SAN FRANCISCO | Salesforce Transit Center

[peanut gallery]

Everything in the foreground here will be demolished:


As for businesses and residential mentioned in the article, that's Varnish in the small brick building on the left with the red neon sign. Zebulon is right next to it. The condos are the gray building next to that. Adolph Gasser is in the darker red building to the right of that. The buildings immediately behind those will also be demolished. The lighter red brick building with the graffiti will not be demolished.

As a point of trivia, Baron Davis lived in those condos when he played for the Warriors.

Here's another shot of that block:


This is Second and Howard; everything you see here will be gone:


I misspoke about Adolph Gasser. They are in the small white building, not the brick building.

The two to the left side are the buildings on the southeast corner of Second and Howard that will be demolished:


I'm really surprised these are going. They just totally remodeled the one on the right, which was in progress back when I took this.

[BTinSF]

I think all of this is actually part of Phase 2: the tunneling of CalTrain and HSR into the terminal. It looks to me like those buildings are right above where the tunnel will be.

Since I don't think we really know for sure when that is going to happen yet, I kind of hope these folks don't succumb to the pressure and move out right away. It's going to kill that part of Second St. which is actually a pretty vibrant neighborhood. I also wonder whether the buildings will be torn down or whether they simply must be vacant during the tunnel construction process but could be re-occupied later.

[peanut gallery]

Yes I think you're right, this is mostly phase 2 stuff. Although some of the smaller stuff south of Howard is probably for the new ramps. As far as demo, from the article:

The city can use eminent domain to demolish 21 buildings in a 145-acre chunk of downtown.

City planners say some buildings have to be taken down, though the transit center plan will preserve some historic sites, such as the Drexler Planters Hotel at 606 Folsom St. and the Philips Van Orden building at 234 First St.

Some buildings on the first block of Second Street couldn’t be salvaged, and were acquired either “under settlement or threat of eminent domain,” said Harry Quinn, real estate coordinator for Transbay Joint Powers Authority.

So at least some of them are toast -- we know the building right on the northeast corner of Second and Howard is, as they've posted renderings of the grand park entrance replacement structure (and I'm pretty sure that's what they are referring to in that last paragraph). But it would sure be nice if some of these just need to be made vacant for awhile.

[peanut gallery]

I'm sure most of the regulars have seen the new Transbay website. I noticed one small note about the activity I've been watching on the western end of the site: apparently that was geotechnical testing work (ie: checking out the soil conditions where work will be happening in the coming months). Not surprising, but I thought perhaps some utility work was being done too. Guess not.

[NYC2ATX]

Not for anything, but I totally watched that video on the homepage like three times....I think it's safe to say that it pumped me up twice as much about this project. It'll really bring San Fran into the 21st Century, and then some.

[Yankee]

Am I the only one who's not particularly fond of the tower design? It's not bad but there's something about the way it tapers that bothers me, like an irregularity... It's for that same reason I'm not a huge fan of the planned Chicago Spire design - it tapers off gradually, but not uniformly. It tapers more the higher you get, and there's something irregular about that, I can't explain it but it's not eye pleasing to me, it's like an unresolved melody kind of just... wanna take it and straighten it out.

That's obviously just my weird taste/personal opinion and I like everything else about it... and I'm sure most people like it just the way it is, but does anyone else happen to feel similarly/get what I'm talking about?

[peanut gallery]

I think I know what you're saying, but it doesn't bother me. I like the tower design -- like, but not love. I loved the SOM proposal, but I'm OK with this one. I am very excited about the new terminal though, regardless of the tower.

[BTinSF]

Tuesday, January 26, 2010, 11:34am PST | Modified: Tuesday, January 26, 2010, 1:04pm
S.F.’s Transbay center gets $171M loan
San Francisco Business Times - by Eric Young

Federal authorities approved a $171 million loan for a new transit center in San Francisco that could enhance development of a bullet train line.

The U.S. Department of Transportation said Tuesday its loan for construction of the Transbay Transit Center will pay for ramps to the Bay Bridge, a bus storage facility and the design of an underground transit facility . . . .

The cost of construction for phase one of the Transbay project is $1.189 billion. The total project cost is $4.2 billion . . . .

Source: http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/...ml?t=printable

[peanut gallery]

^In addition to funding those specific elements of the project, this loan brings the project one step closer to securing the funding to build the train box in phase 1. From a TJPA email I received today:

In addition, the $171 million TIFIA loan paves the way for the next increment of funding for the train box. TJPA has applied for $400 million in federal economic stimulus funds to construct the below grade train levels of the Transit Center as a part of the first phase of construction, which would ultimately save the project $100 million overall. Announcement of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding is expected this winter.

[1977]

Webcor updated their "current/recent projects" page and added the TB Terminal development (http://webcor.com/current.html?proj_id=263). There is also a link (http://www.webcor-obayashi.com/index.asp) to a separate project page. While neither site offers new info, it is the smallest sign of progress. I'll take it for now.

[E-dot]

any developement regarding the transbay?

[hi123]

^ The temporary transbay terminal is on track to open in may. After that demolition will commence on the old terminal and excavation will begin on the new one.

[BTinSF]

Originally Posted by 1977

Webcor updated their "current/recent projects" page and added the TB Terminal development (http://webcor.com/current.html?proj_id=263). There is also a link (http://www.webcor-obayashi.com/index.asp) to a separate project page. While neither site offers new info, it is the smallest sign of progress. I'll take it for now.

Thanks. They also now have the project I almost care about even more: the new SFPUC Building ( http://webcor.com/current.html?proj_id=261 ). And there's some new render porn:



I'd still love a current photo--anyone?

[nequidnimis]

Originally Posted by BTinSF

Thanks. They also now have the project I almost care about even more: the new SFPUC Building ( http://webcor.com/current.html?proj_id=261 ). And there's some new render porn:



I'd still love a current photo--anyone?

Still a hole. Hasn't reached ground yet. And we're taking this thread off-topic.

[E-dot]

Cant wait for the terminal to be demolished.....though another question is what is the status of the skyscrapers proposed to be built?

[dr_strangelove]

Pics of the temporary transbay terminal


















Love the palm trees, much better than the chubby ones on Market street.

[northbay]

^ welcome to the forum!

not too bad looking for just temporary structures!

[peanut gallery]

Yes, welcome dr. strangelove! Thanks for the shots.

[kenratboy]

I had a thought. Between the miserable state of the budgets in SF, CA, and the USA - and the nature of a massive project like this (especially in SF) - I see the very real possibility the 'temporary' transit center may have a much longer service life than the project outline would suggest. Who knows what will happen, what will be delayed between now and the time the new facility opens of bus traffic.

[BTinSF]

It's more likely phase 1 of the new terminal will get built and it will be, and remain forever, the world's fanciest bus terminal/homeless shelter (because you know if there's no train service, that huge nearly empty barn is going to be over-run with the homeless just like the old terminal is).