THE BAY AREA | Projects from San Francisco's Surrounding 8 Counties

[timbad]

Originally Posted by Folks3000

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfranci....html?page=all

Will be the tallest building in San Mateo County upon completion. Combined with a few other cool projects going on near the South City Caltrain station this area could really start to get in on the action.

besides the fact that I wish they wouldn't let people build on the side of San Bruno Mountain, this location is unfortunately not too accessible from the Caltrain station (I know, not much is), as far as I can see. I'm having trouble getting enthusiastic about an isolated tall tower that you have to drive to that further blocks the view of the mountain.

the plans for the station itself are encouraging - just opening it up to the biotech companies on the east side should spur commuting by train significantly, I would think. when I worked down that way years ago, I walked across the active freight tracks and through a 'secret' gap in the trackside fence to get to and from my office.

probably one of the other projects Folks alludes to: I had noticed recent activity on the last major undeveloped parcel visible on the east side from the train, but wasnt sure what was going on - appears to be this:

...The Cove at Oyster Point, a potential 884,000-square-foot, multi-tenant campus near the intersection of Highway 101 and Oyster Point Boulevard. In all, the 20-acre project will have seven lab/office buildings of four to five stories, a hotel and a parking structure with ground-floor retail.
The first of three phases, with steel set to go up in July, is scheduled for completion in third-quarter 2016....

[CaliforniaSoul]

Hello everyone… Been regularly visiting this forum for a long time (created an account almost 10 years ago!) and finally decided to actually contribute something. There’s a noticeable lack of coverage on East Bay projects on this forum (and on the internet in general) so I’ve started putting together a blog with some of the developments going on around Oakland, Berkeley and Emeryville. Though not a high-rise boom like in SF, the East Bay is seeing a lot of construction. Here are some Oakland projects and later in the week I’ll hopefully have time to post some Berkeley and Emeryville projects. All photos were taken by me unless otherwise noted.

Brooklyn Basin - This is probably the largest project in the East Bay. Demolition and site prep work is pretty much completed. According to the website, construction is supposed to start in March 2015 though I stopped by the site last weekend and not much had changed from a few months ago… Anyway here’s some pics:





AveVista - This is an affordable housing project right by Lake Merritt on Grand Ave. It looks more or less topped out and according to the developer should be completed by Summer 2015.



Broadway CVS
Looks like CVS is converting a former car dealership building that has some historic character into a pharmacy.



The Shops on Broadway - Not the most exciting development. One story retail center with a Sprouts market. While this site could have used a denser development at least it’s well-designed with no visible parking:



Rockridge Shopping Center
This intersection (Broadway and 51st/Pleasant Valley Blvd) is seeing major developments on 3 corners which should transform this part of town from drab auto-oriented area to a more urban mixed-use area. On the NE corner, we’re saying a sizable strip mall being redeveloped into a much more attractive, pedestrian-oriented development:

(Rendering: Safeway)



Currently, the old CVS store is being demolished/renovated (as seen above). Safeway will move to this site and then the western (street-facing) edge of the shopping center will be rebuilt.

Merrill Gardens:
On the NW corner of this intersection we have an assisted living facility with ground floor retail that just broke ground recently. It’s a nicely designed building that will do wonders for the look of this area.




4901 Broadway
The final project on this corner (SW) is not yet u/c but is currently going through the approval process. Excited for this one too because it will get rid of a bunch of run-down buildings. Here’s a rendering of what is currently planned:

(Rendering: Brick LLP via Oakland Planning Department)


Rockridge Safeway on College Ave
Not to be confused with the Rockridge Shopping Center Safeway, the redevelopment of the College Ave Safeway near the Berkeley city limit recently wrapped up. Though fought by the NIMBYs in the area, this project actually turned out really nice and even includes a Philz Coffee. Obviously, a nice mixed-user would have been perfect so close to a BART station but the Rockridge NIMBYs are notoriously anti-development so this will have to do:



That's all I have for now. I'll try to post future updates here as well as on my blog. Let me know if I've missed a major development that you'd like me to take a picture of.

[CharlesCO]

Thanks for sharing! I feel like there's not a really great place online that summarizes or tracks new developments, especially those in the East Bay, so I'm looking forward to your blog. That's something to add to the blog roll. There even seems to be a lack of East Bay voices just on SSP sometimes.

That 51st and Broadway development looks nice. Blue Bottle did a great job rehabbing the old WC Morse building on 42nd, so maybe that stretch of Broadway will be the next place to be Rockridgified or Temescalified.

Is there any chance you know anything about the status of that multistory hotel development in downtown Berkeley? Also, while it's not as sexy of an area (in fact, I try to avoid it at all costs), downtown Walnut Creek is full of development as well.

