SAN FRANCISCO | Projects: Under Construction, Approved, and Proposed

[tommaso]

Uploaded on August 5, 2008
by Dizzy Atmosphere

SOMA, San Francisco



SOMA district, Fifth and Mission, San Francisco
NRG Steam plant, city hall dome on left of photo
SOMA, or South of Market, was a terrain described in 1909 by Jack London as "the factories, slums, laundries, machine-shops, boiler works, and the abodes of the working class."
Photograph taken 2007
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Uploaded on September 22, 2008
by Dizzy Atmosphere

Hayes Valley, San Francisco



Hickory Street between Octavia and Gough, San Francisco
note old Central Freeway in background
Camera: Argus Argoflex TLR with Kodak Tri-X film
photograph taken 1980

[tommaso]

Uploaded on March 7, 2009
by Dizzy Atmosphere

Mission Street, San Francisco



Redevelopment era, South of Market,
Mission Street between 4th and 3rd,
San Francisco, photograph taken 1984

[tommaso]

Uploaded on March 14, 2009
by Dizzy Atmosphere

House Movers, San Francisco



Part of a series documenting house movers in San Francisco's Western Addition in the 1970's,
Fillmore and Sutter, Western Addition district, San Francisco.
Photograph taken 1976
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the majority of the neighborhood was completely destroyed as an 'urban renewal' project, only a handful of the original buildings were saved by way of moving
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Western Addition, San Francisco

Uploaded on April 19, 2009
by Dizzy Atmosphere



1400 block Post Street, Western Addition, San Francisco,
part of a series of photographs about house movers in the 1970s,
photograph taken 1977
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House on the left was moved from another location to this site. All three buildings in this photo have since been restored.

[tommaso]

Uploaded on August 9, 2009
by Dizzy Atmosphere

Sacramento Street, San Francisco



Workmen preparing for a cement pour.
Chinatown YMCA Construction Project,
new addition will include a new swimming pool
and many other features. Original building on right
was built in 1926. The demolition of the adjoining play yard
on this site revealed some of the many layers of the rich
history of San Francisco's Chinatown.
855 Sacramento Street, San Francisco

A rendering of the finished project:

[flight_from_kamakura]

Originally Posted by BTinSF

How can anybody be against this? Seriously!

i'm super pro-development, but any parking access off of market is just offensive. like the developer has to know that the only way the planning office and supes would grant him that is if they're desperate for mid-market development. it's a crass calculation (like why not just do lane access??) and it'll definitely stall the project: it's a plain bad idea, especially in the obvious context of mid-market traffic calming, street-life regeneration, etc. it's not nimbyism at all - it's just a moronic idea that people ought to oppose. other than that, great project!

[utgf]

Originally Posted by flight_from_kamakura

i'm super pro-development, but any parking access off of market is just offensive. like the developer has to know that the only way the planning office and supes would grant him that is if they're desperate for mid-market development. it's a crass calculation (like why not just do lane access??) and it'll definitely stall the project: it's a plain bad idea, especially in the obvious context of mid-market traffic calming, street-life regeneration, etc. it's not nimbyism at all - it's just a moronic idea that people ought to oppose. other than that, great project!

The developer is not asking for parking access off of Market St. The access being asked for is off of Stevenson St in the back. Its is just moronic that there are people who would oppose this, period.

[fflint]

I too don't want to see any new parking for private automobiles in any proposed Market Street commercial development downtown. It's not moronic, it's about the city continuing to protect the massive public investment in our legacy public transit system and high quality urban streetscapes. Adding hundreds or thousands of additional cars to 5th and Market will signficantly degrade the quality of the area, slowing down Market Street Muni buses and trolleys. That is bad for Muni riders. Private automobiles would pour right up onto the sidewalk on Stevenson or wherever the big curb cuts and garage doors are thrown, and block bike lanes and crosswalks. Even the air would degrade. It's a bad deal for the city. If a good development that builds on our public transit investment and solid urban planning principles is not possible right now, then we should wait.

And it's not like this development is truly impossible without the addition of thousands of new cars into the area. The massive new Bloomingdales mall one block down Market thrives, and was built without a single new parking space. Let the proposed development follow suit. Muni and BART are right there. Hell, let the developer build out a subterranean connector to the subway station to the mall, like with SF Centre, as an assurance to investors that customers will have easy access to the proposed development.

[coyotetrickster]

I agree with FFlint, this project exemption should not be allowed. However, for fairness' sake, I will point out the 5000 car garage at 5th and mission does provide parking access for those folks who just can bring themselves to use transit.

Despite many attempts at attempting 'pedestrian-friendly' facades, the garage is a rather brutal presence on a potentially wonderful stretch of Mission. Would CityPlace's garage have a similar impact? That should be asked. Also, given the economic reset underway, is retail the best use for that stretch of Market?

[northbay]

Originally Posted by coyotetrickster

I agree with FFlint, this project exemption should not be allowed. However, for fairness' sake, I will point out the 5000 car garage at 5th and mission does provide parking access for those folks who just can bring themselves to use transit.

