[BTinSF]

BIG PLANS
Treasure Island Draft Plans Want To Avoid A "Mini-Vancouver"



Yesterday, reports the SF Examiner, city staff and developers presented draft guidelines for the look and feel of Treasure Island's new eco-community, in particular towers. Looking to limit the shadow effect of a forest of skyscrapers, the plan is to go with a new trend toward slimmer buildings and to limit the width of towers with a menu of different sizes. To wit: a 600-foot tower can't be wider than 150 feet, while a 450-foot tower can't be wider than 145 feet. Short and stout, however, is apparently OK for buildings, with 70-footers able to go up to 200 feet wide. With all that said, the planning director stresses the point is to be flexible so the island doesn't look like Vancouver, with its perfectly machined and "boring" buildings.

Source: http://sf.curbed.com/archives/2010/0...eader_comments

We could have worse than a "min-Vancouver". We could have an all Heller-Manus island of beige stucco towers. That's what the planners probably need to focus on avoiding.