[viewguysf]

Thanks for the coverage CaliforniaSoul, it was good to see what's going on around Rockridge, an area I've long been fond of. It's very easy to get wrapped up in all that's going on over here and not look beyond it.

[RST500]

Originally Posted by CharlesCO

Thanks for sharing! I feel like there's not a really great place online that summarizes or tracks new developments, especially those in the East Bay, so I'm looking forward to your blog. That's something to add to the blog roll. There even seems to be a lack of East Bay voices just on SSP sometimes.

That 51st and Broadway development looks nice. Blue Bottle did a great job rehabbing the old WC Morse building on 42nd, so maybe that stretch of Broadway will be the next place to be Rockridgified or Temescalified.

Is there any chance you know anything about the status of that multistory hotel development in downtown Berkeley? Also, while it's not as sexy of an area (in fact, I try to avoid it at all costs), downtown Walnut Creek is full of development as well.

What's wrong with downtown WC? It's walkable and is the main business and entertainment hub for the wealthy East Bay suburbs. Also had the best weather in the Bay Area.

[CharlesCO]

Originally Posted by RST500

What's wrong with downtown WC? It's walkable and is the main business and entertainment hub for the wealthy East Bay suburbs. Also had the best weather in the Bay Area.

Perhaps it's a victim of its own success, or perhaps I've just spent too much time there. I'll go there if I need to buy something in a pinch or if a friend invites me to dinner/happy hour, but otherwise, with the masses of people there and the fact that it's not ideal to get there from where I live neither from transit nor by car, I just don't have much interest in going there anymore. It is about as fast for me to get to Oakland/Berkeley as it is to get to Walnut Creek, and there's a little more interest in places like Rockridge or the Telegraph area.

I think they're doing a really great job adding density and really trying to make it another option for urban living in the Bay Area, and I think it will turn into a really cool place someday, though there's still an air of fakeness to it, and pretty much every restaurant there is completely forgettable. (P.S. All the restaurants in Lafayette are much, much better!)

[pizzaguy]

Originally Posted by RST500

What's wrong with downtown WC? It's walkable and is the main business and entertainment hub for the wealthy East Bay suburbs. Also had the best weather in the Bay Area.

No offense to anyone who lives on the other side of the Berkeley hills but to say they have good weather is insane.

Maybe if you're an iguana or a cactus, sure.

[CharlesCO]

Originally Posted by pizzaguy

No offense to anyone who lives on the other side of the Berkeley hills but to say they have good weather is insane.

Maybe if you're an iguana or a cactus, sure.

LOL. Walnut Creek is a little too warm every once in a while, though it's funny to note that Orinda was founded as a vacation town for wealthy San Franciscans who wanted to go somewhere warm for the summer.

[yakumoto]

One place I believe hasn't been well represented, but actually has quite a bit of construction going on is San Jose's Japantown and the industrial areas around it.









These signs seem to be popping up all over the place:



Also a bit of construction in what's generally the heart of Japantown:



And thankfully several of these projects are (attempting) to preserve some of the original architecture. The project here plans on new housing be built around, as well as rehabbing, this building:



The Japantown Corporation Yard currently sits as a huge empty block, though there have been quite a few proposals for its development:

[RST500]

Originally Posted by pizzaguy

No offense to anyone who lives on the other side of the Berkeley hills but to say they have good weather is insane.

Maybe if you're an iguana or a cactus, sure.

That area has the most natural beauty of the Bay Area.




http://static.panoramio.com/photos/o...l/78262326.jpg




http://blog.heatherdugan.com/wp-cont...blo-tower1.jpg




http://renaissance-hotels.marriott.c..._Park-ebgk2xpq

[timbad]

Originally Posted by RST500

What's wrong with downtown WC? ... Also had the best weather in the Bay Area.

sorry, Redwood City officially claims that title: 'climate best by government test'

thanks for all the pics and updates, folks!

[RST500]

Developer pageant for $6 billion Concord naval redevelopment hits final stretch
Mar 12, 2015, 2:42pm PDT UPDATED: Mar 13, 2015, 10:30am PDT
Roland Li
Reporter-San Francisco Business Times

Three real estate companies are competing to be the developer of a massive former naval base in Concord that will be one of the largest projects in the Bay Area with over 12,000 units of housing and over six million square feet of new commercial property planned. Building out the project will involve an estimated $6 billion in construction spending.

Catellus Development Corp., Lennar Urban and SunCal have offered three different proposals that offer varying building arrangements and amenities. The three companies will give presentations to city officials and community members on Saturday at 1950 Parkside Drive in Concord.

A city evaluation board is expected to make a recommendation to the Concord City Council on April 14 that will narrow the field to two developers, said Michael Wright, executive director of Concord's Local Reuse Authority, which is overseeing the project. The winning developer will be chosen around June, said Wright . . . .

