46 AM.
Reason: added Avery alley shot
In all honesty, I walked by that place and it's got to be in one of the worst and least desirable locations in SF. Feels kind of like Zombie Apocalypse.
Anyway, really nice pics of the developments. It's interesting how low rise most development is in San Francisco, but it definitely has it's charm and preserves the views of the hills.
Getting more excited about arriving there sometime in fall next year to start a new chapter
it was recently mentioned somewhere that people would actually finally start moving into the one at Laguna and Fulton this fall, after all the developer's shenanigans. still hoping they can find a new tenant for the grocery store space
"Second attempt made to bring grocery chain to Hayes Valley"
In all honesty, I walked by that place and it's got to be in one of the worst and least desirable locations in SF. Feels kind of like Zombie Apocalypse.
Anyway, really nice pics of the developments. It's interesting how low rise most development is in San Francisco, but it definitely has it's charm and preserves the views of the hills.
Getting more excited about arriving there sometime in fall next year to start a new chapter
As I posted earlier, it was just bought by a consortium including Alexandria REIT*. Their focus is on pharma/biotech facilties (lab space and offices). The previous owner had already sought to convert the upper floors to office space. I imagine Alexandria plans to seek to convert it to something other than retail--not sure if the city would allow labs here but probably tech offices--but I am pretty sure the city will insist the ground floor at least remain retail.
Yes, Mid-Market is bad but the idea was that this building along with the other new projects across the street and the tech companies that have moved in (Twitter, Dolby, Square etc) would greatly improve it. And as I also said above, this area does need some neighborhood-focused discount retail where people living in adjacent parts of the Tenderloin and SOMA can buy basic affordable stuff like groceries, housewares and clothing--the sort of stuff the original projected tenant, Target, sells.
As to the heights, the adjacent areas are zoned for up to 120 ft in most cases. For residential buildings, that's 12 floors. This limit was an intentional effort to block highrise condo development displacing the areas pre-existing SROs and other lower income housing. But it is sandwiched between downtown where heights are much taller (maxing out at 1000 ft) and "The Hub" where it is now expected the buildings will be between 400 and 600 ft or a bit taller. As a New Yorker, look at it as like the midrise Chelsea area between downtown and midtown Manhattan (although Chelsea, like everything in Manhattan, is much gentrified compared to Mid-Market--I'm just talking about the "saddle" in the skyline). Basically the south Financial District, Rincon Hill and The Hub are the loci of highrise tower development in SF currently.
- First of all, Barney's New York this evening filed for Chapter 11
Quote:
Barneys New York files for bankruptcy
Aug. 6, 2019 2:41 AM ET
By: Yoel Minkoff, SA News Editor
Barneys, a nearly century-old icon of New York retail, has filed for bankruptcy protection and secured a $75M financing package to support a sale process that will see the company close 15 of its 22 locations.
For the sake of Union Square, I hope SF isn't one of the 15 but the odds don't seem good.
- Whoever said the news of Salesforce leasing Oceanwide's 1st st tower was premature turns out to probably be correct. The same source I referenced last week is now saying:
Quote:
Salesforce’s San Francisco real estate footprint has grown hand-in-hand with the workforce — and is expected to balloon even further. The company’s urban campus, which includes Salesforce tower, takes up 1.9 million square feet of its San Francisco space. Salesforce is also planning to lease an additional 325,000 square feet in the Parcel F building at 550 Howard St. In addition, the company is known to be considering leasing the entire 1.1 million-square-foot Oceanwide Center. Salesforce declined to comment on the Oceanwide Center site, saying it does not comment on “rumors or speculation.”
But the article in which this paragraph occurs is about the rapid growth of the company, both in terms of revenue and employee numbers and it argues that growth will continue so they are likely to be needing the space.
Developers kick off work on 240 microunits in the Tenderloin
By Blanca Torres – Reporter, San Francisco Business Times
Aug 7, 2019, 7:30am PDT Updated 3 hours ago
Developers plan to kick off construction on 240 microunit apartments in San Francisco’s gritty Tenderloin neighborhood.
The $100 million project, known as TL 361, combines 146 apartments at 361 Turk St. and 94 apartments at 145 Leavenworth St. that are targeted at various income levels . . . .
The contractor, Centric Construction, expects to complete the homes by the end of 2020.
Forge originally planned to start construction by the end of last year. . . . .
somewhat random, here is 'The Landing' on the east slope of Potrero Hill, looking almost complete. I don't find it particularly attractive (and still think the siting is awkward), but it's housing near transit. the fancy stairway up the side of the hill was not complete when I went by there.
So glad to see rebar being put into the foundation. I though this development might have died! New banners say Fisher Construction is the company building the twin towers.
Front page article on this and other projects (e.g. 1554 Market) by the same developer (Z&L Properties)) and others in this week's BizTimes (I'll quote what I think I can for non-subscribers):
Quote:
WHY S.F. ISN’T GETTING THE CONDOS IT NEEDS
By Blanca Torres – Reporter, San Francisco Business Times
12 hours ago
The condo development site at 1554 Market St. in San Francisco has sat idle for more than a year. Work stopped in early 2018 after the developers demolished an existing building there and prepped the land for new construction.
What happened? For the developer, Z&L Properties, the economics of building condos in San Francisco proved trickier than expected. A narrowing gap between costs and sales projections hindered financing, but the company was finally able to make the numbers work, securing a construction loan in July to restart 1554 Market . . . .
“For the traditional San Francisco developer, it is still very difficult to build middle-of-the-road priced condos,” said Eric Tao, a longtime housing developer who is partnering on 950 Market St., a 242-unit project in the Mid-Market neighborhood.
The $350 million 950 Market St. project consists of a hotel and condos expected to hit the market in late 2020. The project kicked off construction last fall after years of delays.
Developers already have to deal with several challenges: scarcity of land, lengthy approval process, neighborhood opposition, increases in city fees. But by far, Tao said, the steep escalation in what contractors demand for their work has pushed the cost of producing housing too far north for developers to make money . . . .
Most new developments start at $1,300 per square foot — the baseline of what developers need to charge to turn a profit, Zeger said. Those prices reflect rapid appreciation: About a decade ago, prices surpassing $1,000 per square foot was almost unheard of.
. . . it has been much harder for developers targeting lower price points, Tao said. The high-rise at 950 Market St. requires concrete construction and will use union labor. Smaller, stick-built projects that don’t use union labor cost less, he said . . . .
. . . the 139-unit 555 Fulton (the project referenced above), is close to welcoming residents this fall after five years of construction — more than twice as long as the project should have taken . . . .
2 Varela at Holloway - P3 project apartment style housing for 580 students, built on University Park South block 6 that was formerly part of Parkmerced
City breaks ground on new police facility in Bayview District
BAY CITY NEWS
Aug. 8, 2019 1:30 a.m.
The San Francisco Police Department broke ground on a new facility Thursday in the city’s Bayview neighborhood, set to house the department’s Traffic Company and Forensic Services Division.
The 100,000-square-foot, seismically safe building will be located at 1995 Evans, once it’s completed in the Fall of 2021 . . . .
The new facility will be equipped with multiple laboratory spaces, a safe room to store evidence, a firearm testing facility, a briefing room and several office spaces and conference rooms. Additionally, the location has space for SFPD motorcycle parking . . . .
The project, which is being managed by the city’s Public Works department, is being funded with Earthquake Safety and Emergency Response Bond program, passed overwhelmingly by voters in both 2010 and 2014 . . . .
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