[timbad]

That's not a piledriver you see near Rock Hall...it's a drill for installing wicks...and the wicks have to go in first. Then they'll be able to transfer the current dirt piles, which will allow them to start construction on the neurosciences building on Block 19A directly next to Rock Hall.

... Can't tell much on the Gladstone garage yet, but it's slated to have a significant amount of planting on the façade. Hopefully...we don't have wait ten years for it to look good.

The cancer building should be done... I assume they're moving people in now.

How are the new section of Fourth Street and the cross streets connecting Third and Fourth coming?

... The north edge of UCSF's campus is really coming along there, so they need The Commons to move along with them.

1. thanks for the insight into what's going on next to Rock Hall! I was hoping someone would know.

2. no plantings yet around the Gladstone garage, but they have installed what I think is the wire lattice for lack of a better word for the climbing plants on the north side. at least I think that's what it is from my memory of a rendering I saw at some point. I imagine they will be substantially done with that project in a couple months at most.

3. the cancer building has had a security guard at the desk for the last few weeks, but last week was the first time I actually saw people going in and out of it as I walked by. it recently finally got its outside landscaping, such as it is.

4. I meant to mention this in my post; thanks for the reminder: they don't seem to be in any hurry to open up the length of Fourth St. to traffic. they haven't even striped it south of the Strata block. the two cross-streets on either side of Strata are open. since Fourth is blocked north of Strata as well, right now you just have essentially that one block surrounding Strata open. on baseball game days they seem to let people park along those streets.

5. I'm hoping, too, that they get going on the next parcel or two of the Commons soon, as soon as they are done with whatever it is they are doing now underground. toward the end of 2007, I got a handout that gave a timeline for completion of all open-space parcels in Mission Bay, and P15 and P16 (the Commons in front of Pfizer and the cancer building) were supposed to come on-line at the end of this year/beginning next. I think that's been pushed back significantly, since the dog run (P5) up by the creek, which hasn't been started yet, was supposed to be about done now!

[timbad]

a couple weeks ago they finally took down the fencing on the last remaining section of the mini-park underneath the freeway at the northwest corner of the creek. the building you can barely see at the right edge of the photo is public restrooms and I think storage.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3553/3561440755_8c7450c0ee_b.jpg

most of the wrapping and scaffolding has come down on the affordable housing project ('something Walk') that should be the last north of the creek for some time. will get a photo soon.

and it looked like they had begun digging to connect the stretch of new street south of the huge parking garage (see earlier photo) with Third St. then they can connect up the sidewalks they have been working on too.

[WildCowboy]

Thanks, timbad...things are looking good.

Chronicle on the official opening of the cancer center this week (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/31/BAO917R8PE.DTL):

$135 million UCSF cancer research site to open
Victoria Colliver, Chronicle Staff Writer
Sunday, May 31, 2009

Molecules interact and bind with each other when in close proximity, so maybe that same theory could be applied to the scientists working inside UCSF's new Mission Bay cancer research center.

Researchers at the $135 million Helen Diller Family Cancer Research Building, which officially opens Tuesday after three years of construction, will soon find out. The center doubles UCSF's cancer research space and brings many of the scientists who have been housed in different buildings - UCSF's Parnassus Heights and Mount Zion sites - under one roof, where they can better collaborate and build on each other's work.

Patients won't be seen at the new building. They will continue to be seen at UCSF's cancer center at Mount Zion. The new center is only for researchers, so it's filled with lab space and equipment and computers - the stuff they need to figure out the mechanics of how cancer cells go wrong and what to do to stop them from replicating out of control. It's also modern and airy, with terraced floors and communal areas.

But Frank McCormick, director of the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, said it's not about the building.

"It's about people," said McCormick, a molecular biologist and cancer researcher. "The labs are all about the interaction between people and the building just optimizes that. ... We see ourselves as one interactive community, tackling problems by sharing our ideas. That's what this building is all about."

Take Dr. Bill Weiss, a UCSF neurology professor who specializes in experimental therapeutics, and Kevan Shokat, a cellular and molecular pharmacologist.

The two have worked together for eight years and have identified proteins that provide the key to developing molecularly targeted brain tumor therapies. But, until last week, they have never worked in the same place.

"Today is the first day I'm actually on the same campus as Bill," Shokat said, as he explained the discoveries expected to be the basis of clinical trials. "I don't have to hear the results over the phone. I can come over and see."

More than 200 researchers have started working in the building, which will eventually house about 400 faculty and staff.

The nearly 164,000-square-foot, five-story building, named after San Francisco native Helen Diller, who along with her husband contributed $35 million to build the center, is part of a larger plan for the UCSF Mission Bay campus. UCSF plans to open a 289-bed specialty hospital for cancer patients in 2014. The new hospital would foster a more direct connection between patient care and science, allowing clinicians and researchers to work with patients on the same campus.

The research building gives UCSF's brain tumor and prostate cancer groups dedicated new laboratory space for the first time. General cancer researchers will also work in the building, although researchers in breast oncology and some other groups will remain at Mount Zion on Divisadero Street.

Mark Cole, deputy executive director of the National Brain Tumor Society, is excited that the new building could foster brain cancer research.

"UCSF is already one of the top research facilities in the country and this just adds to that. We're lucky to have their work in San Francisco," Cole said from the group's San Francisco offices. "It offers more hope to the folks who have this devastating disease."

Dr. Peter Carroll, co-director of urologic cancer at UCSF's cancer center and chairman of the urology department, said patients will benefit from the new research building because scientists will be able to more quickly develop targeted cancer therapies.

"Patients want more rapid discovery," he said. "They're simply unwilling, and unable, to wait."

With the opening of the Diller building at 1450 Third St., the Mission Bay campus now has four research buildings, a community center and four residential buildings.

More coverage

To learn more about the Helen Diller Family Cancer Research Building, see:

-- A profile of Helen Diller in Monday Datebook.

-- Columnist John King's take on the Diller building in Tuesday Datebook.

[BTinSF]

Thanks for the very comprehensive update!

How many parking garages does this neighborhood need? What ever happened to transit oriented development?

This is going to be a medical/biotech complex with staff and students from all over the Bay Area, including many places (like Marin, parts of the East Bay and parts of the Peninsula) where transit is minimal. It does have good transit connections (Muni and CalTrain) but a lot of users, especially from outside the city, will have to drive there.

Also, while the buildings you see are mostly for research, across 16th St will be the new hospital. Many of the patients there will need to be driven to Mission Bay. Imagine you've just had some chemotherapy or been released after heart bypass surgery. You are not going to want to jump on transit to get home. Also, there may have to be a good deal of movement back and forth between the Parnassus campus, the Mt. Zion Campus (until the clinical cancer clinic moves) and Mission Bay. While there is a rail transit connection between Parnassus and Mission Bay, it's a long trip--most time-pressed people will likely use a UC shuttle or drive.

[timbad]

on my wander through the neighborhood today, I did get a few shots of Mission Walk, the (Bridge) affordable housing project recently unwrapped on two parcels: one between the creek promenade and Berry St, the other across Berry, between it and the freeway off-ramp. all these photos are of the former parcel because of lighting angles, but they both look very similar.

the view from across the creek:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2466/3583973433_3e3fcb3559_b.jpg

the view from the promenade:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2458/3583975153_fbc81275db_b.jpg

the view looking west on Berry (neighbor Edgewater in the distance):

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3588/3583977337_0365621397_b.jpg

looking east on Berry:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3634/3584786016_d43f73fe1b_b.jpg

I have to say that I mostly like how these are turning out. certainly nothing fancy, and a little boxy-looking from across the creek, but they look better than my memory of the renderings. and I like the splash of color and the way the façade along Berry is broken up. :tup:

[timbad]

also on my walk yesterday I noticed that they had begun planting a little greenery around the sidewalk benches along Fourth. I really think this is a nice touch; I'm digging the aesthetics - it's just a shame it will be a mostly wasted touch for who knows how long until Fourth starts getting its lining of residents. :(

looking south:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3334/3584788492_aa78e861e6_b.jpg

looking north:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3322/3584790730_9bdce2c312_b.jpg

also notice the sidewalk bulb-outs at the crosswalk. it seems that the intention is for Fourth to be a mostly calmed street. :tup:

[WildCowboy]

John King on UCSF's Diller Building (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/06/01/DD7517TGJ0.DTL). I obviously haven't seen the finished product except in pictures, but I saw enough of it under construction and in the drawings to get a feel for what it's like, and he makes excellent points.

Unfortunately for UCSF, the combination of no basements (meaning tons of mechanical stuff on the first floors of most buildings), the need for controlled access due to the nature of the buildings, and "community" demands regarding height makes for boxy-looking buildings that are awfully unfriendly at the pedestrian level. But the insides are where many of these buildings really shine.

UCSF's Diller Building better inside than out
John King
Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Looking at the newest piece of UCSF Mission Bay, the Helen Diller Family Cancer Research Building, I'm reminded of an offhand comment by a local architect who specializes in institutional work. He described his field as one where "architecture" is 2 inches thick - the skin wrapped around what really counts, the research and laboratory space inside.

A perspective that Rafael Vinoly, who designed the Diller Building, most emphatically does not share.

"If you are willing to take the position that the 2 inches of the facade is your only concern, you might as well quit," says the Uruguay-born architect. "The 2 inches are the pits. Who cares?"

Vinoly is best known as a leader of the team that in 2003 finished second to Daniel Libeskind in the design competition to map the future of the 16 acres where the World Trade Center once stood - a rebuilding effort that since has proceeded about as smoothly as the search for Osama bin Laden.

But he also presides over a large firm that makes lab buildings something of a trademark. This includes the five-story, 82-foot-high structure on Third Street at the north edge of the UCSF Mission Bay campus.

near success

The Diller Building is the face that UCSF presents to people heading south from downtown. And even though the university's logo is carved into its base, the newcomer shows the difficulty of creating institutional facilities that succeed for their users and have a neighborly feel.

Of the four lab buildings so far, Vinoly's comes closest to success on both counts.

The cancer center reads almost as two adjacent boxes: a vertical piece clad in travertine stone and a longer section wrapped in silvery steel facing north. The two forms meet above a glassy lobby that connects Third Street to a plaza on the west, where another lab building opens next year.

The travertine-clad south wall rises straight from the sidewalk. At the other end, the structure steps down toward a future park - a six-block east-west strip that planners envision as common ground merging the residential north of Mission Bay with the medical world to the south.

Don't count on it.

The ground-floor space facing the future park doesn't beckon neighbors with shops or a cafe. Instead, there's a metal grill that hides boilers, generators and the like.

This is the equipment that most lab buildings stuff into basements. Because Mission Bay is soupy landfill, that's not an option - so the loading docks and mechanical systems fill nearly the entire first floor.

Vinoly does what he can to make the structure less monolithic. The southern wall has metal sun shades that snap out from each band of windows, adding shadow and depth. Along Third Street, the travertine is cut by vertical slits filled with opaque glass; above the base, floors cantilever out just enough to make the building a stack of shapes rather than One Big Box.

Alas, blank walls are still blank walls.

"We used more refined materials to try and hide the activities inside," Vinoly says as we walk alongside the loading docks. "It's hard to imagine you could have a storefront condition."

Another "condition" faced by Vinoly and other UCSF architects is that the campus conforms to the grid of streets and blocks already set in place for Mission Bay.