The Concord Naval Weapons Station was built in the 1940s and stored ammunition and munitions, with around 3,800 people on the site at its peak. It closed in 2005 amid federal government cutbacks. Concord adopted a reuse and area plan by 2012, and the city will take ownership of around 1,400 acres on the property by 2016. The East Bay Regional Park District will control another 2,700 acres devoted to parkland.

Here's an overview of each developer and their proposals.

Catellus
Oakland developer Catellus, which worked on Mission Bay and Alameda Landing, has centered phase one of its Concord proposal around the nearby BART station.

"We believe the North Concord BART station is one of the great assets that the plan has," said Steve Buster, vice president of Catellus. "Phase one is all within a five to 15 minute walk to BART, which we think is very compelling."

The first phase of the plan would have 4,285 housing units, with a mixture of multifamily apartments, townhouses and single family housing. Another 1.7 million square feet of commercial space would be built in phase one, with potential office, retail, hospitality and entertainment usages. The developer is looking at bike lanes and racks and a potential transportation loop with shuttles.



Lennar Urban
Lennar Urban is the Bay Area arm of Miami-based homebuilder Lennar Corp. It has worked on the reuse of naval bases at Treasure Island and Hunters Point, where it fully sold 88 townhouses this week.

The Lennar plan covers a smaller area, totaling 860 acres for 5,700 housing units. It also wants a solar farm on a former bunker site.

"Our experience has prepared us for the challenges that lay ahead, and we would be honored to have the opportunity to roll up our sleeves and work closely with the citizens of Concord to realize their vision of creating a world class project that provides benefits to the entire Concord community," said Kofi Bonner, president of Lennar Urban.



SunCal
Irvine-based SunCal's projects include the mixed-use Dublin Crossing in Dublin and Oak Knoll Naval Hospital site in Oakland.

SunCal's first phase would include 3,200 housing units and 750,000 square feet of commercial space. Development would begin in three regions, with higher density near the North Concord BART station, and smaller buildings along Highway 4 and near Willow Pass Road. The developer wants a civic use rather than retail in the property's canal district neighborhood, which could be a library, park or school to anchor canal district neighborhood.

The developer has an agricultural component to its proposal that would include fruit orchards and community farms to form a 275-foot buffer between the new project and its existing neighbors. SunCal is talking to local farming groups about operating on the site.

"We're talking more about an organic farm-to-table amenity for the community," Joe Guerra, manager of land acquisitions and entitlement for SunCal in Northern California.


http://m.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisc...age=all&r=full

[CaliforniaSoul]

As promised last week here are some updates of (mostly smaller) projects in Berkeley:

2631 Durant
A Stanley Saitowitz residential building is proposed for Durant Ave near College Ave. This project has been repeatedly rejected by Berkeley’s Design review committee but the most current version looks pretty nice and will probably get the necessary approvals:


Rendering: Stanley Saitowitz

What’s currently there:


2526 Durant
Just a block away, also on Durant Ave, is a mixed-use building that just recently broke ground. Plans call for 44 units and about 5,000 square feet of retail.




Lower Sproul
Around the corner from both of these residential developments is the redevelopment of UC Berkeley’s Lower Sproul. This is the first phase of the redevelopment and should be done by the end of the Spring semester. The second phase will include some renovations and additions to existing buildings and should break ground later this year.



Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive
In Downtown Berkeley, construction of the new BAM/PFA is progressing nicely. The museum announced recently that they plan to open sometime next year.



1935 Addison
Nice infill development in Downtown Berkeley. If I remember correctly, this used to be a parking lot and a small commercial building. Yay for densification in transit rich, walkable areas.


The Aquatic
This is a mixed-use building under construction in West Berkeley. The project already has a website (for anyone interested) and should be completed this summer. The area around the Amtrak station in West Berkeley has become something of a development hot spot. Avalon Bay already completed a mixed-use building nearby and two more projects (with a unified look) are planned immediately adjacent to this building (824 University & 2001 Fourth Street).

[AndrewK]

Originally Posted by CaliforniaSoul

1935 Addison
Nice infill development in Downtown Berkeley. If I remember correctly, this used to be a parking lot and a small commercial building. Yay for densification in transit rich, walkable areas.

This site previously had an auto repair shop (in fact, Im pretty sure I got my car smogged there once). There was, unsurprisingly, a bit of a hub-bub when it was proposed due to the usual nimby issues. The old structure is still visible on google street view.

[peanut gallery]

A new hotel is coming to Emeryville, according to the Business Journal:

The first new hotel in over a decade is coming to Emeryville. Ensemble Hotel Partners has broken ground on the 175-room Hyatt Place Hotel next to the Bay Street Emeryville mall.