Despite many attempts at attempting 'pedestrian-friendly' facades, the garage is a rather brutal presence on a potentially wonderful stretch of Mission. Would CityPlace's garage have a similar impact? That should be asked. Also, given the economic reset underway, is retail the best use for that stretch of Market?

hells yes this project should be built! commercial development makes the city the most money - and the city needs "middle-class" retail, especially on that stretch of market.

of course there should not be parking - fflint outlined why perfectly. the last thing we need is more cars (or huge garages) downtown.

just dont throw out the baby with the bath water.

[utgf]

Originally Posted by fflint

Adding hundreds or thousands of additional cars to 5th and Market will signficantly degrade the quality of the area, slowing down Market Street Muni buses and trolleys. That is bad for Muni riders.

That is some obfuscated logic there. Traffic maybe added to 5th and 6th. Market will still will continue to be further and further restricted for private automobiles. Also we are talking about 200 parking spots, which is around 1/2 of the parking spots on one level of the Fifth and Mission Street garage. I hope this project gets approved with or without the parking spots. We have waited long enough for something to happen in that section of Market St.

[BTinSF]

Originally Posted by coyotetrickster

I agree with FFlint, this project exemption should not be allowed. However, for fairness' sake, I will point out the 5000 car garage at 5th and mission does provide parking access for those folks who just can bring themselves to use transit.

Despite many attempts at attempting 'pedestrian-friendly' facades, the garage is a rather brutal presence on a potentially wonderful stretch of Mission. Would CityPlace's garage have a similar impact? That should be asked. Also, given the economic reset underway, is retail the best use for that stretch of Market?

The answer to your question is absolutely not--parking in the basement of a structure that's fully pedestrian-friendly retail above ground in no way would have the same visual impact as a separate parking structure and the presence of that structure across from SF Centre is why it's somewhat unfair to argue they don't have parking so niether should CityPlace.

Still, they must have known how controversial the parking would be in this location and so I'm betting it's a throw-away bargaining chip, not a critical issue.

[peanut gallery]

More good news for Mid-Market. From CurbedSF:

Grant Building Slated for Hotel With Club, Resto, and Rooftop Bar
Monday, January 11, 2010, by Andy J. Wang

Brace, Mid-Market: the Grant Building, on Market and 7th, is on the road to getting a restoration, and becoming a 94-room hotel with a 3,500-square-foot night club, a 2,500-square-foot restaurant/cafe/bar, and a 7,500-square-foot "open air roof bar" — according to a notice sent out to nearby residents.

...the historic facade of the 1905 building would make a comeback (meaning the cornice returns?), while the interiors would get rejiggered. Also, the owners don't plan to add any parking (there currently isn't any anyway).

[fflint]

Is that the building that recently got boarded up on the ground floor?

[BTinSF]

Originally Posted by fflint

Is that the building that recently got boarded up on the ground floor?

I'm out of town so I have no idea what building just got boarded up, but here's the Grant Building (showing it as being boarded up):



And in 1905 (the rubble tells me the photo was taken in 1906, actually but it was apparently BUILT in 1905) with cornice:


Source: http://sf.curbed.com/archives/2010/0...ooftop_bar.php

[BTinSF]

What Mid-Market could become:

Have You Seen These Massings For 1127 Market?

A plugged-in tipster delivers a few detailed massing models for the development of 1127 Market Street (a.k.a. the Strand Theater which has been shuttered for seven years).







Unfortunately we don’t have any additional information on the origin of these models or the status of any plans for development, . . ..

Source: http://www.socketsite.com/archives/2...he_develo.html

OK, so Trinity Place is not condo but rental. Why quibble?

[AndrewK]

ive been hoping something would happen with the strand building for some time now. it really is a great building, but needs some serious love.

[Jerry of San Fran]

The Grand Building - 7th & Market

It would be nice to see the old building renovated. Since cornices are an earthquake hazard I wonder if it would be part of the restoration.

I see the corner from my apartment 2 blocks away. It is a war zone! I see the police & paramedics there every day. It is usual to see several police cars there on an emergency call. The hotel may be the pioneer that tames this area.

[BTinSF]

Originally Posted by Jerry of San Fran

The Grand Building - 7th & Market

It would be nice to see the old building renovated. Since cornices are an earthquake hazard I wonder if it would be part of the restoration.

I see the corner from my apartment 2 blocks away. It is a war zone! I see the police & paramedics there every day. It is usual to see several police cars there on an emergency call. The hotel may be the pioneer that tames this area.

Probably doesn't help that my former employer, a methadone clinic (which also offers primary care for sliding scale fees that bottom out at very low levels), is a few doors up Market--in fact, some of the paramedic visits may well be to them (I called 'em my share of times myself).

[BTinSF]

It’s Back To Building At 1844 Market (At 2200 Not So Much)


. . . the plan to redevelop 2200 Market into 22 new homes over retail is stalled at best as the ex-Thai House has been repainted and a new Leticia's is opening soon.

Source: http://www.socketsite.com/archives/2..._not_2200.html

Actually, a new Leticia's may be second best (IMHO, SF lacks good sit-down--as opposed to taqueria-style take-out--Mexican dining options and I recall Leticia's with good thoughts).

[BTinSF]

This gave me a giggle--Polly the Parrot, the new mascot of the SF Planning bureaucracy:


Source: http://sf.curbed.com/archives/2010/0...ctive.php#more