It's a commendable effort to make the redevelopment district feel like an evolving part of the city. But the scale of research facilities essentially means one or two buildings per block, all conforming to the 85-foot-height limit that UCSF has placed on itself (ventilation shafts can climb higher).

echnical dimensions

When I comment that the plan seems at odds with the technical dimensions required by many lab buildings, Vinoly shakes his head.

"Isn't it? Don't make me talk about it," he says. "You're working against something as opposed to being encouraged by something."

Step through the door, and the scale shifts from imposing to intimate.

Imagine a rectangle formed two L's slid against each other, the space in the middle devoted to an atrium with stairways cascading back and forth. One L contains rows of lab tables; the other holds offices.

The atrium has an airy feel, with light streaming in from above and the north - where outdoor terraces on three floors offer postcard-worthy panoramas. One terrace sits behind a glassed-in passageway, a nice buffer against afternoon winds.

To Vinoly, this is where "architecture" kicks in.

"One of the most difficult things in this building type is to convince clients that 'architecture' is not a luxury," he explains. "That's why I like to meet with the scientists themselves ... They're interested in how they can foster connections."

Inside, Vinoly succeeds. Connections exist. Outside, UCSF and similar institutions still have a long way to go.

[peanut gallery]

timbad - Looks great! Well, other than the chain-link fences. ;)

[BTinSF]

UCSF Opens New Cancer Research Building

http://sf.curbed.com/uploads/diller-thumb.jpg

UCSF celebrated the opening of its brand new Helen Diller Family Cancer Research Building yesterday afternoon. It's pretty much as noble a project as you'd expect from the name: studying various forms of cancer, the Mission Bay building will more than double UCSF's lab space. It is, to put it mildly, a very good thing.

But the building's buzz isn't limited to the medical field: we're seeing a lot of chatter around its design. The building features two interlocking L-shapes; one with office space, the other with lab space. The idea was to foster collaboration and cross-pollination of ideas by bringing people together; and to that end, Rafael Viñoly Architects made extensive use of glass so you're always aware of the people around you. In particular, the atrium looks like a lovely place to meetup and talk about science (not the evil kind please).

Other upcoming projects for the firm include the airy-looking New Stanford Hospital in, you guessed it, Stanford.

But if we can be just a bit of a party-pooper for a moment, we'd like to point out what seems like a disappointing design aspect: virtually no glass at ground level. Pedestrians on the sidewalk will encounter a neighborhood-killing blank brick wall. We suppose the designers must've had their reasons, but it seems a shame for building that champions human interaction to erect barriers between itself and the public.
Source: http://sf.curbed.com/archives/2009/06/04/ucsf_opens_new_cancer_research_building.php#reader_comments

[peanut gallery]

We suppose the designers must've had their reasons

Which are identified in the John King article WildCowboy posted.

[timbad]

just a quick update from recent wanderings...

just about all the perforated panels have been installed on the large parking garage behind Pfizer (the south side seems like it will feature some other treatment; the scaffolding is still up there), and a few days ago it revealed some fanciness on its northeast corner:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3384/3640034713_c00a751af0_b.jpg

I am rather impressed with the lengths they've gone to to spruce up both this garage and the one behind Gladstone (still no plantings there, but it can't be long now). it's not clear to me how visible this particular feature is going to be, seemingly tucked behind Pfizer and other Alexandria buildings.

the new street on this garage's south side (see earlier photo) has its base poured all the way to Third St, and has received at least its first coat of asphalt. the sidewalks are also filling in, with new (short) trees on Third.

the cardiovascular building (background) is getting its glass (Strata foreground)!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2428/3640842798_883b7fa60d_b.jpg

it does catch the light well:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3387/3640033385_00575978ba_b.jpg

I'm kinda liking it the way it is and am wondering if more glass will seem like too much. should know in a few days!

the construction taking place on the south side of the creek near the future roundabout is indeed sewer/water pumping infrastructure. this would appear to be the pumping station (with 1500 Owens preening in the background, and some not-long-for-this-world overhead powerlines):

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3315/3640848782_09f58b94ef_b.jpg

a random shot of the sports courts under the freeway, taken from 4th (top) floor inside the housing development at the end of Berry St:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3622/3640847394_be9fdefa94_b.jpg

and last, just an observation: the other day I had a rare chance to make the rounds in MB during 'business hours', and noticed that, even with all the slowdown in new development, one was never out of earshot of some sort of construction. we'll see if that's still the case in 6 months, but for now at least one doesn't get the feel on the ground that we've lost momentum.

[timbad]

and I almost forgot: for about the past year, it seems, about two lanes' worth of Terry Francois Blvd, which runs along the eastern edge of MB in front of the Old Navy building and adjacent new (unoccupied) office building, has been blocked off to traffic. heavy digging equipment was parked there, but with little or no evidence that anything was actually happening. this last week, the stretch finally sprang to life, and they've poured a new base for those two lanes along the west side of the street, as well as the base for the easternmost block of South Commons (which had been left as dirt after the construction of the office building there). so, it's a minor thing, but another little chapter in the MB story looks finally to be closing.

note that this is the portion of Terry Francois that had already been realigned, straightened and brought inland to make room for bayfront open space. south of this stretch it still runs curved right up along the Bay, waiting to be pulled taut (no evidence this is imminent).

[WildCowboy]

Thanks for the shots, timbad. The Pfizer/Old Navy garage is looking pretty good...I really like the funky element for the stairwell. I'm still reserving judgement on the metal panels, but I like them better than I did before, and they're interesting at the very least. Still can't quite decide whether they look "leafy" as intended or just splotchy with dirt. :)

Loving the glass on UCSF's cardiovascular building so far. Reminiscent of 1500 Owens' use of varying glass colors, but enough different that it stays fresh. Here's hoping the rest of the building turns out well, as the façade is broken up into several different elements.

Nice to see South Street getting there and Terry Francois finally nearing reopening. Would really like to see them complete the realignment of Terry Francois to make the straight run past Old Navy down to Fibrogen as you say, but that's likely several years off. Probably not until Alexandria gets around to tackling 600 and 650 Terry Francois, which will likely be awhile since they're focused on the West and North campuses for now.

Also glad to see that block of South Commons getting done. It actually had been previously paved but got horribly chewed up during construction of that building, so they ripped it out late last year, did some more work under there, and are now putting it back together.

[timbad]

Also glad to see that block of South Commons getting done. It actually had been previously paved but got horribly chewed up during construction of that building, so they ripped it out late last year, did some more work under there, and are now putting it back together.

thanks for mentioning this, WildCowboy; this is something I've been meaning to comment on for a while.

the same thing (1. construct and pave street, 2. develop adjoining parcel and chew up recently constructed street, 3. rip out remains of chewed up street and re-do) is also happening in front of the Pfizer building. I'm afraid this is a scenario we may see numerous times in MB, since the streets generally seem to go in before most of the development. seems silly, and, worse, really wasteful. anyone know if there's a better way to do this, or why not?

[timbad]

... this last week, the stretch finally sprang to life, and they've poured a new base for those two lanes along the west side of the street, as well as the base for the easternmost block of South Commons


btw, does anyone feel that pics of things like street-base pourings are useful or interesting, when accompanying text descriptions? I often have such pics because I am a dork and take them, but I don't always post, thinking that people wouldn't feel the need for them. please let me know if I'm wrong!

[KVNBKLYN]

I spotted this recent aerial photo of the Mission Bay area on Flickr taken in early June.

From Transit Nerds on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/theoverheadwire/3650000104/:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3323/3650000104_ce528475e5_o.jpg

[peanut gallery]

timbad - thanks for all the great updates. Please post any photos you have. I find it all interesting. And if anyone doesn't, it's easy enough for them to skip to something they do find interesting.

KVNBKLN - that aerial highlights how much there is yet to build in MB. The Seawall lot alone will be a huge development.

[Gordo]

btw, does anyone feel that pics of things like street-base pourings are useful or interesting, when accompanying text descriptions? I often have such pics because I am a dork and take them, but I don't always post, thinking that people wouldn't feel the need for them. please let me know if I'm wrong!

Like pg, I pretty much find all of it interesting, though I might not always post a comment on it. Thanks a lot for all of the photos!

[AndrewK]

that aerial shot is great. its crazy, i can pick out so many random warehouses and random patches of land ive thrown or attended parties at. i have a feeling those days wont last forever in this neck of town.

[BTinSF]

Friday, June 26, 2009
Mission Bay lures renters with new luxury housing
San Francisco Business Times - by J.K. Dineen and Blanca Torres

San Francisco may have 9 percent unemployment, but well-heeled young renters continue to move into Mission Bay in droves.

The neighborhood’s two new apartment complexes — the 260-unit AvalonBay III and Urban Housing Group’s 193-unit Strata — are both reporting better-than-expected leasing.

The Strata, the first development on the still-unopened new Fourth Street, has leased 103 apartments in 90 days. That is four apartments a month above leasing goals, although Urban Housing Group has slashed rents about 15 percent from original projections. Meanwhile, AvalonBay’s third Mission Bay building, which opened less than a month ago and held a grand opening party June 18, is 36 percent leased and 25 percent occupied, according to Meg Spriggs, who oversees Bay Area development for AvalonBay.

“We are pleased with the reaction we have gotten from the marketplace and feel we have validated that Phase III nicely complements our existing properties,” said Spriggs.

Rents range from $1,865 to $2,230 for a studio, $2,365 to $2,970 for a one bedroom and $2,950 to $4,480 for a two bedroom.
Source: http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2009/06/29/newscolumn1.html

[WildCowboy]

Can't say this a complete surprise given some of the events over the last six months, but still...not good.

Pfizer drops planned biotech research center
Tom Abate, Chronicle Staff Writer
Tuesday, July 7, 2009

(07-06) 20:57 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- New York drug giant Pfizer has pulled the plug on plans to open a biotech research center near UCSF's Mission Bay Campus, a move that deals a blow to San Francisco's hope of becoming a major biotechnology hub.

"We're in discussions now with the landlord to exit the lease," Pfizer spokeswoman Joan Campion said Monday, reversing a decision that had been announced with great fanfare in August.

At that time, Mayor Gavin Newsom had called the planned Pfizer research center a "significant win" for San Francisco.

Newsom press secretary Nathan Ballard said Monday that the mayor was disappointed by Pfizer's change of plans but remained confident that UCSF eventually will become a magnet for industrial activity.

"This doesn't change what makes Mission Bay a good location for biotech companies," Ballard said.

The city's expectations for the Pfizer deal had been fueled by the fact that the new center was to have been headed by Bay Area biotech entrepreneur Corey Goodman.

But in January, Pfizer made a $68 billion bid for Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a drugmaker with its own large biotech research group. Once that transaction closes later this year, Wyeth executive Mikael Dolsten will head biotech research at the combined companies. Meanwhile, Goodman, the city's champion, has left the company.

When those post-merger executive changes were revealed in April, Pfizer initially said it still planned to occupy 105,000 square feet of research space in a building under construction at Mission Bay.

But Campion said Monday that Pfizer now thinks it makes more sense to keep its 100 Bay Area employees at Rinat Neuroscience, a South San Francisco startup it acquired in 2006, rather than moving them to Mission Bay as planned. The company did not disclose what, if any, financial penalty would be associated with the change in plans.

Despite Pfizer's pullout, Ballard said, a dozen biotech companies already have located near Mission Bay, including the Sirna division of Merck, another large drug company.

"As an observer of that project over the last 15 years, I think Mission Bay is finally reaching critical mass," said Rodney Ferguson with the venture investment firm Panorama Capital.

