[WildCowboy]

FWIW, structural steel is scheduled to start going up in May, so yes, we may be some time off yet unless they're going to go ahead and put the crane up perhaps to use it to help with foundation work. Probably not though.

[1977]

Some redevelopment funds have been borrowed for Mission Bay:



UNDER THE DOME CITY HALL NEWS

Supervisors approve the borrowing of $70M by San Francisco Redevelopment Agency

By: Joshua Sabatini 03/15/11 4:05 PM
Examiner Staff Writer

As Governor Jerry Brown continues to advocate for the elimination of redevelopment agencies across the state, the Board of Supervisors approved of San Francisco Redevelopment Agency borrowing $70 million on Tuesday.

About $12 million will pay for the 150 units of family rental housing at 1180 4th Street, near Mission Rock Street, and about $48 million will pay for infrastructure improvements such as parks, open space and roadways in the Mission Bay area.

The Mission Bay Redevelopment Area remains incomplete. The overall redevelopment in Mission Bay North is 95 percent complete and its 40 percent completed in Mission bay South, according to Amy Lee, deputy executive director of the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency in a budget analyst report by Harvey Rose.

Governor Brown’s proposal to eliminate the redevelopment agencies is being blasted by Mayor Ed Lee, among others. But Amy Lee said the bond issuance request is part of the agency’s “normal course of fulfilling its obligations” and is not “a result of the governor’s proposal to eliminate redevelopment agencies.”

However, the legislation to approve the borrowing was sped up, with a special board budget committee meeting at noon, and then an approval by the full board just a few hours later Tuesday.

Amy Lee said that the impact of the governor’s proposal on the Mission Bay Redevelopment Project is currently unclear and it “is unclear and ambiguous as to whether approval of the governor’s proposal would affect the requested bond issuance and expenditure authority,” according to Rose’s report.

The borrowing will cost The City $100 million during the next 30 years.



Source: http://www.sfexaminer.com/blogs/under-dome/2011/03/supervisors-approve-borrowing-70m-san-francisco-redevelopment-agency

[WildCowboy]

Pfizer coming back to Mission Bay, albeit in a much reduced capacity. Making space for 45 employees as part of their collaboration with UCSF...should be about 20,000 sf. They don't say where it's going to be other than "across the street" from UCSF, so perhaps there's enough space left in 1500 Owens, or maybe they'll join Nektar and Bayer over in the Mission Bay Blvd facility they were supposed to be in initially.

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/print-edition/2011/03/18/pfizer-returning-to-mission-bay.html

[northbay]

As Governor Jerry Brown continues to advocate for the elimination of redevelopment agencies across the state, the Board of Supervisors approved of San Francisco Redevelopment Agency borrowing $70 million on Tuesday.

About $12 million will pay for the 150 units of family rental housing at 1180 4th Street, near Mission Rock Street, and about $48 million will pay for infrastructure improvements such as parks, open space and roadways in the Mission Bay area.

Source: http://www.sfexaminer.com/blogs/under-dome/2011/03/supervisors-approve-borrowing-70m-san-francisco-redevelopment-agency

how does 12 million + 48 million = 70 million?!?

[1977]

how does 12 million + 48 million = 70 million?!?

haha...I have no idea.

[NOPA]

Does anybody wish that they had zoned Mission Bay for more density? I wish they had planned a couple 20 story towers. Ugh SF can be so dumb sometimes

[viewguysf]

Does anybody wish that they had zoned Mission Bay for more density? I wish they had planned a couple 20 story towers. Ugh SF can be so dumb sometimes

I think the City was smart--highrises would never have flown with the Potrero Hill neighbors and others. Mission Bay is great the way that it is and will be, with the exception that the architecture could have been more exciting.

[1977]

Some info about the Mission Rock development:

http://www.theregistrysf.com/RTRE_giants_seawall_lot_337.html

[NOPA]

There was talk of building a basketball staduim and luring in the Warriors. It will probably never happen, but that would be awesome for the city since there is no indoor venue of that size. One can only wish.

[ElDuderino]

Does anybody wish that they had zoned Mission Bay for more density? I wish they had planned a couple 20 story towers. Ugh SF can be so dumb sometimes

Well the Radiance II towers which are U/C are each 16 stories, so they will add a bit of height and density.

[peanut gallery]

^Plus the Giants' Mission Rock development, which 1977 mentioned, is supposed to include some taller buildings, as is the proposed development for block 5. A little more variety is coming, but it will mostly be at the north end of MB.

[NOPA]

I know I am really excited for Radiance II (but kinda wish they were taller). Are the Mission Rock plans final? Are there sketches floating around?

[peanut gallery]

As far as I know, this is still the latest rendering:
http://www.socketsite.com/SWL%20337%20-%20One%20Proposal-thumb.jpg
Source: SocketSite (http://www.socketsite.com/archives/2010/02/san_franciscos_proposed_seawall_lot_337_scrambling_for.html).

I don't really know how final their plans or these drawings are. I know they're looking for a new financing partner and it's a long-term development to begin with, so it will be awhile until Mission Rock helps in the height department. But someday!

[rocketman_95046]

Most of the current details reside here...

http://www.missionrock.org/about.php

[timbad]

maybe not too high on the excitement meter, but about a third of the way through this doc there is a rendering and diagram of the first phase of the planned parking garage for UCSF's medical center:

http://campusplanning.ucsf.edu/pdf/FinalDraftSEIR_Feb25_2011.pdf

[timbad]

a few updates from the Radiance II site today...

first, taken from the east end of the Commons looking west, with Radiance I on the right, you can see they were doing a concrete pour around the southeast corner:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5171/5560661706_8668c17c9c_b.jpg

since I was able to get over to the MB Visitors Center today, here is a reminder of what we have in store, pic of a model of the site from approximately the same vantage point:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5267/5560663138_72d0216e17_b.jpg

here is the southwest corner:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5108/5560664680_d5c17e0c26_b.jpg

and its future:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5262/5560666098_eb5f562a7c_b.jpg

the northwest corner:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5298/5560667510_8f73d61d76_b.jpg

future:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5102/5560091037_33f1d087cf_b.jpg

[1977]

maybe not too high on the excitement meter, but about a third of the way through this doc there is a rendering and diagram of the first phase of the planned parking garage for UCSF's medical center:

http://campusplanning.ucsf.edu/pdf/FinalDraftSEIR_Feb25_2011.pdf

I found some more renderings and info:

http://www.wrnsstudio.com/wrns1024.php#23_2

...and thanks for the Radiance update!

