[BTinSF]

^^^I think there's a tire shop across from the Burton Building because it was probably there long before the Burton building and the solution is to build some highrise hoiusing there. Van Ness is another matter. We've discussed that elsewhere. Nobody has a good explanation for why retail on Van Ness has been "iffy" as long as I've lived on Van Ness (26 years).

I actually hate the Burton Building. Perhaps you know that I nominated it on the thread here as the ugliest building in SF. It's just an ugly building. I'm not sure how I would feel if it were an attractively designed building. As for the Holiday Inn, I don't mind it and it does fit what I repeat is the Planning Dept. policy of putting the tallest buildings on the highest points of land. I've actually stayed on the top floor--heck of a view for a tourist.

There are ugly, inappropriate highrises. But that doesn't explain why people oppose them in downtown, such as Mission St., where they would be surrounded by other highrises. I'm not opposed to planning which is to say putting highrises where they are grouped and most appropriate based on use and infrastructure availability. But the sort of people who oppose them at the TransBay Terminal and on Rincon Hill just viscerally don't like tall buildings in San Francisco. The only reason I can think of is what someone (Fflint I think it was) called a desire to see SF as a Mediterranean village by the sea, not a world-class city.