"I don't really think Pfizer's coming or not coming really affects the success of Mission Bay," said Michael Schuppenhauer, a biotech consultant in Half Moon Bay.

He said Pfizer could have been to Mission Bay like the anchor tenant at a shopping mall. But the research park could still succeed as a district of smaller biotech firms focused on niche medical products, Schuppenhauer said.

Skip Whitney, with the biotech real estate brokerage firm GVA Kidder Mathews, said that is already happening.

"I have half a dozen clients actively looking at Mission Bay right now," Whitney said.

The fact that incoming UCSF Chancellor Susan Desmond-Hellman is a former Genentech executive can only help Mission Bay's commercial appeal, Whitney said.

But Pfizer's about-face is a blow to San Francisco's pride, and if success means attracting a major drug company research center, that milestone could be years away.

Regis Kelly, director of QB3, the California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences at Mission Bay, said drug companies tend to locate research centers near hospitals where they can translate lab work into medical practice. UCSF plans to build a medical center at Mission Bay, but that is at least five years away.

"The key thing is when we have the hospital in place," Kelly said.

Source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/07/06/BURR18JSOJ.DTL

[BTinSF]

:previous: I've been expecting it. Pfizer, frankly, is a flailing company that hasn't figured out what they need to do to grow and prosper. Their best drugs are going off-patent and they don't know how to replace them. They are lunging here and there. Mission Bay, for them, was a lunge but sure to be followed by a lunge in another direction as it has been. And big pharma like Pfizer is not the direction Mission Bay really wants to go anyway.

[timbad]

it's been quiet on here, must be time for a status update!

first up, the Cardiovascular Research (CVR) Building, which is getting its surface layer at the top of the section closest to the Helen Diller Cancer Center in the left of the pic:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2634/3736542787_2b43c346e7_b.jpg

and here is our South Commons line-up, from right to left: CVR, Helen Diller, ex-Pfizer, unoccupied. (no sign that work on the Commons itself is imminent)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2453/3737337870_186f8af204_b.jpg

looking north along new Fourth Street (now open between the creek and Strata!) from next to CVR. Strata in the distance on the right side.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3419/3736560077_177ac5e52b_b.jpg

I couldn't resist an artsier shot of the CVR glass:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2660/3736562897_ebe4dc73b9_b.jpg

the sidewalk across Third from UCSF housing is all in, complete with new trees (back of ex-Pfizer in distance):

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2529/3737341570_5d7e8a6062_b.jpg

at looong last, all the construction equipment is gone and all lanes open on newly paved Terry Francois, the major street that runs along the eastern side of MB. here looking north:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3502/3737345488_f09beaf9b3_b.jpg

and looking south, where on the right side you can barely see the far eastern end of the Commons in front of the unoccupied building. on the left is a parking lot for the boat club just out of the pic, past which the SF Bay Trail runs. further in the distance will be a sizeable patch of bayfront open space once Terry Francois has been straightened:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3455/3737349148_2ec7554385_b.jpg

unseen in the pic, the little stretch of South Commons in front of the unoccupied building has also been paved.

jumping over to 1500 Owens, they have installed a new piece of art in front of the building, which I rather like. in case it's not clear, the faceless seated figure is made up of (random, as far as I can tell) letters.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3529/3736576487_dffbe097ca_b.jpg

work continues on the pumping station infrastructure on the southwest side of the creek:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2524/3736571647_bcbabc0b06_b.jpg

the piping seen in that first pic looks to join up with these, which lead to and I assume spill into the creek itself (barely noticeable past the concrete structure in the distance):

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3438/3737360346_9298e7baea_b.jpg

I thought the garage behind Gladstone Institutes would be about done by now, but there apparently is more to it than I knew. the concrete is done, and about all the metal panels and mesh/lattice for the plants is installed, but now there is metal framework going up for stairs and I'm not sure what all else. these first two pics were taken last week:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2516/3737377088_63afa7aa63_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2558/3737373360_cba84166af_b.jpg

and this on Saturday. I'm liking it already:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3451/3737421070_9e12faebbb_b.jpg

I wasn't gonna post pics of ex-Pfizer, but I kinda want to gripe about it a little, so here goes:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3500/3737584521_9b60871903_b.jpg

first, I still think it looks cheap and just thrown-up. but also, now that the glass for the middle connecting section is in, turns out that it's different-hued: translucent dark and light gray instead of the greenish of the rest. this clashes horribly to my aesthetic eye. this already after the orange doesn't go well at all with the brick of the unoccupied building next door (don't know if that could have been avoided, or whether things like that are even taken into account).

and, not that you can really tell in the pic, but the building encroaches all the way to the edge of the sidewalk for most of its perimeter. since it's right across from the Commons open space, I just think it would have been nice not to crowd so much, offer some sort of transition, landscaping or something. I know height limits and economics probably drove the need to fill every available inch of footprint, but I'm just saying it would have been nice.

having said all that, I actually don't care all that much. although I wish it were less visible, this is a research building, after all, and it will surely serve its specific purpose well, as well as play its role in helping to generate a thriving biotech community in MB.

from Third St:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2648/3737587385_4ed4688034_b.jpg

besides all this,

- lots of digging continues south of 16th St next to the freeway/train tracks for the water/sewer work. hard to get a shot of what's going on, though.

- the large parking garage across from the Old Navy building doesn't look much different than in recent photos. they are clearing and grading the ground around it, and some concrete has been poured, for the entrance driveway on the east side, for example. I think I am leaning toward considering the perforated panels a not completely successful execution of what was desired, but I am still impressed at the effort. on its south side, it's hard to tell with the scaffolding and draping still up, but the façade looks to be given something like windows. we'll have to see.

- the street on the south side of the parking garage has been paved, but is still blocked off on both ends for now.

- although the surcharging dirt has been moved off the parcel next to Rock Hall, I didn't see any further activity there.

looking forward, I imagine all current activity noted here will be substantially done by the end of the year. and then it may be quiet...?

[Gordo]

Thanks for the great update, timbad!

[WildCowboy]

Thanks, timbad! I am really loving the cardiovascular research building so far. Lots of other projects coming along well too.

[peanut gallery]

Excellent, excellent update. Thank you!

I absolutely love the glass on the CVR building. Very similar to 1500 Owens, which I also love. Speaking of which, I too like that sculpture. I hope the artist included his name in there somewhere with those letters. I'm also with you on ex-Pfizer. I don't hate it, but I didn't particularly like it in the renderings and I don't like it much in real life. It's just very generic-looking.

[BTinSF]

this is a research building, after all, and it will surely serve its specific purpose well, as well as play its role in helping to generate a thriving biotech community in MB.


More importantly, it's a RENTAL research building. Unlike the UC buildings or condos that either seek to impress or to lure buyers with higher grade finishes, this building is there to make money for Alexandria and its stockholders (such as ME). Lower costs per sq. ft + higher rental per sq. ft. = more profit.

But Mission Bay needs some rental space. Many companies do not want to own real estate and without some rental lab space (and Alexandria totally dominates that submarket) you'd exclude a number of potential contributers to the mix of employers at Mission Bay.

[WildCowboy]

More importantly, it's a RENTAL research building. Unlike the UC buildings or condos that either seek to impress or to lure buyers with higher grade finishes, this building is there to make money for Alexandria and its stockholders (such as ME). Lower costs per sq. ft + higher rental per sq. ft. = more profit.

I agree in part, but rental buildings don't HAVE to look cheap. See 1500 Owens for an example of a very nice looking rental building. 1700 Owens isn't bad either. I'm not particularly fond of the concrete look on much of the Old Navy HQ or the faux brick on its vacant neighbor, but the west side properties prove that it can be done, and done by Alexandria no less.

[BTinSF]

Friday, July 24, 2009
Bosa’s Mission Bay condos nearly all sold
San Francisco Business Times - by J.K. Dineen

Bosa Development has sold all but 12 units of its 99-unit Radiance development in Mission Bay, and CEO Nat Bosa says the firm may start construction on the next phase in the spring of 2010.

Bosa Sales and Marketing Director Dennis Serraglio said aggressive price cuts have boosted traffic in the sales office by 50 percent and that he expects the project to sell out by the end of the summer. Radiance has averaged 12 sales a month over the past three months. About 55 percent of buyers work in Mission Bay, he said.

“We’re getting ready to go — we’re pretty bullish,” said Serraglio. “Interest rates are low and prices are low, which is a pretty rare combination.”

Bosa Development, which has residential projects slated for Mission Bay, suspended construction last August on Phase II of the project, a 318-unit building, citing the deteriorating market. Since then Bosa, like other developers, has cut prices 20 to 30 percent. One unit originally priced at $1.56 million recently closed for $1.29.

Bosa said his firm is talking to city officials about splitting the 318-unit building into two phases. The first phase would have 200 units. Bosa said the decision to go forward would be driven by two factors: price increases and cheaper construction costs. Bosa said current condo prices would have to rise 10 percent to justify the next building.

“If we don’t see substantial cost reductions it won’t pencil and there is nothing to talk about,” said Bosa.

He said lenders would not consider investing in the next building until there is a clear indication that the market has bottomed out and prices are on the rise.

“There is no use in kidding around here — my first phase is costing me a hell of a lot of money out of my pocket,” said Bosa.

The current inventory of high-end condos could be dried up by next spring, with the exception of the 419-unit Millennium.

“We are trying to get the hell out of a bad situation,” said Bosa. “The only winners are the buyers.”

jkdineen@bizjournals.com / (415) 288-4971
Source: http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2009/07/27/story12.html?t=printable

[peanut gallery]

I sure hope they are able to do phase II someday, and I'm sure the buyers at phase I agree. Personally, I think phase II looks much better and it will add some much-needed height to Mission Bay (not that it's that tall, but it's taller than the standard 5-6 stories in MB).

For the current residents, phase II has most of the common amenities, like the pool, sauna, fire rings, patio etc. I would sure be looking forward to getting all that, especially if I was an early buyer before it was clear that phase II would go on hold.

[pseudolus]

What's going on on the left? A DNA sequence?

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2516/3737377088_63afa7aa63_b.jpg

[WildCowboy]

What's going on on the left? A DNA sequence

Yes, it's part of the human genome.

[timbad]

:previous: yeah, in the section at the top of the piece, which is the most discernible in the pic, are letters representing the nucleotides from part of the human genome. further down, harder to make out, are historical quotations in various languages, including Latin (if I remember right), (ancient?) Greek, and I think you can make out Chinese script at the bottom.

[BTinSF]

Yes, it's part of the human genome.

In case you don't know (probably you do--they probably teach this in kindergarten now ;) ):

A = Adenine
G = Guanine
T = Thymine
C = Cytosine

This shows how the bases pair (the image is RNA so it has uracil rather than thymine):

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/AGCT_RNA_mini.png
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nucleobase

But nucleic acid strands (one side of the double-stranded helix) are commonly shown as the sequence of bases: AGCAC etc

[timbad]

a couple more things from this weekend's wander...

the scaffolding has come down on the Fourth St side of the CVR building (still up on the south side):

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3533/3756815183_ab11471aff_b.jpg

and, the scaffolding has started to come down on the south side of the large parking garage, revealing this:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3485/3757608950_5c00e0b065_b.jpg

same design texture as for the elevator column/stairwell element on the other side. looks better than ex-Pfizer, and it's a parking garage!

you can also barely see that the new street running in front of this side is paved black. looked like they were getting ready to stripe it as of yesterday. and they've already taken down the overhead electric lines; the sign in the pic is a left-over.

on the north side, more extensive digging work going on than it appeared last week (looking west. garage on left, UCSF housing and Helen Diller center across Third St in the distance):

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2619/3757610890_0e7afd1e24_b.jpg

seems that in addition to whatever sidewalk treatment they're working on, they are probably going to put in a small access road there, since they've removed a chunk of sidewalk where the outlet to Third St will be:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2644/3757617116_525068613d_b.jpg

here is a shot looking back (east) from that missing sidewalk spot on Third:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3448/3757619418_b4487b0323_b.jpg

you can't see in the pic, but the earth-moving seems to include the area off to the left behind the construction trailers, all the way to the back of ex-Pfizer. by last week they had removed some short trees from that area that had been there since before development days. I'm a little curious to see what all comes of this.