[timbad]

other random updates...

first, in a pic taken last weekend, the west side of the neurosciences building has gotten all its glass:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5187/5560757452_b97038db0a_b.jpg

as of today the north side had about half the glass installed.

also, I'm not sure if it's obvious from the webcam or not, but besides the construction of the neurosciences building, there is significant digging being done on the south and west sides of Rock Hall, which maybe are the repairs of the piping that WildCowboy mentioned at some point had suffered a catastrophic failure. I don't think the scale comes thru well in the pic, but this is the south side of the building, looking west from Fourth St:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5145/5560183743_099b5350c6_b.jpg

and here a couple shots of the med center site. from the south looking north, where you can see clearly the crane-base (this again from last week, but it hadn't changed today):

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5133/5560181973_4875c5c6b8_b.jpg

and from the South St garage today:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5095/5560184755_be514e39bd_b.jpg

[timbad]

I found some more renderings and info:

http://www.wrnsstudio.com/wrns1024.php#23_2

ah, much better than sorting thru the long pdf doc! thanks!

[timbad]

a little more close-up info on the project (http://www.2235thirdstreetsf.com/) associated with the crane that one can see in the distance down Third St in that final shot in my last post. I think it is close enough (about 2 blocks) to MB that this thread is the best place to put this, at least for now. all pics were taken last weekend.

the site takes up a good chunk of the entire block between 19th and 20th, and Third and Illinois Streets, and sits in front of the northbound T-Third 20th Street Muni stop:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5069/5562307688_26e4f5e0a7_b.jpg

although the brick buildings that are being preserved are not flashy, I think they have character and am glad they are staying:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5264/5562304892_b801870303_b.jpg

the site also sits across Illinois St from the Pier 70 project area (http://www.sf-port.org/index.aspx?page=218), whose cranes can be seen when looking east-northeast through the site from Third:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5255/5562301794_b85a9f6722_b.jpg

... and the iconic administration building when looking east-southeast:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5306/5561720727_3be088ba32_b.jpg

they had dug fairly deep for the foundation, so the fact that construction is almost reaching street level on the Third St side shows they have made quite a bit of progress already, tho there was no activity on the Saturday I stopped by.

a reminder (http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/Success/upload/Third-St_Success.pdf) of some of the recent stimulus for this project.

it's encouraging to see the development ripples expand out from MB to help it link up with its surrounding neighborhoods. maybe this is painting too rosy a picture, but one gets the feeling that in a decade or so you won't have to ride/drive north across the MB desert and Mission Creek Moat to get to the City from Dogpatch or Bayview - you'll feel much more like you're already connected, like you're already there. :)

[timbad]

according to this (http://www.sfnewdevelopments.com/8134/madrone-san-francisco-bosa-developments-newest-residential-mission-bay-community/) and this (http://www.sfnewdevelopments.com/8136/madrone-san-francisco-by-bosa-mission-bays-newest-address-condo-development/), Radiance II is now called 'Madrone', and there is no indication there of phases.

ah, and there is this: http://www.madronebybosa.com/ (nothing interesting there yet, just a registration form)

[WildCowboy]

^^^Interesting. I wonder if it was always intended to be marketed as a separate property (they are essentially independent) or if this was a new decision to change the positioning of it...seems like the latter as I've seen it referred to as "Radiance West" by Bosa before.

Bosa just filed for a trademark on the Madrone name in early February and registered the madronebybosa.com domain a couple of weeks later, so it seems like at least the name decision has been rather recent.

A lack of phasing would be great and would obviously explain the construction we've seen so far. But it's interesting that Bosa hasn't made any public statements about going forward with the whole thing at once...they've been pretty public about all of their plans so far. But maybe nothing has changed...the phases were supposed to overlap anyway, with construction on "Phase IIb" said to begin late this year while "Phase IIa" wasn't scheduled to open until summer 2012.

[peanut gallery]

That is odd because when I toured Radiance several years ago, they made it very clear that these were really one big development. In fact many amenities that were promoted to would-be Radiance owners wouldn't be available until phase 2 was finished (pool, most of the common areas). Though I suppose the name change could just be marketing ploy and wouldn't necessarily affect that.

On the medical center, I'm a little surprised there will be no underground levels. Looking at timbad's photos (thanks timbad!) they don't seem to be doing much excavation and if they have the tower crane base in place, they must have gone as deep as they plan to. Don't hospitals usually have a couple of basement levels?

[WildCowboy]

Basements are incredibly expensive in Mission Bay because the water table is so high, so not really surprising that they're going without. Cheaper, simpler, and faster to use aboveground space instead.

[peanut gallery]

Thanks Cowboy. I probably should have realized the water table would be rather high in this location.

[WildCowboy]

It's not an ideal situation, and it's part of what has led to so much dead space on the first floors of UCSF's buildings at Mission Bay. All that equipment that usually goes in a basement is instead on the first floor of the building, leading to views of blank walls and ventilation grating from the outside.

That isn't to say that activation of the pedestrian environment would be much greater with basements, as they're still large-floorplate buildings with very limited numbers of public access points due to security needs, but the constraint certainly isn't helping things.

The Fibrogen complex on Illinois has a parking garage underneath that is partially underground, and they obviously had to a great deal of work at great expense to make it waterproof.

[Gordo]

The real question - without basement floors in the hospital buildings, where are the secret dungeons, psych wards, and crazy-illegal research areas of the hospital going to be? I'd shutter to think that we're facing the prospect of having horror movies being forced to be set in the suburbs.

