[BTinSF]

City releases ambitious Transbay Terminal proposal
John Coté,John King, Chronicle Staff Writers
Thursday, November 19, 2009
(11-19) 15:43 PST San Francisco -- The recession hasn't stopped San Francisco's city planners from thinking big.

The Planning Department released an ambitious set of proposals today to turn the blocks around the Transbay Terminal into a commercial and transportation centerpiece of the region over the next two decades.

The 145-acre "Transit Center District" would redraw San Francisco's skyline with a half-dozen towers taller than almost any in the city, including one stretching at least 100 feet higher than the Transamerica Pyramid. The plan would widen the sidewalks and narrow the streets around a rebuilt terminal. It also would reroute most Bay Bridge commuter traffic outside the pedestrian-oriented district . . . .

The plan promotes creating "an elegant skyline ... with its apex at the Transit Center" by allowing the Hines tower to rise 1,000 feet in terms of occupied space. Another 200 feet would be allowed for mechanical equipment and sculptural flourishes so long as they cast minimal shadows.

To ensure "that this building be the crown of the skyline," the plan also would require it to climb at least 950 feet . . . .

Source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...M8R8.DTL&tsp=1