I was a little surprised as I walked that at different sites, people were on the job on a Saturday. at the garage behind Gladstone, the welders were at work putting together the metal framing around the stairwells. you can also see that since the last photo, they have installed wire meshing (for climbing plants?), for example on the outside of the yellow elevator shaft.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3420/3756823057_0694a68825_b.jpg

and here from the northeast corner:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2527/3757615186_135f70a440_b.jpg

those stairs just hanging out there, and the catwalks on the upper two levels really intrigue me. I'm liking the industrial look, and, not sure why, but the openness just seems jaunty to me. they may end up enclosing it all, but I hope they don't. in any case, for me, this garage so far looks cool, but still does not stray too far from what it is. I'm not saying this well, but thinking of the other big garage, although I appreciate the efforts to make it more interesting (and it is definitely much better than if they hadn't done anything), I think it tries too hard. the sheer bulk of that one made it more challenging too. neither one will actually be that visible when everything else has been built out, but I think Gladstone employees win big time on this one!

it occurred to me the other day that in the maps for MB, there is a road shown in approximately the location of all the digging south of 16th St (dividing parcels 38-9 from 40), so wonder if the sewer work is a first stage for putting that in. actually, I'll have to go back and check whether the recent medical center plans have affected that - seem to remember a big parking lot over there in drawings. this was new since the last time I had wandered by there:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2448/3759435880_bb6706000f_b.jpg

[WildCowboy]

In case you don't know (probably you do--they probably teach this in kindergarten now ;) ):

I'm assuming you meant that information as a general "FYI" to anyone reading the thread, but I was amused that you quoted me to make it a response to my comment. I have a PhD in this stuff. :D

timbad, thanks again for more great shots. The exterior of CVRI is coming together incredibly quickly. I'm sure it will take them forever to get the interior built out (I believe mid-2011 is the completion date), but it's nice to see such progress on the exterior, particularly after the Diller Building waited years to finally finish up the exterior at the very end.

Yes, those should be sewer lines running under what will be the extension of Owens Street from 16th down to Mariposa where it will interface (awkwardly) with the 280 ramps.

[BTinSF]

I'm assuming you meant that information as a general "FYI" to anyone reading the thread, but I was amused that you quoted me to make it a response to my comment. I have a PhD in this stuff. :D


I quoted you because I considered what I wrote essentially an amplification (for anyone who might need it) of what you said.

FYI I have an MD which means I know a little about it ( ;) ) but not as much as a PhD. But maybe I do (or did--I'm retired now) get a little more professional contact with people who might not know what you meant by "human genome"--in the PhD world it might be hard to remember there are such people. Multiple ;) 's.

Always happy to amuse.

[BTinSF]

Friday, July 31, 2009
Stimulus push for Mission Bay
City chases $72 million for new neighborhood
San Francisco Business Times - by Ron Leuty

Mission Bay is targeting $72 million in federal stimulus funds for infrastructure projects that backers say will build out a critical link between the Transbay Terminal and Hunters Point as well as help San Francisco’s life sciences enclave bridge a funding gap.

Shovel-ready projects for building hundreds of yards of roads, sidewalks and sewer pipe, including a key highway off-ramp, could open more Mission Bay parcels to development. That new development, supporters say, would unleash new waves of Mission Bay-specific tax-increment financing that typically funds infrastructure improvements but has slowed with the economic downturn.

Three Mission Bay projects from the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency are among 85 regional priorities highlighted by the Bay Area Council Economic Institute:

One application seeks $24.7 million in stimulus funds for $31 million in projects, including the Interstate 280 off-ramp onto Mariposa Street, which sweeps behind the University of California, San Francisco, hospital site and into the southern edge of Mission Bay. Other projects are the extension of Owens and Fourth streets through the hospital site and a network of streets that connect to 16th and Mariposa.

Another application requests $24.6 million to improve Terry Francois Boulevard, Illinois and Third streets and other roads around the FibroGen Inc. headquarters on Illinois. That work also would total $31 million and clear the way for two undeveloped sites designed for cleantech and medical office projects.

A third application for $23.8 million, through the state Water Resources Control Board and in coordination with the Association of Bay Area Governments, is for “urban greening” initiatives. The projects, which total about $34 million when local matches are included, are designed to replace paved parcels with open space, pervious pavement or retention systems and rely heavily on separate storm and sanitary sewer pipes and pump stations.

UCSF also has applied for stimulus funds for the site where it plans to build its $1.69 billion women’s, children’s and cancer hospital.

The former railyard and warehouse district is largely on its way to being built out as San Francisco’s life sciences hub, but large swaths remain undeveloped. Backers say stimulus money would push infrastructure projects ahead, allowing new development and, as a result, new tax-increment funds that could be dedicated to affordable housing.

“The fact that (Mission Bay is) half-done doesn’t mean we stop in our efforts,” said Michael Cohen, the city’s economic development chief. “There’s enough critical mass, but we need to make sure the infrastructure is in place.”

What’s more, city officials see Mission Bay as essential to developing a corridor from the Transbay Terminal to Hunters Point, where city officials have proposed a 2 million-square-foot cleantech campus. For developers in both of those districts to demand top-of-market commercial lease rates, for example, Mission Bay must be built out.

“It’s a classic supply-and-demand issue,” Cohen said.

Stimulus funds would flow from the federal government to the redevelopment agency.

Farallon Capital Management, the San Francisco hedge fund that bought Catellus’ interest in Mission Bay in 2004, oversees infrastructure work through its Mission Bay Development Group.

By being shovel-ready, job-intensive, urban-infill projects well served by different types of transportation, the Mission Bay applications could have an advantage over other stimulus projects nationally.

Regardless, projects are continuing. For one, Mission Bay Development Group is moving a 66-inch sewer line — essentially the local match in one stimulus application — that runs under the west side of the UCSF hospital site.

UCSF’s application for stimulus funds highlights a potential $200 million shortfall in state funding for the project. Plus, said Cindy Lima, executive director of the Mission Bay hospitals project, UCSF has collected about $220 million toward a $600 million fundraising goal.

“Every bit helps,” Lima said.

rleuty@bizjournals.com / (415) 288-4939
Source: http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2009/08/03/story3.html

[timbad]

...Mission Bay Development Group is moving a 66-inch sewer line — essentially the local match in one stimulus application — that runs under the west side of the UCSF hospital site.

thanks for posting that, BT - that puts all that digging into good context, and, along with WildCowboy's post, answers my wonderings about the roads through that patch. nice timing! :)

[BTinSF]

Friday, August 7, 2009
UCSF to cut $100M from Mission Bay hospital plan
San Francisco Business Times - by Chris Rauber

UCSF Medical Center plans to slash another $100 million from the projected $1.686 billion price tag for its new women’s, children’s and cancer specialty hospital at Mission Bay, as UCSF, the University of California system and many would-be philanthropists face daunting fiscal challenges.

Officials told the Business Times the medical center has already shaved $200 million in projected spending that had previously pushed the Mission Bay project’s estimated price tag to nearly $1.9 billion.

On top of that, the medical center’s leadership “has mandated” a new budget target of $1.586 billion, said Cindy Lima, executive director of UCSF’s Mission Bay hospital project. “Our potential donors want to know we are doing everything possible to contain costs,” she said.

Some of the cost savings are likely to be achieved by the decrease in construction inflation and raw materials prices that have accompanied the economic slowdown. But Lima said her 100-strong team at the university’s Integrated Center for Design and Construction is also looking for savings both large and small throughout the project, adding that the discipline involved “is almost excruciating.”

For example, she said, UCSF has wrestled an estimated $800,000 out of the budget merely by changing specifications for the hinges on about 2,700 doors in the new complex.

Lima said UCSF won’t have a final handle on cost estimates for the Mission Bay hospital complex until next July, when bidding on the project is expected to be completed. Few specifics are available at this point, since the medical center has yet to pick many partners in the project. Anshen + Allen is the project’s outside architect; DPR Construction is its general contractor.

Stuart Eckblad, an in-house UCSF architect and its director of design and construction, said the medical center will be squeezing costs out of individual systems, like plumbing or heating and cooling, rather than slashing entire departments or units of the facility.

crauber@bizjournals.com / (415) 288-4946
Source: http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2009/08/10/story5.html

I guess if you ever spend any time in that hospital, take a sweater and some ear plugs to cover up the sound of squeaky hinges. :(

[rocketman_95046]

some good news... I wonder who the client is?

Pfizer roping tenant for Mission Bay site
Monday, August 10, 2009, 9:19am PDT | Modified: Monday, August 10, 2009, 10:46am
Pfizer Inc. may be close to filling the high-profile space it abandoned in San Francisco’s Mission Bay biotech enclave.

“They are looking to sublease, and we understand they may be very close to achieving their goal,” Alexandria Real Estate Equities (NYSE: ARE) Chairman and CEO Joel Marcus said during a conference call Thursday with analysts.

Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) has a 15-year lease for most of a 105,000 square feet along Third Street. It had planned to build out its Biotherapeutics and Bioinnovation Center — developing small biotech-like innovations — and move Rinat Neuroscience from South San Francisco.

Instead, after it agreed to a $68 billion merger with Wyeth (NYSE: WYE), it opted last month to center its biotech research on the East Coast.

The Mission Bay building, which should be ready for move-in early next year, includes another 105,000-square-foot wing for which Pfizer had a 50,000-square-foot option.

“We are currently marketing (the other half) and we have one significant dialogue or at least proposal going on with the credit tenant,” Marcus said.



Email Ron Leuty at rleuty@bizjournals.com / (415) 288-4939.

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2009/08/10/daily1.html?surround=lfn

[WildCowboy]

Saw a quote from Newsom somewhere where he said that the sublessee is arguably a better get than Pfizer. But that's Gavin-speak, so who knows...

[BTinSF]

Saw a quote from Newsom somewhere where he said that the sublessee is arguably a better get than Pfizer. But that's Gavin-speak, so who knows...

Almost anyone would be a better "get" than Pfizer these days. As a company, Pfizer has lost its way and it certainly isn't an important player in biotech.

[WildCowboy]

Almost anyone would be a better "get" than Pfizer these days. As a company, Pfizer has lost its way and it certainly isn't an important player in biotech.

Well, the name carries a ton of weight by itself, and the Mission Bay project was intended to add a significant focus on biotech to the company. Who knows whether it will work out, but at least they appear to be trying...although not in Mission Bay anymore.