[llamaorama]

I know, where will the survivors go after the zombie outbreaks?

[WildCowboy]

500 Terry Francois is changing hands yet again, this time apparently going to Sobrato for $91 million.

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/print-edition/2011/04/01/sobrato-hits-mission-bay.html

I don't care who owns it...we just need some tenants in there!

[WildCowboy]

Just got an email saying that the tower crane for the UCSF hospital will be going up beginning on Monday. Should be completed by Friday and will top out at 187 feet. It'll be in place until August 2012.

[peanut gallery]

Good to see multiple tower cranes in MB again. Looking forward to seeing more around Rincon Hill and maybe even on Mission in the not-too-distant future.

[1977]

Some more info about Madrone aka Radiance West:

Bosa Development is looking to start sales in mid-summer on its next Mission Bay project, a 205-unit tower that is the only large San Francisco condo project under construction.
Director of Sales Dennis Serraglio said the company has decided to drop the Radiance name from the project, and will instead call it Madrone. The first 99-unit phase one, which opened before the economy tanked, was called Radiance and Bosa had originally planned using the name for the entire 496-unit complex. But given the real estate crash and the unexpectedly long gap between phase one and two, Bosa decided a change was in order.
“It’s fresh and new -- the name Radiance had been hanging around for a while,” said Serraglio.
Bosa is currently building the podium and parking for the 205 units building as well as the third phase, which will be 165 units. Should sales go well this summer, the Canadian developer will likely go ahead and build the whole thing.
“I think by summer we will be the only game in town other than resale -- I have not heard of any other projects that are close to starting,” said Serraglio.
It will be interesting to see where Bosa prices the building. Bosa builds large, luxurious units and (back in the boom) had originally priced phase one at more than $1,200 a square foot. Of course those days are long gone. But the Madrone will certainly benefit from all the investment pouring into Mission Bay as Salesforce builds out its 2 million square foot campus and UCSF’s $1.5 billion hospital begins to rise from the old railroad yards that sat unused for decades.


Read more: Bosa builds alone in Mission Bay | San Francisco Business Times
Source: www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco

[WildCowboy]

Since we've been putting Pier 70 stuff here in this thread, I'll add this: Forest City selected (http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/2011/04/forest-city-wins-nod-on-pier-70.html) as the developer for the project.

Will be interesting to see what they do with it and how quickly they can get things going. With Salesforce snapping up most of what was left in Mission Bay, I imagine there will be demand not too far down the road.

Remember that the VA was one of the contenders early on...I suppose they could still end up there if they are able to work with Forest City on a deal. They need a substantial amount of space and would love to be there. Not a whole lot of other options for them either.

[timbad]

Just got an email saying that the tower crane for the UCSF hospital will be going up beginning on Monday. Should be completed by Friday and will top out at 187 feet...

from my view from the train in the morning, I can confirm the crane is on its way up! (as is probably visible on the webcam too)

in other news from my wanderings this past weekend...

they're still working away in the northwest corner... here looking down what will be the inbound road from Seventh toward the future roundabout:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5149/5607811984_fc2150e933_b.jpg

and here at our old friend the former intersection of Sixth and Channel, looking south:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5188/5607816818_68d292a667_b.jpg

Long Bridge is starting to take concrete form, literally, with its sidewalks coming into existence:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5142/5607237397_b53648feff_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5184/5607258959_172d61028d_b.jpg

... and on the other side of block 13, they've finally starting progressing on the sidewalk along the south side of Channel after leaving it half dug-up for months. here looking east:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5230/5607838198_1465f65ee1_b.jpg

and over at Radi-I-mean-Madrone, here is the south side:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5184/5607242663_94203b3af3_b.jpg

and the southwest corner:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5066/5607248195_3c96a91d71_b.jpg

[202_Cyclist]

Good photos. I can't help but think how much the Mission Bay developments remind me of the Southwest waterfront area in DC by the Nationals stadium, another large-scale redevelopment of an entire neighborhood.

http://www.capitolriverfront.org/

http://www.jdland.com/dc/index.cfm

[WildCowboy]

Yep, here (http://www.onsiteview.com/ucsfmedcenter/) is the UCSF webcam...crane looks to be just about done.

Nice shots of Madrone...coming along nicely. Will be good to have the streetwall along Third start to fill in north of Mission Bay. I believe the new police HQ could break ground before the end of the year if design work keeps moving smoothly, so that'll be another big one there.

[Potrero]

Not sure where these parcels are but the good news is that they expect start of construction middle of next year. Development is definitely accelerating.

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110413006803/en/BRE-Properties-Announces-Acquisition-Development-Sites-San

[WildCowboy]

Here (http://mission.sfgov.org/OCA_BID_ATTACHMENTS/FA18193.pdf) are the details...it's blocks 5 and 11. Looks like construction to run from August 2012 through August 2015.

For reference, here is a map from an earlier report to remind people where 5 and 11 are:

http://www.cfdarchitecture.com/CFD_Architecture/Mission_Bay_files/shapeimage_3.png

Block 5 is one of the blocks that had been shaded in red in that earlier report...note that it's just the eastern portion of that block bordering Fourth Street. The triangle on the western side is Block P6 destined to be a public playground.

Interestingly, we talked about Block 5 a bit here (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?p=5181213#post5181213) a couple of months ago and had some renderings from CFD Architecture. But the architect on the new RFQ from BRE is listed as MVE. So I don't know what's going on...no mention of the projects on MVE's site.

Block 11 faces The Commons along its southern edge, which should be a nice setting...love to get that Commons framed out as quickly as possible, as that should also drive completion of the Commons itself.

[timbad]

Block 11 faces The Commons along its southern edge, which should be a nice setting...love to get that Commons framed out as quickly as possible, as that should also drive completion of the Commons itself.

I'm pretty sure this also implies demolition of at least one, maybe both, of the existing buildings in that area, including the Visitor Center. I had been wondering how long they would be hanging around. the current infrastructure work around the roundabout hasn't touched them (yet).