The $37 million hotel is slated to open in the third quarter of 2016, said Brian Ehrlich, chief investment officer at Ensemble Hotel Partners, a unit of Long Beach, Calif.-based Ensemble Investments.

-----snip------

The design of the hotel, with its brick facade, acknowledges Emeryville's industrial history while bringing in more modern elements, said Ehrlich. The hotel will add 60 permanent hotel jobs and 175 to 200 construction jobs.

Check the link for the rendering. As usual, Business Journal .jpg's won't post here for some reason.

[peanut gallery]

East Palo Alto is getting in on the development bonanza. The Business Journal has details on a new spec office building:

The Bay Area’s current commercial development boom has so far left out East Palo Alto, historically the region’s least prosperous city. But not anymore.

The Sobrato Organization said this week it would start construction in the summer on University Square, a 209,454-square-foot office building at 2100 University Ave. Sobrato will build the building on spec, meaning without a tenant signed, said Rob Hollister, president of real estate for Cupertino-based Sobrato.

The announcement is a big vote of confidence for East Palo Alto, which has not seen a new office building since 2001’s University Circle complex replaced the storied “Whiskey Gulch” on the other side of Highway 101. Meanwhile, the tech-fueled economic expansion has brought new investment to the city’s neighbors, including Menlo Park and Redwood City.

----snip----

Instead of two buildings with an attractive but institutional look, the new four-story project will feature a modern take on the “creative converted warehouse space” that’s so in demand by tech companies in San Francisco.

----snip----

On the outside, brick walls are punctuated by 10-foot windows and a glass curtain wall mid-building. Inside, a huge 4,200-square-foot atrium cuts through the center, with each 55,000-square-foot level connected by massive staircases as light floods down from 2,000-square-feet of skylights. A two-level bridge, with 7,000 square feet of space on each, connects the building from a parking garage next door.

Much more, including renderings of the exterior and interior, at the link.

[CaliforniaSoul]

Originally Posted by peanut gallery

A new hotel is coming to Emeryville, according to the Business Journal:



Check the link for the rendering. As usual, Business Journal .jpg's won't post here for some reason.

Thanks for this! I passed by this development last weekend and took a few pictures. Looks like they are already hard at work.





Some other developments from the area:

Public Market Redevelopment
This one is huge and still in the early stages (except for the one building below). This could really help transform this part of Emeryville from a suburban parking lot wasteland to a much more urban place. A public hearing is schedule for June I believe so we'll see how/if the plans change.


Rendering: Hart Howerton Architects


Rendering: Hart Howerton Architects

The only part completed (and not officially part of the project anymore) is this residential building which has just recently wrapped up construction:



Parc on Powell
On the other side of the tracks (Powell and Hollis), we have another project that is just about done. I think this turned out really well and, of course, is bringing much needed density to the East Bay.



Garden Village Berkeley
Finally, here's a shot of the Berkeley Garden Village project. I thought this broke ground a while ago so I was surprised to see it's still just a hole in the ground...



I'm really hoping this project is happening because I think it has a very cool design:

Rendering: Natoma Architects

[AndrewK]

Originally Posted by peanut gallery

A new hotel is coming to Emeryville, according to the Business Journal:



Check the link for the rendering. As usual, Business Journal .jpg's won't post here for some reason.

Glad to see something finally happening with that lot (even if that hotel design is that uninspiring). It was cleared what seems like a decade ago for a Nordstrom that never happened.

[CaliforniaSoul]

Here's another quick update:

Shattuck Hotel Development
This is one of the taller buildings proposed in Downtown Berkeley. Designs were tweaked a bit since the project was first announced. This one still needs approvals from the city.


Rendering: HSR Berkeley Investments

1951 Shattuck
This is a 12-story residential building that is set to rise just north of University. This design is a significant improvement of what was first proposed.


Rendering: The Bay Architects

Varsity Student Housing
This is a luxury student housing project that is going up in Downtown Berkeley and is set to open this summer.



Parker Place/Former Berkeley Honda Dealership
This is a major mixed-use development going up on Shattuck and Parker. I really hope this will spark interest in the blocks surrounding this lot because there is a lot of surface lots and underused commercial buildings nearby.


The facade of the dealership is being preserved and incorporated into the new development.

Rendering:

Rendering: Lennar/LPAS

[AndrewK]

Originally Posted by CaliforniaSoul

Garden Village Berkeley
Finally, here's a shot of the Berkeley Garden Village project. I thought this broke ground a while ago so I was surprised to see it's still just a hole in the ground...



I'm really hoping this project is happening because I think it has a very cool design:

Rendering: Natoma Architects

This is very cool, and I had no idea that it was happening. I used to live on the top floor of that white house directly behind the traffic light. I bet once this is built the SW-facing living room will not have as good views as it did when I lived there.