Rather than subleasing, they should just redesign the space for use as an expanded Viagra production facility. :tup:

[timbad]

after being away for a few weeks, I thought it might be time for a quick status update, in somewhat random order...

here is the state of the CVRB:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2592/3850949731_2e7d38b978_b.jpg

South St appears ready to open whenever the garage next to it is...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2489/3850951871_fd85717160_b.jpg

here is the south side of the garage, fully uncovered, with its neighbor Old Navy:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2649/3851743184_b6ffb62547_b.jpg

on the north side of the garage, I had thought they were putting in a small access road, and that might be the case, but I'm not sure, it seems there may be something else going on here:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2608/3851737710_bb6e86c836_b.jpg

outside the shadow:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3543/3850939895_8515eee5a4_b.jpg

and, to the right (north) of the previous photos, there is this going on, behind the ex-Pfizer/mystery tenant building: is there supposed to be a terraced plaza back there or something? anyone know or can point to plans/renderings? :shrug:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2606/3851740666_929ca7e2f2_b.jpg

over on the block between 16th and Mariposa, west of the hospital site, they seem to have constructed a temporary bypass of the sewer line they are relocating, and this has meant partially blocking 16th St:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2594/3850926513_d2d6d4baee_b.jpg

... and completely blocking Mariposa:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2554/3850937235_21e17b6978_b.jpg

closer view of the latter:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2491/3851726940_8ea368448f_b.jpg

and from the south there is a better view into the activity on the site:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2578/3851724280_7562eb80d1_b.jpg

the garage behind Gladstone now has its landscaping and seems about finished. looks like the climbing plants will have to start from the bottom, so their full effect might take a while to notice. this is the west side, by the freeway (they were spraying the building with a high-pressure hose, I assume to clean it off):

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2434/3851719136_5dbcb474d9_b.jpg

oh, and there appeared to be a little digging on the parcel between Gladstone and 1500 Owens (I forget the address there). nothing major, didn't look like the start of construction of the building there, but I'm curious:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2667/3851041731_628629bba8_b.jpg

other updates:

- Terry Francois Blvd is fully striped and appears finished (northern portion)

- South Commons (Mission Bay Blvd South?) has been paved between Terry Francois and 3rd St, minus about 20 feet on the 3rd St end

- work continues on the outflow channel to the creek; they are filling in the hole they've dug for the pipes, so it seems to be wrapping up

no sign of anything new starting. :(

[WildCowboy]

Thanks for the shots, timbad...looking great! Some thoughts:

- CVRB is looking terrific so far. Very impressed with it.

- South Street garage: My understanding was that garages need to have 50% of their exterior surface area open to the outside in order for them to be "open air" and not require mechanical ventilation. Doesn't look like this one is open air, which means added expense and more environmental impact. I'm surprised if that's the case. Or maybe it needed to be mechanically ventilated anyway since the entire long west side is going to be a solid wall up against building, so it didn't really matter what they did with the rest of it. I like the look though.

- North of South Street Garage: My recollection is that this is supposed to be a pedestrian plaza, but almost certainly will also have to provide a fire lane. Can't tell what they're doing right now though.

- Behind Pfizer: Yes, this is supposed to be a public plaza in that corner. I don't recall having ever seen a specific landscape plan for it though.

- Area between Gladstone and 1500: This is 1600 Owens. The piles for it were drilled along with the garage there, but I haven't heard anything about plans for starting full construction.

[peanut gallery]

Another excellent update, timbad. Thanks. I, too, am very impressed with CVRB. It's beautiful.

[BTinSF]

Mission Bay becoming a real neighborhood
Meredith May, Chronicle Staff Writer
Tuesday, August 25, 2009

It's a Wednesday morning in San Francisco's newest neighborhood.

As construction workers raise steel into place on emerging high-rises, a man blasts a serve on the beach volleyball court under the Interstate 280 overpass.

Biotech workers and suited professionals crowd the bar at Philz Coffee, where tattooed baristas place mint leaves on steaming cups of individually filtered coffee.

Retiree Toby Levine surveys the Mission Bay morning from her high-rise terrace, where signs of a community are finally starting to emerge.

It's taken four mayors and three planning directors to create what is now the last swath of San Francisco land where planners can create a neighborhood from scratch. So far, 3,000 people have moved into the 300-acre rail yard south of the Giants baseball park. The neighborhood is 35 percent built, and 15 years from now, it's expected to have 11,000 residents.

Mission Bay feels as if it escaped the economic downturn - stores are opening, buildings are going up, and young professionals are zipping out of $700,000 condos to get to work. Most live in a six-block area north of Mission Bay Creek. These pioneers say it's now starting to feel like a place worth staying in on the weekends.

More crowded

"It's changed a lot. It's way more crowded now," said Claudia Arrenberg, 27, who shopped for pasta and fruit with her 2-year-old daughter at the new Mission Bay Farmers' Market.

She moved into UCSF student housing with her husband in 2005 so he could study neuroscience. But it was such a ghost town that they moved to Alamo Square, even though it was more expensive. They returned in 2008.

There's a public library, senior housing, a Safeway beneath the offices of the California stem cell research headquarters.

Half of UCSF's 12 buildings are completed, and dog walkers and parents are beginning to draw battle lines over the patches of park.

"We got more families than we expected, many couples with kids who commute to the South Bay on Caltrain," said Kelley Kahn, who manages the Mission Bay project for the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency.

"We thought we'd see more people in their late 20s, but it's older parents starting families and retirees wanting to leave the hassle of owning a house."

Levine is one of those retirees, who, after 40 years in the Mission District moved to a Mission Bay apartment in 2007 with her husband.

She began pushing for a tot lot after she discovered that there are 300 children in Mission Bay, but there's no playground.

"I like the adventurousness of starting something new at my age, and being in the middle of a tremendously important development for the future of the city," said Levine, 75.

Mission Bay is expected to create 31,000 new permanent jobs that range from retailers to biomedical researchers.

Levine has found it difficult to create community in Mission Bay, and she figures that's because the young professionals who work so hard to afford to live there just want to close their doors and relax at the end of the workday.

It's an investment to move to Mission Bay - condos start at $600,000 and go up to more than $1 million.

Nearly one-third of Mission Bay's homes will be reserved for low-income families, more than is required by law, Kahn said.

Below-market rate

Mission Walk - a two-building development with the first below-market-rate homes in the neighborhood - is set to open in September. Nearly 650 people applied for one of the 131 townhomes and condos, which were priced from $149,000 to $302,000.

The Mission Bay of the future will have 6,000 homes, a 43-acre UCSF campus that includes a 550-bed hospital, 41 acres of new parkland, 4.4 million square feet of biotech and lab space, and 500,000 square feet of retail shops. It will have a 500-room hotel and a public school.

Residential construction south of the creek has slowed, Kahn said, because developers can't get financing.

"If the economy is worse than we thought, and it stays this way for five or seven more years, we'll be in trouble, but right now we are OK. We have money in the bank," she said.

http://imgs.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2009/08/24/ba-missionbay24__0500408272.jpg
Reminders of the neighborhood as it was, houseboats remain on nearby Mission Creek.

E-mail Meredith May at mmay@sfchronicle.com.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/08/25/BAGK198O7F.DTL

[BTinSF]

Friday, August 28, 2009
Big Mission Bay complex fills up faster than expected
San Francisco Business Times - by J.K. Dineen

Urban Housing Group’s new 192-unit Strata apartment complex in Mission Bay is fully leased, a milestone that was reached 45 days ahead of schedule, according to the developer.

Rents on the complex averaged $3.02 a square foot, about 15 percent less than the $3.50 a square foot the developer had originally hoped to collect, said Dan Diebel, vice president of development for Palo Alto-based Urban Housing. Strata opened in mid-March.

“We are very pleased that we leased up that rapidly in this economy,” said Diebel. “We had a lot of science people and tech people and 15 percent of our renters came from out of state and were moving to San Francisco for work.”

San Francisco rents dropped 2.7 percent in the second quarter of this year, according to RealFacts. James Devincenti, a multi-family specialist with Marcus & Millichap, said rents declined 10 to 15 percent since the height of the market. He said tenants who signed deals in 2007 and 2008 are still seeking and receiving rent reductions. He pointed to a tenant in a Russian Hill studio who recently had his rent chopped from $1850 to $1650.

“It feels like rents have stabilized, but I can’t say we have had a full-blown reversal,” he said.

The Strata was one of two significant new apartment complexes to open last spring in Mission Bay. The other, the 260-unit Avalon Mission Bay III at 355 King St., is 60 percent leased, according to Senior Vice President for Development Stephen Wilson.

“It’s been very well received in the marketplace,” said Wilson.


Source: http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2009/08/31/story5.html

[WildCowboy]

^^^That's excellent news for Mission Bay South. I know that the vast majority of the units slated for there are condos, not rentals, but it clearly shows pent-up demand.

Maybe Bosa will see fit to change gears and build some rental housing there or find someone else who can.

[peanut gallery]

Does Bosa have other entitlements besides Radiance? For that one, I guess it's possible if condo prices continue to sag and/or construction costs rise again. From the article BT posted last month, we might know by spring.

[WildCowboy]

Bosa basically owns all residential entitlements south of the channel except for those controlled by the redevelopment agency. I believe Bosa has entitlements for 1,700 units.

[timbad]

just a quick update with some pics from a gloomy last Saturday...

first, they have been working on the exterior of the 'back' section of the CVRB. here is a shot of the Fourth St side of the building:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2467/3902375247_b5fd39c2f2_b.jpg

and here a shot that I think shows something that wasn't so clear to me until I saw it from this angle: the CVRB seems to be designed so its eastern section blends into the blocking and color scheme of the HD Cancer Center next door. from this perspective, it's actually hard to tell there are two separate facilities there:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2439/3903183500_640d10d705_b.jpg

and, north of the South St garage, a lane of trees is going in where that mystery construction was going on (looking west):

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3124/3903170742_44f9306b03_b.jpg

from a very slightly different angle (HD Cancer Center in background), with part of the plaza-with-hill off to the right side:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2608/3903174880_99a65f7a6e_b.jpg

... plaza better seen here:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2507/3903180314_c38c277281_b.jpg

should end up being a pretty sunny spot (these pics notwithstanding! and even though there will be a tall building to its west one of these days soon, should only cast evening shadows) - I can imagine some enjoyable lunch hours spent there already. :tup:

South St isn't open yet, but it and the garage seem done, as soon as all that landscaping is finished.

due to the gloom, I didn't make it over to the Owens or freeway/Mariposa side of MB to see how things were going either of those places.

didn't see any new activity of note.

[timbad]

ah, one other little thing I forgot: over the last few weeks, street signs (i.e., the ones with the names of the streets) have been installed for all these newly-created thruways. makes them seem a bit more real, and helps with navigation, or at least descriptions.

[BTinSF]

:previous: How many vehicles have crashed into the giant pipe crossing 16th St so far?

[Busy Bee]

Are they those awesome looking standard white SF streetsigns????

[timbad]

:previous: How many vehicles have crashed into the giant pipe crossing 16th St so far?

ha, good question! this coming weekend I'll wander over that way and report any evidence!! ;)

[timbad]

Are they those awesome looking standard white SF streetsigns????

yep, black letters on white. I'll get a shot and post

[peanut gallery]

Thanks for the continuing updates, timbad.

[WildCowboy]

Looks like 500 Terry Francois is getting its first tenant, and they're taking a good chunk of the building. Zynga is maker of the popular Mafia Wars game on Facebook and a number of other games available on the iPhone.

http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2009/09/21/story1.html

[Rail>Auto]

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/67/175260886_7322a0907f_o.jpg





Just curious, what was on the land that is now AT&T Park before it was built?

[WildCowboy]

Just curious, what was on the land that is now AT&T Park before it was built?