[WildCowboy]

Based on this overlay map (http://www.missionbaydevelopment.com/pdfs/map.pdf), Block 11 does overlap the rear portion of the building housing the MB visitor center. It doesn't quite touch the other building, but that will still have to come down if they want to connect The Commons to the roundabout, which only seems logical.

The BRE press release talks about phasing, and it seems like Block 11 would be Phase II of the plan. So construction there likely won't kick off until after the August 2012 start that will presumably be just Block 5. Based on an August 2015 completion for the entire project, perhaps we can expect Block 11 to get underway in mid-2013-ish or soon thereafter.

[1977]

Nothing we haven't really discussed before, but Socketsite posted a rundown of some of the upcoming housing projects in Mission Bay. It looks like this is going to be a busy year for groundbreakings and a great year for Mission Bay in general.

http://www.socketsite.com/Mission%20Bay%20Block%20Watch%204-15-11.jpg
Source: www.socketsite.com

Mission Bay Neighborhood Block And Construction Watch

Blocks 5 and 11 down in Mission Bay have just changed hands for a combined $41.4 million according to the San Francisco Business Times. Entitled for 198 and 170 units respectively, the acquiring BRE Properties plans to start construction of rental units on the two blocks by the end of the year.

In related neighborhood block news, United Dominion Trust is planning to break ground on 315 rental units and 9,000 square feet of retail on Block 2 in the third quarter; Mercy Housing will likely break ground on 134 affordable units on Block 13 East by the end of the year (with Bosa following with 285 condos on Block 13 West); and Urban Housing Group is expecting to break ground on 147 rental units on Block 3 in 2012.

And of course, construction on Bosa’s phase two construction of close to 400 condos on Block 10 continues and has since been dubbed "Madrone" as Salesforce moves forward with plans for its 14 acre campus stretching from blocks 26 to 34 to the south.
Source:http://www.socketsite.com/archives/2011/04/mission_bay_neighborhood_block_watch_and_construction_c.html#comments

[timbad]

absolutely! this next wave may just get us to that tipping point where Mission Bay starts to feel real, when instead of buildings in the middle of space, we will have space between buildings, and Third and Fourth will both feel like streets, not roads across a prairie

[djlx2]

absolutely! this next wave may just get us to that tipping point where Mission Bay starts to feel real, when instead of buildings in the middle of space, we will have space between buildings, and Third and Fourth will both feel like streets, not roads across a prairie

I love your positivity. I would love it if a wave got us to that tipping point and have Mission Bay start to feel real. I see paths along a prairie. Does anyone have further ideas for how to make adjust their ideas of space where they can get what they want from the street design? Right now I see demands where there's nothing to accommodate infrastructure, so this is an informal poll. Anyone listening? What would you specifically want? Let's have information instead of opinions, it's long overdue.

[1977]

I love your positivity. I would love it if a wave got us to that tipping point and have Mission Bay start to feel real. I see paths along a prairie. Does anyone have further ideas for how to make adjust their ideas of space where they can get what they want from the street design? Right now I see demands where there's nothing to accommodate infrastructure, so this is an informal poll. Anyone listening? What would you specifically want? Let's have information instead of opinions, it's long overdue.

From the looks of it, Fourth Street, the 'main' retail drag, is already a missed opportunity and is my main gripe with the Mission Bay infrastructure. The sidewalks are narrow and the street is wide and lined with parking. Where is the biking infrastructure (separated bike paths)? Where are the open and wide sidewalks with bulb outs and room for outdoor seating? Foliage? More planters? It doesn't make any sense to me why a neighborhood, built from scratch, is mimicking 1950's infrastructure while many of the existing retail corridors (Valencia, Powell, Grant, etc.) are trying reinvent themselves into a more inviting and modern experience.

For reference...

Fourth Street - Mission Bay:

http://www.socketsite.com/4th%20Street%20In%20Mission%20Bay%2011-5-09.jpg
Source: www.socketsite.com

That being said, I am very excited about all of the infill and hope that once it's in place, residents and businesses will demand a higher quality in regards to the pedestrian experience along Fourth.

[Potrero]

Not sure how long it has been since someone posted something on this park which will be on the Bay between South Street and Mariposa but from reading the Port Agenda for their upcoming meeting on April 26 (http://www.sf-port.org/index.aspx?page=1773), award of the contract is imminent.
"Request authorization to award Construction Contract No. 2732, Mission Bay Shoreline Protection for Bayfront Park Project (April 26, 2011)"

The way I understand the contract, it is just to get the surface ready to accommodate the park but this is what it should look like (http://sfrecpark.org/documents/BayfrontParkReport3.31.pdf) when built. (I wish I could post the picture directly but still haven't figured out how)

I guess when Salesforce moves in, the park will be there or follow soon after.

[WildCowboy]

^^^This is just the very edge of the shoreline where the rotting piers and crumbling edges have been fenced off from the public. It's a three-month, $2.5 million project to stabilize things.

Obviously full construction of the Bayfront Park will be a much more involved project requiring the moving of Terry Francois Blvd, but any forward movement at all in this area is welcome news indeed.

[peanut gallery]

timbad (or anyone else who has been in the area lately) - is the eastern crane at Madrone in the future tower section or in the midrise between the two towers? I can see that the western crane is in the middle of the tower section and I assume that means that tower is part of phase IIa. If the eastern crane is similarly positioned, then I'd guess that both towers are part of IIa. If not, then I'd guess the eastern tower is part of IIb. The point being that this might suggest how the phasing will progress. Hope that makes sense.

[WildCowboy]

I didn't realize this until today, but the top floor of the Old Navy headquarters on Terry Francois has been shell space all this time, but apparently The Gap is now having it built out to move another 300 workers in there from San Bruno.

