WHAT YOU MAY HAVE MISSED THIS WEEK:

Salesforce Transit center on track for potential June reopening
Number of newly proposed development plans on the rise
Plans for 25-story apartment building in SoMa announced
Theater site development in Excelsior slated for approval

COMMUNITY

Salesforce Transit Center on Track for a Potential June Reopening

“While an official re-opening date for San Francisco’s fractured Salesforce Transit Center has yet to be released by the Transbay Joint Powers Authority (TJPA), the contractor performing the fix is on track to finish at the end of May. At the same time, a comprehensive inspection of the entire structure, which has yet to raise any new red flags or concerns, is nearing completion and the results are slated to be presented to an independent review panel next month as well. And as such, assuming the building is given a clean bill of health, the Salesforce Transit Center could potentially re-open in June, with an early re-activation of the rooftop park now looking a lot less plausible.” CONTINUE READING ON SOCKETSITE

DEVELOPMENT PIPELINE

Pace of Newly Proposed Development on the Rise in San Francisco

“Having totaled a seven-year low last year, the number of newly proposed plans for major developments in San Francisco totaled 17 in the first quarter of this year, that’s up from 10 in the first quarter of 2018 and slightly above average for first quarter activity as measured since 2010. And despite having dropped to a seven-year low in 2018, keep in mind that the overall pipeline of apartments and condos under development in San Francisco had still ticked up to a record 70,960 at the end of last year, which was 5,710 more units than at the end of 2017 with over 8,000 units under construction (versus an average of around 5,600 units under construction at any given time over the past 10 years).” CONTINUE READING ON S OCKETSITE

Even Bigger Plans for Prominent SoMa Gas Station Site

“…A third parcel, 181 Stillman Street, upon which a little commercial building currently sits, has now been rolled into the project site as well. And as newly rendered by BDE Architects [above], and now formally proposed, the 25-story development would rise up to 260 feet in height, with 353 apartments (a mix of 47 studios, 164 one-bedrooms and 142 twos) over 5,700 square feet of replacement PDR space and off-street parking for 34 cars and 166 bikes. If approved and the ground is broken, the 598 Bryant Street project would take around two years to complete.” CONTINUE READING ON S OCKETSITE

Redevelopment of Theater Site Slated for Approval

“…Having preliminary cleared a key environmental hurdle, the refined plans to raze the rustic Main Street Theater and develop apartments on its Excelsior District site at 915 Cayuga Avenue, which extends to Alemany Boulevard, behind the Little Bear School campus at 65 Ocean Avenue, a parcel which is being redeveloped as well, are one step closer to becoming reality…While half the units are still slated to be offered at below market rates (BMR), as a concession to the City in exchange for rezoning the theater parcel to allow for the development and density as proposed, the other half of the units are no longer slated to be rent controlled. And on Thursday, San Francisco’s Planning Commission is slated to approve the development agreement, zoning amendments and conditional use authorization necessary for the proposed development to rise along Alemany Boulevard, as newly rendered below, to proceed. ” CONTINUE READING ON S OCKETSITE

Supervisors Reverse Approval of Western SoMa Development

“While approved by Planning at the end of last year, an appeal aiming to block the plans for a seven-story development to rise on the northwest corner of Folsom and Russ Streets, upon the Fondue Cowboy and Deli Board site, has been upheld by San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors and the project’s approval has been reversed. As designed, the 1052-1060 Folsom Street development, which includes the parcel at 190-194 Russ, would yield 63 condos over a garage for 17 cars and 2,800 square feet of new restaurant/retail space on the corner. But at seven stories in height, it would also cast new late afternoon shadows on Victoria Manolo Draves Park across the street, shadows which are specifically governed by Proposition K (a.k.a. San Francisco’s “Sunlight Ordinance”).” CONTINUE READING ON S OCKETSITE

MISCELLANEOUS

San Francisco is now the world’s most expensive city to build, study says

“The City by the Bay has dethroned the Big Apple as the world’s priciest place for new construction. This year, San Francisco removes New York from the top spot, having increased by 5 percent in the last year, according to a new report by consulting company Turner & Townsend. The study examined the average building costs in six different types of construction: apartment highrises, prestige office blocks, large warehouse distribution centers, general hospitals, primary and secondary schools and shopping centers and malls.” CONTINUE READING ON BUSINESS TIMES