Warehouses, primarily. I believe there was a long pier shed for ships that could dock along the channel there.

[timbad]

Warehouses, primarily. I believe there was a long pier shed for ships that could dock along the channel there.

this apparently is from 1964, but I think what you can make out at the ballpark site is still what was torn down in 1997 or so (and shows that WildCowboy is right on):

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAC-2424.jpg

you also get a glimpse here, on the right side partially obstructed by the 3rd St Bridge:

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAD-1692.jpg

and here is a better shot (the ballpark site is on the left):

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAD-1703.jpg

(all of these, btw, are part of the SF Library historical photo collection. lots of cool stuff there:

http://sfpl.lib.ca.us/librarylocations/sfhistory/sfphoto.htm )

it's funny - I worked on 3rd St between Brannan and Townsend through the mid-90's, and - annoyingly to me now - I only have the vaguest sense of what was in the ballpark spot then. it was that unremarkable, at least to me. of course, in those days, there was not much reason to go any farther south than Townsend. I'm not sure I even knew the names of King or Berry Streets then!

[timbad]

a while back I had promised Busy Bee a shot of the new streetsigns... took a little longer than expected due to yucky weather, but here's an example:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2614/3940577438_a5efc68d74_b.jpg

(there might be more incidental ones in the photos further along too...)

so, a less gloomy update...:

first, our friend the CVRB, standard shot from the front (northwest):

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2503/3940580998_8c81c926dd_b.jpg

... and from the 'back' (southwest corner), since that is where most of the surface work is going on now.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3503/3939804069_10f28921a8_b.jpg

the building is L-shaped, with what appears to be open space for a plaza behind it:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3511/3940585478_530fd9b9df_b.jpg

South Street and its garage are both open (looking west from 3rd):

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3271/3939807901_ca28d109cc_b.jpg

this is looking south along the east side of the garage (sunlight reflections off the Old Navy building across the way):

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3419/3939810243_bde53ac216_b.jpg

north of the garage, they've started paving the walkways between the trees (and just as Wild Cowboy said, one wide enough for a fire lane):

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2434/3940591644_4bef09c593_b.jpg

the Gladstone garage is also open, though they are still putting the finishing touches on it. this is the southeast corner:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2442/3940593494_b3166cfbf2_b.jpg

looking south along the east side:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2631/3939816569_0894d93d13_b.jpg

Owens St is now also open past 1500 Owens, (here looking south; 1500 Owens is on the right mostly out of the shot) ...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3497/3940599608_73bb6ac55e_b.jpg

... and there was a banner hung in a window welcoming I think the UCSF Orthopedic Unit as upcoming tenants.

they're still moving dirt around over by the new outlet to Mission Creek (under the freeway on the south side), but they may have placed the first section of new pavement for the walkway that will go through there eventually (I'm curious if they will be doing any landscaping as they wrap up, or whether that will be separate, and later). this is looking east, creek is to the left, houseboats straight ahead but obscured:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2523/3940601786_92b5d533c8_b.jpg

other than that,

- ex-Pfizer is about done, externally. I'll post a shot in the next update.

- 16th is no longer partially blocked by the sewer line, tho they're still going strong on the digging over there. looks like they've recently dug up an old concrete line. massive sections of it are lying around on the surface off to one side. I didn't go over as far as Mariposa to get the good view down into the site.

- they are still doing something in one corner of the lot between 1500 Owens and Gladstone, but I can't tell what. moving dirt, but not digging deep at all, at least that I can see. maybe just electric or cabling or something.

and unfortunately, I think that's it!

[KVNBKLYN]

Cool photos!

I worked on Townsend in the mid-nineties, just before all the demolition in that area. I worked with an architect who also had an office in one of the warehouses that was later torn down and I had to help her move her stuff out. Even though I've been in those warehouses, I still have only a slight memory of what they looked like. The ones closer to King were pretty standard one and two story concrete warehouses, but along China Basin there was a pretty cool water-oriented warehouse, as was mentioned by Wild Cowboy. I think the design of the ballpark took some inspiration from that waterside facade of that building. Too bad I never took pictures! I really wish I had some of the old elevated section of 280 along Berry Street as they were tearing it down or of the always incongruous RV park that was on the block between Third and Fourth.

I think I can hear the song Memories playing in the corner of my mind - good, god, am I really that old now?

this apparently is from 1964, but I think what you can make out at the ballpark site is still what was torn down in 1997 or so (and shows that WildCowboy is right on):

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAC-2424.jpg

you also get a glimpse here, on the right side partially obstructed by the 3rd St Bridge:

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAD-1692.jpg

and here is a better shot (the ballpark site is on the left):

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAD-1703.jpg

(all of these, btw, are part of the SF Library historical photo collection. lots of cool stuff there:

http://sfpl.lib.ca.us/librarylocations/sfhistory/sfphoto.htm )

it's funny - I worked on 3rd St between Brannan and Townsend through the mid-90's, and - annoyingly to me now - I only have the vaguest sense of what was in the ballpark spot then. it was that unremarkable, at least to me. of course, in those days, there was not much reason to go any farther south than Townsend. I'm not sure I even knew the names of King or Berry Streets then!

[Severitito]

Hello, cool pictures. Miss the city. Regards

[timbad]

a few shots from yesterday's wandering...

for the streetsign fans out there, it looks like they have even installed them for streets that don't really exist yet. Long Bridge, in case it isn't obvious from the pic, will be the one that runs 'diagonally' between 4th and the Commons, south of and parallel to the street that borders Mission Creek Park (which I think is still called Owens even north of the traffic circle).

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2588/3959523583_12dbef0d1e_b.jpg

I walked up to the roof of the South Street Garage to get a better angle on the plaza construction on its north side. ex-Pfizer at the top. it might be hard to tell, but the trapezoid-shaped patch of dirt on the right side (with the bluish mechanical box on top) is actually a little hill:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2612/3960278386_6d28b5221d_b.jpg

another angle. here too, the area where they are putting down the planking on the left side is also up a little rise (which is why the whitish path switches back like that), and fenced off at the top, because it drops off to the access road that you can barely see running behind it to the left. imagine that will lead to loading/delivery areas of ex-Pfizer's taller companion building which will go up on that lot to the west.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3475/3960283540_61043b0a16_b.jpg

and I guess we can file this under 'before picture', although more accurately it's a 'during picture', since this shot would have looked pretty different in, say, 2001. looking southwest across the intersection of 3rd and 16th Streets toward the site of the future UCSF medical center:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2430/3959516009_4e939645d2_b.jpg

and this is what's going on on the parcel between Gladstone and 1500 Owens. almost looks like a curved pathway they're constructing, but that seems strange *before* putting up the building intended for the site. looking roughly southwest. the new Gladstone garage in the background.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3430/3960291174_2a64fe3c95_b.jpg

[timbad]

'Long Bridge' of course refers to the bridge laid across Mission Bay in the 1860s, before it was filled, almost exactly where 3rd St is now.

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAD-1531.jpg

you can see it in the background of this photo, which is looking south across Mission Bay from approximately the current site of the ballpark, as far as I can tell:

http://webbie1.sfpl.org/multimedia/sfphotos/AAC-1829.jpg

[WildCowboy]

timbad, thanks as always for the shots.

At 1600 Owens, it looks like there are "spokes" on the inside of that curved path. How far back from Owens does all of that go? It seems like they'll be wanting to connect 1500 to the rest of the "campus" and the parking garage, so that may be what this is.

But I'm wondering if 1600 will be set back a bit and this is part of the final landscape plan going in early in order to serve 1500 Owens, or if maybe they've just decided that construction on 1600 is so far off that they're going to create a temporary public plaza there to tie what's already there together.


That parking lot at the northeast corner of 3rd and 16th vexes me. They put that in a year ago, and as far as I can tell, it's never been used. Old Navy's lot was always bulging, so I thought maybe it was overflow for them, but I've never seen any cars in there. And now there's the South Street garage there for them. And Fibrogen on Illinois has their own garage under their building, so it doesn't appear to be for them. Weird.

[timbad]

At 1600 Owens, it looks like there are "spokes" on the inside of that curved path. How far back from Owens does all of that go? It seems like they'll be wanting to connect 1500 to the rest of the "campus" and the parking garage, so that may be what this is.

But I'm wondering if 1600 will be set back a bit and this is part of the final landscape plan going in early in order to serve 1500 Owens, or if maybe they've just decided that construction on 1600 is so far off that they're going to create a temporary public plaza there to tie what's already there together.

the interesting thing is that, to the best of my memory, the construction is confined to the southeast third or so of the lot. don't think the other three corners are touched, and I'm not even sure the 'spokes' make it all the way to converge at the supposed hub.

entirely possible that this is for the benefit of 1500 Owens tenants, but it still seems like a strange way to do it at this point. it mostly seems to connect them to the Gladstone garage, which I guess maybe some of them will have to use, once their own surface parking lot in back fills up? :shrug:

[WildCowboy]

entirely possible that this is for the benefit of 1500 Owens tenants, but it still seems like a strange way to do it at this point. it mostly seems to connect them to the Gladstone garage, which I guess maybe some of them will have to use, once their own surface parking lot in back fills up? :shrug:

Not only may that surface lot fill up, but it may go away. A parking garage has been designed for that spot, but I don't know what the timetable is for its construction.

And they have to be able to get to Starbucks! :yes:

[timbad]

And they have to be able to get to Starbucks! :yes:

ah, that's gotta be it: it's Latte Lane!

[WildCowboy]

Great news...Pfizer's 100,000 square feet in the west half of the 455 MB Blvd S complex is going to be taken by Nektar! And it sounds like deals are in the works with other companies for most, if not all, of the east half.

http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2009/10/05/story1.html

[WildCowboy]

With the cancer research building opening earlier this year and the cardiovascular research building well underway, eyes now turn to the third building in UCSF's trifecta of focused research facilities, the neurosciences building slated for Block 19A, directly west of the existing Rock Hall.

This building has been on the table for what seems like forever. It was originally slated to be the third research building on the Mission Bay campus, but got bumped back to make room for QB3/Byers Hall when the state came forward with significant money for that initiative. Fundraising then directed priorities toward cancer and cardiovascular buildings, while the campus has struggled to raise money for the neuroscience building.

In an effort to kickstart the building's construction, UCSF scrapped the existing architectural plans and decided to pursue a partnership with developers who would lease the land from UCSF, build the facility on their own dime, and then lease the building back to UCSF. After 30 years, the building would transfer to UCSF.

The Regents have approved the plan and a consortium of developers led by McCarthy Cook (the developer behind China Basin) has been working with UCSF on a plan for the facility. The idea had been that construction could be started by late this year and have the facility ready to open in about mid-2011 on an accelerated timetable, around the same time as the opening of the CVRB.

A brief update (http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/2009/10/ucsf_ponders_neuroscience_building.html) today from the Business Times indicates that Chancellor Desmond-Hellmann is still reviewing the plans and finances before giving the final go-ahead. Hopefully it happens soon. I believe we noted a few months ago in this thread that the piles of dirt for surcharging the area around where this building is going to be have been removed, so it should be shovel-ready and things should move pretty quickly once the OK is given.

UCSF Ponders Neuroscience Building
Tuesday, October 6, 2009, 7:20pm PDT

One of the go/no-go decisions early in Susan Desmond-Hellmann’s UCSF chancellorship is about a structure — physically and financially.

Building a five-story, 237,000-square-foot neuroscience building on UCSF’s Mission Bay campus means committing to a unique plan that involves a private developer, a nonprofit entity that would float public bonds and signing a 30-year lease.