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/2011/04/gap-as-early-adopter-of-mission-bay.html

[peanut gallery]

SocketSite (http://www.socketsite.com/archives/2011/04/salesforcecoms_global_headquarters_complex_in_mission_b.html) has a brief update on Salesforce.com:

(the architect)...seeks those with experience designing swimming pools, water features and green roofs.

The project which is envisioned to include "offices, conference space, auditoria, retail, restaurants, structured parking for approximately 1,500 cars, public spaces/parks, and other amenities common to corporate campuses" will consist of eight main buildings, several specialty buildings, and open spaces.

[WildCowboy]

Alexandria moving toward a purchase of 409-499 Illinois (the Fibrogen complex) from Shorenstein. That was one of the few business-zoned blocks not owned by Alexandria when Mission Bay started out, but they're obviously down to just a small amount of developable land left after selling so much off to Salesforce, so I guess they're looking to beef their presence back up as a landlord.

http://wwwnew.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/morning_call/2011/04/alexandria-out-and-in-at-mission-bay.html

[Potrero]

I was able to gather some more news about bayfront park. Contract was awarded to Ferma Corporation of Mountain View. The port staff expects NTP in May and substantial completion in November (http://sfport.com/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=1326). Should look much cleaner around there by the end of the year.

Here is the plan (http://sfport.com/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=1325)of the work limits posted on the Port website

[timbad]

timbad (or anyone else who has been in the area lately) - is the eastern crane at Madrone in the future tower section or in the midrise between the two towers? I can see that the western crane is in the middle of the tower section and I assume that means that tower is part of phase IIa. If the eastern crane is similarly positioned, then I'd guess that both towers are part of IIa. If not, then I'd guess the eastern tower is part of IIb. The point being that this might suggest how the phasing will progress. Hope that makes sense.

sorry for the slow response - have been away and having computer memory issues.

the two cranes are at the same 'latitude', that is, even with eachother on the north-south axis. as I think you can see from this pic, the eastern crane is pretty much smack dab in the middle of the eastern tower section:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5229/5701035262_b8c7793601_b.jpg

couple other shots from around the site, this one looking at the northeast corner and the little alley that divides it from Radiance:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5021/5701043140_71aaea0e64_b.jpg

and here looking across the Third St façade from the northwest:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3122/5700476205_fe84c982c0_b.jpg

over to block 13, the sidewalk along Channel is mostly complete. looking west:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2514/5701056434_f32d219529_b.jpg

... and Long Bridge has both asphalt and foliage:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3221/5701038782_1afa56645f_b.jpg

the other dramatic change over the last couple weeks is the appearance of streetlights over in the northwest infrastructure area:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5182/5700480615_e1d91a61a9_b.jpg

and, in an encouraging sign, this looks suspiciously like it could be the makings of a bike lane on Fourth:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3630/5700697497_1d221daf4e_b.jpg

another view, looking south:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5061/5700700607_ac515ec633_b.jpg

[peanut gallery]

Thanks for the excellent update and answer to my question. It sure looks like they're working on the whole thing. I can't discern an obvious distinction between IIa and IIb. I wonder if they changed the plan to split this in two? At any rate the taller towers seem to be in the current phase, which is great to see.

[timbad]

bike lane on Fourth complete and in use:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3076/5720777473_db1b9562ba_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3309/5721338148_89fe0a11c1_b.jpg

:tup:

[202_Cyclist]

Now all San Francisco needs is a great bike-sharing system like DC's.

[WildCowboy]

Great news about the bike lane. Pretty sure that was just supposed to be wide travel lanes with perhaps some sharrows, so it looks somebody talked some sense into them to make the shift to dedicated lanes.

In other news, the ceremonial first two steel beams of the UCSF hospital are set to go up tomorrow morning between 8:00 and 9:00 AM. Steel will begin going up in earnest on Tuesday. Get ready to ramp up the excitement level on this one!

[WildCowboy]

Confirmation from the webcam (http://www.onsiteview.com/ucsfmedcenter/) that steel beams are indeed rapidly going up at the UCSF hospital site:

http://i55.tinypic.com/qy5um8.jpg

[WildCowboy]

Now this (http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/2011/05/high-speed-rail-route-could-rip-interstate-280) is interesting...high-speed rail plans could result in 280 being torn down north of 18th Street and turned into an Octavia-like boulevard.

I've seen some nasty backups on Octavia, so we'll have to see how this all pencils out.

[Gordo]

^Hmmm, very interesting. That would do a LOT to make Mission Bay feel less cut off from the rest of the city to the west, as it feels now (IMO).

I'm no traffic engineer, but I would think that the traffic backups wouldn't be as bad with this as with Octavia, where all of the traffic from the freeway has to turn on to other streets within a few blocks. The only worry that I'd have is that there would be too many cars wanting to turn left or right onto the cross streets that the freeway flies over now, though I would think that that could be mitigated. It could also help to slow down the traffic a bit more before the cars get to the 4th/King intersection, which is a really scary place to be a pedestrian at times, even with loads of other pedestrians.

I'll be very curious to see what comes of this.

[pseudolus]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3309/5721338148_89fe0a11c1_b.jpg

:tup:

That's a pretty forbidding streetscaoe for what I understand is supposed to be the principal north-south pedestrian-oriented street.

[C.Lan]

It doesn't look forbidding to me, those palm trees make it look very lively. Do you mean because there's that camera at the intersection watching all the traffic?

[timbad]

Confirmation from the webcam (http://www.onsiteview.com/ucsfmedcenter/) that steel beams are indeed rapidly going up at the UCSF hospital site...

thanks WC! we are indeed at the next level of excitement with this one. will be fun to watch it go up over the next couple three years.

this is gonna be old news now, but I did wander over there yesterday to get this shot of the southeast corner and its new beams from Third:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5150/5739380900_454d7633f0_b.jpg

in other news, they were working on the stone paving work under the new trees up on Channel (block 13) earlier this week:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2667/5738832005_d2b0763404_b.jpg

here is just a random 'before' shot that might be interesting to look at in about three or four years, since it is taken from what will be the west end of the Commons - but is currently the remnant of Sixth which is no longer really a through street on either of its ends. looking east:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3202/5738835983_fc5e92e27e_b.jpg

..and if anyone wanted a close-up of the glass going up on the curvy side of the neurosciences building:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2572/5738838251_f531cd052f_b.jpg

[C.Lan]

Mission: has clearly got a lot going on, I hadn't heard about that nanosciences building. Not that the transit plans aren't probably more pressing for people in the area. Accomplished a lot, all things considered. Mission definitely needs a decent thoroughfare connecting it to the west: You probably want to avoid backups on octavia and the pedestrian concern makes sense. With some kind of traffic-light timing system you can probably avoid the turning difficulties. I am glad to see they're working on it though.

[timbad]

That's a pretty forbidding streetscape for what I understand is supposed to be the principal north-south pedestrian-oriented street.

not sure if this will shift opinion or help clarify anything, but I'll throw this informal data out there:

width of Fourth at King (Caltrain Station): 24 steps
width of Fourth at bulb-outs near Strata (MB): 14 steps

it feels much different!

[peanut gallery]

I like the instant gratification of steel buildings. Thanks for the shots, timbad.

[C.Lan]

Is that in terms of feet or in parallel steps?

[timbad]

quite welcome!

forgot to mention also that the portion of block 5 that will be built on (i.e., that is not the children's park) now has fencing around it, with Bosa signs, that I'm pretty sure is new. no sign of any other activity there.

[timbad]

Is that in terms of feet or in parallel steps?

that is casual walking across the street, regular strides. 24 walking steps to cross 4th at the Caltrain station; 14 walking steps to cross it using the bulb-outs in MB south of the creek. to me as a pedestrian, it does feel quite un-intimidating in the latter case. of course, traffic is fairly minimal still south of the creek.

[pseudolus]

I mean that the all blank walls and the way they loom over the narrow street makes it feel like a place you want to move through as quickly as possible rather than linger. It definitely feels like a back or side street.

[timbad]

bike lane on Fourth complete and in use:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3309/5721338148_89fe0a11c1_b.jpg

:tup:

That's a pretty forbidding streetscape for what I understand is supposed to be the principal north-south pedestrian-oriented street.

I mean that the all blank walls and the way they loom over the narrow street makes it feel like a place you want to move through as quickly as possible rather than linger. It definitely feels like a back or side street.

it's true that in the pic, there is not too much that would entice a pedestrian (the wind also slams into the side of the cardiovascular building and makes walking along that side of the street feel like hitting a wall some days). but, in that shot we are looking into the UCSF end of Fourth, not the supposedly-more-inviting-for-people residential stretch to the north (which is entirely empty except for Strata). it's too bad that not *all* of Fourth could have been a great walking street, but I think some of the culprit is the necessity to put a lot of the mechanical equipment needed in a research building, that usually would go in a building's basement, on the ground floor instead due to the area being landfill. within the frame of the pic, the green you see on the right side is temporary, and will give way to a permanent building at some point (not that that will makes things any better, necessarily, but just to point out that that bit is not done yet). also, there are little open seating areas underneath the palm trees flanking the street on both sides and helping to mark the entrance to the campus - I think I've only ever seen anyone sitting in them once (being on the north side of their respective buildings/future buildings, they'll never be really sunny), but the area is still evolving.

further down Fourth in the distance, you do have the student residences with wide, pedestrian, Gene Friend Way on one side, and the Quad on the other. UCSF is trying to decide if they are going to construct the next phase of dorms across GF Way to make that little intersection more trafficked and lively. I'm certainly for that - with the right layout and attention particularly to how the building(s) hit(s) and interact(s) with both Fourth and the pedestrian walkway leading to the Muni stop on Third, there is potential for success.

[timbad]

Now this (http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/2011/05/high-speed-rail-route-could-rip-interstate-280) is interesting...high-speed rail plans could result in 280 being torn down north of 18th Street and turned into an Octavia-like boulevard.

I've seen some nasty backups on Octavia, so we'll have to see how this all pencils out.

definitely intriguing. I agree that this would soften the feel of King St, a plus. I had initially thought its impact would be huge on removing much of the separation between MB and neighborhoods to the west, but my second thought is that I share other posters' concerns that traffic back-ups would still leave a problem there. of course, a great way to mitigate that is to provide frequent, speedy, clean, quiet (i.e., electric) train service from the south that also continues downtown. I would root for making sure that the train option is smooth and convenient enough that it would siphon off a chunk of the drivers, and the rest would settle into manageable patterns. I think it could work and the neighborhood would benefit.

I assume Seventh would comprise part of the potential boulevard. It's already wide, as can be seen in this shot, looking south from just south of Townsend St. the existing 280 overpass, and at-grade Caltrain tracks, are on the left, with Mission Bay beyond them out of the pic. the freeway would somehow come down more or less straight ahead in the far distance under this idea:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2347/5750058476_6045896c44_b.jpg

[WildCowboy]

Article (http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/2011/05/salesforce-open-campus-plan-has-city.html?page=all) on the Salesforce campus...sound terrific so far. Large public piazza with retail and other aspects to draw people in and connect Mission Bay to the waterfront. City officials love what they've seen so far, and looks like Salesforce wants to move quickly.

Looking forward to seeing some renderings.

[peanut gallery]

^Sounds like we don't need to wait too much longer - June 9. Can't wait!

It says the tallest will be 160 ft stepping down toward the water. So that would be what 10-12 floors for office? Looking forward to more variety of height in MB. Everything so far is very similar. I like everything I read in that article, and this sounds promising:

The result is that visually the open space in the Salesforce campus, when combined with the waterfront area,will “read like a series of public parks,” Kahn said.
...snip...
The overall design starkly contrasts with many insular suburban — and also urban — office parks and corporate campuses.

It's great that they are really striving to blend into the surrounding neighborhood, rather than make it look nice but make sure you know you're not welcome unless you work there -- especially since they will be turning those two streets into pedestrian plazas.

[WildCowboy]

timbad's going to like this one...