It could be one of the first — if not the first — buildings in the University of California system to cut costs by turning to a private developer, in this case a consortium that includes McCarthy Cook, to design, build and own a building on campus. After the lease expires, ownership would transfer to UCSF.

The last word we got at the end of September was from the associate vice chancellor of university relations, Barbara French, who said the business plan for the building is “being reviewed by the new chancellor prior to final approval.”

UCSF leaders in the spring had hoped to start construction on the project, next to Rock Hall, by the end of this year. It would house Nobel Prize winner Stan Prusiner and some 600 other researchers, staff, students and patients.

Prusiner would join UCSF’s latest Nobel Prize winner, Elizabeth Blackburn, on the Mission Bay campus.

[timbad]

:previous:

sure would be nice to see another major building start construction, have another chunk of the MB prairie filled in. things are gradually falling silent around here...

a couple notes from this weekend...

- indeed, the spokes in the construction on the lot next to 1500 Owens do not meet up, and whatever they are doing there is confined to one corner of the parcel. curious, from the rebar and wooden framing I saw, it appears a meter-high wall will run alongside the curved path... stay tuned...

- digging has started again in the parcel of what will be the Commons in front of the HD Cancer building. remember that a deep shaft had been dug a few months ago, and filled with concrete framing, probably as part of sewer infrastructure, but had been left flush with the surface at that point. hard to tell yet what they're doing now, but they're at it again.

- planting/landscaping continues behind the Nektar building

- work continues on the drainage outlet/pumping station on the south side of the creek, and they were even there late - after 8:00p - tonight doing something

- they've cleaned up some of the detritus that had built up around the Mission Creek-7th St train-tracks crossing that has been blocked off and unused since it was basically finished over two years ago. and they may have been working on the lights the other day. signs that this may finally open soon? I'm curious/wary what this will do to traffic on Berry once it does open.

- they are installing Mission-Bay-style streetlights on the south side of 16th St, at least between 3rd and 4th, and it looks like putting in a traffic signal at the 4th St intersection. there already is a functioning one at Owens, and at 3rd of course.

[utgf]

- they've cleaned up some of the detritus that had built up around the Mission Creek-7th St train-tracks crossing that has been blocked off and unused since it was basically finished over two years ago. and they may have been working on the lights the other day. signs that this may finally open soon? I'm curious/wary what this will do to traffic on Berry once it does open.


Got a flier in my complex on Berry St indicating the rail crossing opens up tomorrow.

[timbad]

thanks utgf, and here is the photo evidence! (looking east from 7th Street)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2450/3999701703_614cd59c02_b.jpg

eventually, the road will continue, winding back through the freeway columns where all that dirt is now, to a traffic circle that is the link to Owens coming up from the south, Channel from the north, and Mission Bay Blvd coming off the axis of the Commons. The only option for now: turning left before the dirt, the road jogs over to Berry St.

I didn't notice any cars actually use the crossing in the 10 minutes or so I was there, but I imagine that will change as time goes by.

also back there behind the dirt is the work they are doing on the outlet to the creek. the small building which ?may be a pumping station? has gotten a layer of handsome black tiles:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3534/3999776103_ee5471d566_b.jpg

I was surprised at what I found at the lot next to 1500 Owens:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3536/3999704111_d3ca60729c_b.jpg

what I thought was going to be a wall along the curving path of Latte Lane, turns out to be concrete benches?! I tried to get enough into the shot that you can see where construction ends on the right side of the pic. it's just dirt from there on out of the pic. anyway, this still seems strange.

1500 Owens itself now sports logos of Celgene and the UCSF Orthopedic Unit on its glass outside.

the stone being installed at ground level on the CVRB looks to be the same as that on the HD Cancer Building (this is on 4th Street):

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2649/3999712463_db1fb21094_b.jpg

... and a few more shots of the plaza behind Nektar, which is just about finished. from the ground:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3481/3999710713_07cb189256_b.jpg

and a couple angles from the roof of the South St garage:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2457/3999708577_83e41aedb8_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2426/3999706175_4e69306c73_b.jpg

in other news...

- it looks like they are getting ready to (re)pour the sidewalk in front of Nektar

- I think the streetlights on the south side of 16th were *only* related to the intersection with 4th - that is, they have been set up because they also hold the (not yet functioning) traffic lights. there are no other poles besides the two up now. (and to be honest, I'm not sure how new they are; it's possible I just didn't notice them before)

[WildCowboy]

Thanks for another set of great shots, timbad! That plaza behind the Nektar building is looking sharp!

Interesting about Celgene being listed on 1500 Owens. My recollection is that Alexandria has been saying for some time that they had a big biotech signed on for the balance of the space not taken by UCSF, but the name of the company was never announced. Celgene announced earlier this summer that they were hiring someone to oversee translational research in Mission Bay, but I thought maybe that was through their existing ownership of Pharmion in 1700 Owens. Looks like it may be much bigger than that.

That's also curious about the 1600 Owens "park". It's certainly looking to be a rather permanent installation, or if not, they're investing quite a bit in it. I guess they'll just build 1600 Owens around it eventually? But it's weird the way the seating seems to really close things off.

[WildCowboy]

Just saw this update (http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/b92ea555854880228525764f0076bef2?OpenDocument) from the EPA noting several stimulus funding projects in the general Mission Bay area. Within Mission Bay proper, there is a $200,000 grant for turning brownfields into parks. The grant is for Block P16, which is the section of Mission Bay Commons adjacent to the Nektar building, between Third Street and the one already-complete section of the Commons.

[timbad]

just got an email notice about the upcoming demolition of the large warehouse (and adjacent 2-story office building) at the corner of Third and Mariposa, on the site of the future UCSF Medical Center. (see 'before picture' from my 9-27 post)

highlights:

abatement (asbestos removal) to start early November, and last about 2 months. demolition itself takes about two weeks, and could be done by the end of the year if all goes well. (but since it may rain between now and then, January is more likely)

the concrete foundation will be left and fenced off until May-June 2010, at which point it will be broken up for re-use. this takes about a month.

then site prep for the medical center begins! this involves "remove and replace" of 2-8 feet of the fill material (dirt etc) below the site, which will be re-compacted after getting rid of boulders and debris. all plants and asphalt also removed, and site graded. this takes about two months.

so by the end of next summer we ought to have nice flat smooth dirt over there, waiting for a medical center to be plopped on top of it. :tup:

also mentioned in the email: in spring/summer 2010 they will be working on the sewer/storm drains on the south side of 16th and the portion of 4th that will run "through" the site. (this may have been mentioned already, but I'd forgotten: one of the goals of all this sewer work is to separate what is now a combined sewer and storm drain system. I think this means less chance that heavy rains flush untreated sewage into the Bay?)

[WildCowboy]

Burning Man used to have its HQ in the office portion of that building, so I guess they've found a new home and moved on.

It'll be nice to have that building down, even if nothing goes in there right away. The sidewalk was so narrow up against the towering wall of the warehouse, it just wasn't very friendly. Now you'll have a fence there instead of the wall, but it'll be a lot airier. Of course, that wall was nice to shield you from the rain as you walked by it, but I still think it'll be a lot nicer without it.

So I guess that'll just leave the billboard currently advertising the UCSF hospital on the site. Wonder how long that'll be able to hold out. :)

[timbad]

The sidewalk was so narrow up against the towering wall of the warehouse, it just wasn't very friendly.

So I guess that'll just leave the billboard currently advertising the UCSF hospital on the site. Wonder how long that'll be able to hold out. :)

funny, I was just going to post these shots, the first two of which WildCowboy has already prefaced!

the 'narrow sidewalk up against the towering wall':

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2658/4041074007_b99f3d5357_b.jpg

and the billboard:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2757/4041134061_70b2ec304c_b.jpg

and here are some other random shots, so we have a record of what we'll (not) be missing...

the first one was taken today. the others within the last 6 months.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2574/4041789604_285d971c41_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2793/4041045779_1980f97115_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2791/4041855242_3af12dac34_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3528/4041131921_aafaa7d8ce_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2548/4041137241_f59834fc5b_b.jpg

[peanut gallery]

Cool shots, timbad. It's good to have an archive of how the place once looked. Lots of changes still to come in Mission Bay.

[timbad]

a few quick shots from this last weekend...

Latte Lane has transformed into a green leafy path, actually looks quite inviting, but is still fenced off, as I think can be seen in the pics.

looking southwest into the late afternoon sun:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2743/4094206919_63b42a3f3b_b.jpg

looking into the entrance from the southwest corner:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2471/4094210563_13630deb8b_b.jpg

and looking back toward the east:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2760/4094968908_1cb53875a0_b.jpg

over at the warehouse on Third St, the first signs of its imminent doom break through the missing roof sections:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2766/4094961354_b4bdc6da7b_b.jpg

and in front of the Diller Cancer Building in the Commons, work continues on the sewer infrastructure. ex-Pfizer (I've momentarily forgotten the name of the company that will actually move into a big chunk of the space) in the background:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2761/4094963198_c0e968e9b3_b.jpg

another view, Diller building in background:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2790/4094204875_1a73ca95f1_b.jpg

- the work around the southwest corner of the creek continues, and seems to have spread toward the south, but I can't tell what they're doing other than clearing some of the brush that was there.

- lots of earth-moving still south of 16th St where they're working on relocating the storm drain, though it looks to me that there's not much happening underground any more. could be in the final stages there?

- the plaza behind ex-Pfizer seems finished, but is still fenced off, I imagine until the building to the north is done.

- Third St northbound has been completely blocked to traffic from South St past the Commons as they tear it up for something, this over the past couple weeks at least.

- work continues on the CVRB, but I didn't think enough notable change in its external appearance to merit new photos yet...

and I think that's it. now I definitely have a general sense of things winding down as I wander through. we need a new major project!!

[peanut gallery]

The SF Business Times today mentioned a new school planned for Mission Bay (http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2008/04/21/focus5.html):

Mayor, UCSF envision science-focused K-8 school
San Francisco Business Times
by Dan Fost San Francisco Business Times Contributor
Friday, April 18, 2008

Joining all the high-priced development in Mission Bay, if all goes according to plan, will be one of the most unlikely of new urban buildings: a public school.

The San Francisco Unified School District has reached an agreement with a variety of other Mission Bay stakeholders to build a science and technology school that would not only serve children from kindergarten through eighth grade, but would also have a top floor devoted to science labs for high school students from throughout the city.

Rest of the story: http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2008/04/21/focus5.html

The article goes on to say that the land will be given to the district, but $36M will need to be raised through private sources to have it built. The location is lot 14, which you can see right next to the Mission Creek Green circle (not sure what it's actually called) on this map BT posted a year ago:

http://www.socketsite.com/archives/Mission%20Bay%20Map.jpg

[timbad]

a few shots from this last weekend, starting with the CVRB, with a few more of its surface gaps filled in since the last time it graced the forum:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2538/4132384009_f14875dddb_b.jpg

I'm curious whether it being done will be the trigger to fully open Fourth St, from 16th to the creek.

Latte Lane (which is a bad name, it turns out, since it doesn't actually lead anywhere - there is only one entrance/exit. more like Latte Grove, but not so much ring to that) is open on its two sidewalk sides, still of course fenced off from the rest of the parcel, which is still dirt. a view from inside:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2523/4132385865_a31a2c8426_b.jpg

on the seats, the anti-skateboard defenses are in the shape of leaves (which resemble maples, but even more resemble starfish):

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2648/4133149648_694fd99d52_b.jpg

... and it turns out they are slowly getting serious about the traffic lights at the intersection of 16th and Fourth. not only are they fully installed, but turned on and set to flashing for now. in the background you can see less of the warehouse than when we last checked in. (looking south from Fourth):

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2578/4132382913_865de0f845_b.jpg

in other news:

- Third St northbound was still blocked off but mostly patched up and appeared about ready for reopening

- they were moving dirt on the lot of the Commons in front of ex-Pfizer, but I think it was just related to the Third St work

- over by the creek, the expanded digging mentioned earlier appears to be laying a new sewer pipe from the south (from near 1500 Owens) to connect up with the infrastructure they've already put in place.

- work seems to be dying down south of 16th St where they were moving the sewer pipe

- saw an article the other day that the first people are moving in to Mission Walk soon. this was the last project to be finished north of the creek, bmr housing. (there is one remaining lot to be developed, tucked snug up against the King St off-ramp, but who knows when that will happen)

- I was stoked to find that a yummy taquería had recently opened almost kitty-corner from the train station on Fourth St! so far I can report that their heaping fish tacos are a welcome addition to the neighborhood.

[BTinSF]

on the seats, the anti-skateboard defenses are in the shape of leaves (which resemble maples, but even more resemble starfish):


They may BE starfish. They have starfish over along the Embarcadero downtown as well as some other sea creatures.

[timbad]

well, it's been quiet around here for a while, and of course at least part of that is because it's pretty quiet on the construction front in MB too.

thought I would throw up a few shots of what *is* happening, to start the new year off...

the (to me at least) seemingly endless work on the new sewer system continues both near the creek and in the Commons in front of the Helen Diller Cancer Center. near the creek, the pumping station appears complete, with its signature V-roof that John King (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/c/a/2009/12/24/MNTE1AIUG1.DTL&o=2) appreciates so much, and the adjacent underground work has been given a concrete cap. in the distance the equipment shows where further digging is still taking place.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4008/4234795157_d63edc86e7_b.jpg

over at the Commons, this is a pretty cluttered picture, but you can see that there will be some not-insignificant surface evidence of the infrastructure below. so far we have a boxy cement-block structure (which may be and may end up looking like the other pumping stations?) and a row of silvery metal cabinets. to be seen is whether and how well they will be shielded from the otherwise park-y green setting. (and I had thought they were long done with the deep digging, but barely noticeable in the foreground is another hole that goes down an impressively long way)

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4068/4234798563_b01560f87b_b.jpg

the warehouse on the site of the future UCSF medical center is almost gone, with only part of its frame lining Third Street remaining. this first shot was taken from the roof of the South St garage:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2528/4235641309_ff055f5248_b.jpg

these next two are similar to shots posted previously of the pre-demolition warehouse:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2505/4235578692_4c4094235f_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2685/4236419560_e9a033c1dc_b.jpg

and a couple of random shots... another from the garage roof across Third Street, showing Nelson Rising Lane on the far side, which runs between the Diller Cancer Center and CVRB on the right side, and the UCSF student housing on the left:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4009/4235585494_e1bb86178a_b.jpg

over at the Gladstone garage, it looks like the climbing plants are just starting to do their thing, hopefully eventually to form breathing foliage-walls on all four sides:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2528/4234807531_890fb9e58e_b.jpg

in other news...

- the site along Third St behind (south of) ex-Pfizer has been graded and cleared of equipment, ready for Alexandria to put a building there whenever they feel it's time. the plaza to its east, though completed, is still fenced off.

- pedestrian crossing islands have been installed on Fourth Street at two locations within the UCSF campus, in anticipation of the opening of the length of the street and resulting increase in traffic. also the traffic lights at the intersection of Fourth and 16th are fully functional now.

- sea lions have been frequenting Mission Creek over the last few weeks! I don't remember them from previous years. wonder if it has anything to do with their exodus from Pier 39

[WildCowboy]

Great shots as always, timbad...thanks for the update. Amazing that that huge warehouse is almost gone.

Not sure about that infrastructure stuff in the Commons in front of the Diller Building. I seem to remember seeing drawings of the Commons showing a long reflecting pool or water feature of some sort on that block, but I don't know whether that was the actual landscape plan for the block or just a conceptual thing for early illustrative purposes.

[peanut gallery]

Thanks for the updates, timbad. Maybe things will pick up later this year. I found a great writeup on the history and planned future of Mission Bay (http://missionlocal.org/2009/12/mission-bay-past-present-and-future/) on MissionLocal. A quote from that article:

Bosa Development Corporation owns two of the remaining empty residential lots. The second installment of Bosa’s Radiance condos was stalled but will eventually become reality perhaps beginning summer of 2010, according to Dennis Aurelio, a company spokesperson.


It's from a company spokesman and perhaps overly optimistic, but maybe it's a good sign.

Anyway, the article is very interesting and included a couple of nice graphics showing the current state vis-a-vis the planned vision. I tried to post them here, but the scale isn't working right. Definitely worth a look.

[WildCowboy]

I know that Bosa had talked to the city about splitting the second phase of Radiance into two phases of its own, with about 200 units in the first part and another 100+ to fill things out. Not sure whether that idea is on the table, but when it was floating around (mid-summer), Bosa had pegged spring 2010 as a "best case" start date.

[BTinSF]

The new UCSF Medical Center to be:

http://www.socketsite.com/UCSF%20Mission%20Bay%20Medical%20Center%20Rendering.jpg

http://www.socketsite.com/UCSF%20Mission%20Bay%20Medical%20Center%20Buildings.jpg

http://www.socketsite.com/UCSF%20Mission%20Bay%20Medical%20Center%20Site%20Map.jpg
Source: http://www.socketsite.com/archives/2010/01/making_way_for_ucsfs_new_mission_bay_medical_center.html

[timbad]

no more warehouse! from Third St:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4037/4265186030_1b20f8e913_b.jpg

looking north from the corner of Third and Mariposa:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4005/4264437923_448f8e4609_b.jpg

looking north from Mariposa and approximately what will be the intersection with Fourth St:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4018/4264440003_73c4315542_b.jpg

and from across the train tracks, looking back east:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2724/4264442125_074ebb4b2f_b.jpg

not much else to report, just that there is more extensive digging going on in the Commons, a deep trench that seems to angle off toward the new CVRB.

thanks for the images of the medical center, BT! I like that it looks like Fourth will not be a continuous through-street between 16th and Mariposa. besides being better for patients who need to get from the parking lot to the center, it will probably reduce traffic on the rest of Fourth a little.

I saw in the latest issue of the Potrero View a rendering of the hospital that showed a large entry portion on Third, and the caption said something about neighborhood input having gotten that added to the plans. I'm not sure if that was a recent thing, I'll have to look at the renderings we have from months ago. all I remember along Third from before was a long section of the energy center where I imagine the machines vented.

I think the telephone poles will be coming down on the south side of 16th soon. the same email that talked about the demolition of the warehouse mentioned they were going to start to work on that area next. will be nice to unclutter the sky there.

[WildCowboy]

Thanks, timbad...Seems weird without that hulking warehouse there.

My understanding of the Fourth Street situation through the hospital site is that UCSF and many of the neighbors would like to see it closed to auto traffic, leaving two cul-de-sac drops offs coming in from the north and south. It would remain open to pedestrians and cyclists, however. When the second phase of the hospital is built, plans call for a bridge across that closed section of Fourth Street on the second and third levels, remaining open on the first level for pedestrian and cyclist traffic.

The catch is that the closure of Fourth requires all sorts of political maneuvering due to the redevelopment plans already assumed for traffic flow. To that end, I believe that UCSF is proceeding as if Fourth Street will be open to auto traffic, but is working with the various city agencies to see if it can be closed, and if so, what other steps would be required. For example, there has been talk of adding another lane to the plans for Owens between 16th and Mariposa to compensate for the loss of Fourth for auto traffic. The feasibility of that of course has to be considered as well. I don't believe that a final decision has been made yet.

The Third Street entry plaza was added several years ago during the community input phase. It's near the Mariposa end, although a bit north of the intersection to break up the massing. It'll be the primary entry point for people coming in on the T-Third and should have some outdoor cafe seating. The energy center and display wall will be further north towards 16th.

[BTinSF]

Friday, January 22, 2010
UCSF, developers team up on center
University to lease $198M Mission Bay neuroscience building
San Francisco Business Times - by Ron Leuty

A first-of-its-kind deal allowing private developers to construct and lease back to UCSF a $198 million neuroscience center at the Mission Bay campus could open the door to similar lower-cost building projects for the cash-strapped University of California system.

McCarthy Cook & Co., Clark Construction Co. and its Edgemore Realty unit this spring will start building a 237,000-square-foot, five-story center. The building could be ready for move-in by spring 2012, consolidating eight University of California, San Francisco, locations and some 600 employees for neuroscience research. That firepower will include as many as 100 investigators like Nobel Prize winner Stan Prusiner . . . .
Source: http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2010/01/25/story2.html

[peanut gallery]

BT posted the good news. Guess I'm stuck with the (potentially) bad:

UCSF hospital under gun to raise $250M
San Francisco Business Times - by Chris Rauber
Friday, January 22, 2010

The University of California, San Francisco, faces a UC-imposed deadline of mid-November to raise nearly $250 million more for its planned Mission Bay women’s, children’s and cancer hospital.

Chancellor Susan Desmond-Hellmann said UCSF must raise between $450 million and $475 million by the University of California Regents’ meeting Nov. 16 to 18 in Los Angeles. UCSF has raised $225 million so far, $125 million of it in a single grant from Atlantic Philanthropies last March. But the university has raised just $20 million since then.

The new hospital “remains our No. 1 funding priority,” Desmond-Hellmann said, while acknowledging that it’s a “tough economic environment and there are a lot of great causes out there.”

From the San Francisco Business Times. (http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2010/01/25/story5.html)

[BTinSF]

BT posted the good news. Guess I'm stuck with the (potentially) bad:


I didn't post it because I'm not too concerned about it. That is, I'm confident they can raise the money.

PS: Here's a rendering of the Neurosciences Center:

http://sf.curbed.com/uploads/2010_01_neuroscience.jpg
Source: http://sf.curbed.com/archives/2010/01/22/someone_else_will_build_ucsfs_neuroscience_center_in_mission_bay.php#reader_comments

[peanut gallery]

I didn't post it because I'm not too concerned about it. That is, I'm confident they can raise the money.

Remember the good old days when I was all sunshine and rainbows and you were Mr. Doom and Gloom? Good times, good times. LOL! Anyway, that seems like a lot of money in a short time to me. But you definitely have a better sense for these things than I do, so I'll convert over to your optimism. :tup:

[peanut gallery]

BTW, do you know on which of UCSF's lots the neurosciences building will be built?

[BTinSF]

BTW, do you know on which of UCSF's lots the neurosciences building will be built?

No, I don't. There was some question about that on Curbed. I'm hoping Timbad, WildCowboy or someone else more intimate with Mission Bay than I am can tell us.

I'm optimistic about the hospital because UC has clout on a national scale in health care and plenty of wealthy alumni as well as wealthy San Franciscans who probably care about this project. I'm just wondering, for example, if "Chancellor Desmond-Hellman" is one of THE Hellmans (the ones whose patriarch, Warren, built us the $50 million garage under the Golden Gate Park Music Concourse). If so, I suspect some more money can be shaken loose from that tree, just for starters.