The city has received (PDF) (http://www.sfredevelopment.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=3059) a grant for brownfields cleanup that will allow them to move forward on the Mission Bay Boulevard roundabout and the connector roads under 280, along with park parcel P10 located in the center of the roundabout.

[WildCowboy]

And here (PDF) (http://www.sfredevelopment.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=3060) is a bunch more information on the police/fire station set for Block 8. Some renderings and floor plans at the end of the document.

[WildCowboy]

And thirdly, here (PDF) (http://www.sfredevelopment.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=3061) are details on the Block 2 residential project by UDR.

[peanut gallery]

Great finds, Cowboy! I love the renderings for Block 2. I like that they're breaking it down to look like two buildings and the design of each half. The halves are quite different yet complement each other very nicely.

[northbay]

great looking projects!

[ElDuderino]

A Bit Of Color On (And For) Salesforce's Campus In Mission Bay

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/6686/salesforcemissionbayren.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/90/salesforcemissionbayren.jpg/)

From John King with respect to Legorreta and Legoretta’s colorful vision for Salesforce's 14-acre campus coming to Mission Bay:

The scheme that’s evolved has a wider range of colors and window patterns than the firm’s norm, and most building’s would come wrapped in stone or terra cotta rather than stucco. They’d also include brash twists – a corner fractured by stepped-back terraces here, a stone-clad canopy perched on a 90-foot-high column there. A stack of meeting rooms at the southwest corner of the campus is wrapped in a mesh-like purple skin.

At least three of the 14 acres would be publicly accessible at all hours, centered on a broad plaza leading from Third Street to a planned bayside neighborhood park. The office buildings along Third Street would include shops, a child care center and restaurants.

And the key concept, an open campus that embraces the evolving neighborhood.

http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/6686/salesforcemissionbayren.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/52/salesforcemissionbayren.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

http://socketsite.com/

[peanut gallery]

An early peek! Here are a couple more from SFGate (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/06/02/MNU11JMIUR.DTL):

http://www.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2011/06/01/ba-salesforce02__0503537409.jpg

http://www.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2011/06/01/ba-salesforce02__0503537410.jpg

[Gordo]

^I like the Salesforce bus with doors on the driver's side.

I like the look overall. It will definitely create a unique place easy to describe to someone looking for it :)

[ElDuderino]

It is definitely a far cry from the rest of the rather generic looking buildings in Mission Bay. It should be good to get some contrast.

[peanut gallery]

^I like the Salesforce bus with doors on the driver's side.

Ha ha! Good eye. Maybe driving on the left will be another interesting quirk of the campus.

[CyberEric]

I approve, the area badly needs some color and fun for contrast.

[San Frangelino]

My only worry is that it will look like a giant version of Pershing Square in L.A.

God, please don't let them put peach colored cement balls randomly across the area.....ppphhhuuuulllleeezz!

[WildCowboy]

I really like it. Bold is sorely needed in the area, and this fits the bill.

Most San Franciscans will hate it...let's hope it survives the process relatively unscathed.

[patriotizzy]

I really like the colors as well. Nice to have a variety in color schemes. It'll make for some cool pictures :D

[timbad]

timbad's going to like this one...

The city has received (PDF) (http://www.sfredevelopment.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=3059) a grant for brownfields cleanup that will allow them to move forward on the Mission Bay Boulevard roundabout and the connector roads under 280, along with park parcel P10 located in the center of the roundabout.

thanks for that, and all the rest, WC! moving forward they are... after weeks of nothing much discernibly new in the area, it looks like something concrete may just happen there soon. looking east under 280, this will be the inbound street:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3077/5794963121_dbaa237bfc_b.jpg

this is the perspective looking north from the stub end of Owens:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2276/5795523740_d609f3f43f_b.jpg

[fflint]

I really like the way this looks. Going just from his UCSF building, Legoretta's bright colors look fantastic on gray days like the ones we get all the time. If built like this, they'll really create a sense of place for Mission Bay.
http://www.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2011/06/01/ba-salesforce02__0503537410.jpg[/QUOTE]

[KVNBKLYN]

Well, I guess I'll be the lone contrarian: I think this design looks cheap and kitschy. Legoretta is nothing but a corporatized version of Luis Barragan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luis_Barrag%C3%A1n) and taking colors, forms and materials that are very much rooted in a specific place, ie, central Mexico, and plopping them down in a very different place with different light and climatic needs is just missing the point of the beauty of regional architecture.

End of rant.

The one good thing about this design is that it really does do a good job of engaging the street. I'm glad they're including retail along Third Street and keeping the campus as open as possible.

Salesforce.com has posted a bunch more renderings on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/salesforce/sets/72157626855992450/with/5766435086/). Here are a few:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3149/5791343896_d9a3923589_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2234/5766435086_4cd29f57d7_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3143/5765889979_016e538538_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3266/5783787337_ca57b3036f_b.jpg

There are a lot more on Flickr along with much, much larger versions of these renderings if you want to get into the detail.

[mahanakorn]

Thanks, KVNBKLN, for the Flicker link. Disagree about the Legoretta colors, however. I think you'll find all Legoretta's colors in the city's elaborately painted Victorians, though certainly not on this scale. (Prior to the 60's, most SF Victorians were painted solid white.)

[ElDuderino]

Well, I guess I'll be the lone contrarian: I think this design looks cheap and kitschy. Legoretta is nothing but a corporatized version of Luis Barragan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luis_Barrag%C3%A1n) and taking colors, forms and materials that are very much rooted in a specific place, ie, central Mexico, and plopping them down in a very different place with different light and climatic needs is just missing the point of the beauty of regional architecture.

End of rant.

The one good thing about this design is that it really does do a good job of engaging the street. I'm glad they're including retail along Third Street and keeping the campus as open as possible.

Salesforce.com has posted a bunch more renderings on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/salesforce/sets/72157626855992450/with/5766435086/). Here are a few:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2234/5766435086_4cd29f57d7_b.jpg

I see where you are coming from, but compared to what used to be there this looks sexy as hell. Build away Salesforce.com

My only problem with the whole Mission Bay development is that I can no longer park at the old driving range for free to go to Giants games....oh well :tup:

[rocketman_95046]

I really wish there was a rendering with all four developments put together. UCSF Hospital, Mission Bay, Salesforce, and the Giants development.

[applejacks]

Whoa, I had no idea there was that much open land south of downtown. Hopefully this area will also be inundated with even more residential units as rents are crazy.

[pseudolus]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/salesforce/5784348576/

I have mixed feelings about Salesforce but, from an urbanist perspective, it's so much better than what Apple is proposing.

[Potrero]

Construction should be starting any time now. See Port document (http://www.sf-port.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=1787)

[tommaso]

I see where you are coming from, but compared to what used to be there this looks sexy as hell. Build away Salesforce.com

My only problem with the whole Mission Bay development is that I can no longer park at the old driving range for free to go to Giants games....oh well :tup:

If S.F.'s just trying to gain tax revenue, wouldn't it just be smarter to upzone this waterfront land and build 20 to 40+ story office towers there? I don't understand why S.F. can't think in these ways. It's not that difficult to figure out that waterfront property is valuable and it isn't a stretch to see how 40+ story office towers can be built right there. All of S.F.'s politics aside, any other great city would have zoned this land specifically for 400 to 1000+ foot towers. It's waterfront land and absolutely not far from the rest of downtown. Logically it can and should be done this way. New York, Chicago and many other cities do it this way. S.F. should never be building office park's or any of the small town stuff they're building in this part of town. Change your zoning laws. Change your mentality. Think big. Be a big city. S.F. is respected. Respect yourself. Build up. Not 6 or 10 stories, build 40, 60 or 80 stories. S.F. will never cease to amaze me when it comes to this type of stuff. Too bad for people who really want S.F. to exist on the level of a Hong Kong or be in the conversation of the most powerful cities in the world. That can never happen so long as the zoning laws favor low rise over high rise especially in the underdeveloped sections of S.F.'s waterfront. Oh well.

Engage in a critical thinking exercise. This isn't the 3rd grade folks.

We shouldn't be here to be the cheerleader for every developer's project. It's about time we wake up and start thinking about how land should really be used in our cities and what the real impact is on the citizens of the place.

[WildCowboy]

^^^Well, for starters, much of Mission Bay (at least the southern portion) is lab/hospital space, which simply doesn't work well (if at all) at those heights.

Not to mention a complete lack of demand for stuff of that size. See how quickly Transbay is coming along? The demand isn't there.

And I even completely disagree on the basic principle of walling off the rest of the city from the waterfront with gigantic towers.

[CyberEric]

If S.F.'s just trying to gain tax revenue, wouldn't it just be smarter to upzone this waterfront land and build 20 to 40+ story office towers there? I don't understand why S.F. can't think in these ways. It's not that difficult to figure out that waterfront property is valuable and it isn't a stretch to see how 40+ story office towers can be built right there. All of S.F.'s politics aside, any other great city would have zoned this land specifically for 400 to 1000+ foot towers. It's waterfront land and absolutely not far from the rest of downtown. Logically it can and should be done this way. New York, Chicago and many other cities do it this way. S.F. should never be building office park's or any of the small town stuff they're building in this part of town. Change your zoning laws. Change your mentality. Think big. Be a big city. S.F. is respected. Respect yourself. Build up. Not 6 or 10 stories, build 40, 60 or 80 stories. S.F. will never cease to amaze me when it comes to this type of stuff. Too bad for people who really want S.F. to exist on the level of a Hong Kong or be in the conversation of the most powerful cities in the world. That can never happen so long as the zoning laws favor low rise over high rise especially in the underdeveloped sections of S.F.'s waterfront. Oh well.

Engage in a critical thinking exercise. This isn't the 3rd grade folks.

We shouldn't be here to be the cheerleader for every developer's project. It's about time we wake up and start thinking about how land should really be used in our cities and what the real impact is on the citizens of the place.

I don't disagree completely, and I am all for making good use of SF's space; continuing to grow the urban core around public transport, creating density not sprawl, but some of your comments ring untrue to me. Saying "Any other great city..." is just not true and sounds silly. Being a great city has little to do with buildings on the waterfront.

You say "change your mentality." The mentality in SF is unique, and obnoxious at times, but it is one part of what has made it a great city. No one is going to change their mentality just so they can rah rah about a few more 40 story buildings near the water. One of the goals may be to gain tax revenue, but empty high rises aren't going to do it. San Francisco already has too much expensive housing, the last thing needed is more.

I like the idea of building good projects along the waterfront, and I think this is one of them. Blasting it for not being all 40 story high rises just doesn't seem prudent.

[ElDuderino]

I don't disagree completely, and I am all for making good use of SF's space; continuing to grow the urban core around public transport, creating density not sprawl, but some of your comments ring untrue to me. Saying "Any other great city..." is just not true and sounds silly. Being a great city has little to do with buildings on the waterfront.

You say "change your mentality." The mentality in SF is unique, and obnoxious at times, but it is one part of what has made it a great city. No one is going to change their mentality just so they can rah rah about a few more 40 story buildings near the water. One of the goals may be to gain tax revenue, but empty high rises aren't going to do it. San Francisco already has too much expensive housing, the last thing needed is more.

I like the idea of building good projects along the waterfront, and I think this is one of them. Blasting it for not being all 40 story high rises just doesn't seem prudent.

Not to mention that San Francisco already has an area that is zoned for high rise residential in SOMA. We have seen some big residential projects near the waterfront go up recently in the Infinity and One Rincon Hill, but the demand is just not there right now for much more. When the demand increases there is still plenty of space in SOMA for large scale projects. It seems silly to me to keep Mission Bay as a wasteland because we want to reserved it for larger development decades down the line. The current zoning is allowing companies to move to and expand in San Francisco which brings in a good deal of revenue for the city.