SAN FRANCISCO | Mission Bay

[timbad]

wildcowboy (and everyone), let's see if this works. my first attempt at posting to the forum:

this should be a shot taken yesterday, of (from right to left) UCSF's cardiovascular center, the Helen Diller Cancer Center, and the Pfizer facility across Third. in the foreground you can see some of the street accessories in place on Fourth St, which is not officially open yet.



and here a shot south down Fourth St from the northern end of the new section. Strata housing on the left:



I do live in the neighborhood, and can get out most weekends, so if there are things of particular interest to people, I am happy to wander over, camera in hand...

[timbad]

oh, and btw, I haven't noticed any evidence that block 13 (just south of Mission Creek Park, adjacent to 4th St, right?) is under construction. I'll take a closer look next time I'm by there.

[rocketman_95046]

great pics timbad,

being a resident, do you like the way the neighborhood is coming together?

[WildCowboy]

Awesome pics, thanks. Looks like a nice streetwall going up there along Mission Bay Blvd S...can't wait for that whole stretch of the Commons to be put in. Any façade panels going up on the cardiovascular research building yet, or still just framing?

The opening of Fourth will probably change things a bit for UCSF's campus. Their little piece of it has been a private street for many years now, but now they'll be getting through traffic on it.

Looking forward to future updates.

[Downtown Dave]

I went down here on Sunday morning.

What is up with this hideous blank wall on Strata? Is there a stratum missing on this side?



The cancer center and its new neighbor.





Progress on the buildings across the street, with detail of the facade of one of them.







The jagged metal here must be intended for some decoration on the garage:



This turned out better than I expected it to.





I was surprised to see not one but two WHECs undergoing overhaul, as these are to be replaced soon with the new National Security Cutters.



I still can't warm up to this one:



A garden of piles:



Views of the other side, including Arterra and its neighbors:

[Gordo]

Great pics, Dave.

I assume the blank wall on the 3rd St side of Strata is that way because it's assumed that another development will shimmy right up next to it zero-lot line style that will front 3rd St.

[WildCowboy]

Awesome pics, Dave...thanks. Good to see things are chugging right along.

Nice to see that the first block of the Commons appears to finally be open after all those years of being fenced off.

That garage (450 South Street) with the metal framing going in is supposed to have a rather unusual façade to it...will be interesting to see how it turns out.

UCSF's cancer center turned out pretty well...looks almost just like the rendering, which is more than can be said for some of their other projects.

And yes, my understanding is that Strata is right up on the lot line, so whatever goes up on the eastern part of that block will be right up against it. The eastern part of the block is slated for Redevelopment Agency-led affordable housing.

[BTinSF]

Originally Posted by Downtown Dave

I

What is up with this hideous blank wall on Strata? Is there a stratum missing on this side?

Very nice Latin declension.

[pseudolus]

(via Curbed SF)

"Changing Skyline: Some waterfront lessons from the City by the Bay"

http://www.philly.com/philly/enterta.../43158507.html

Can't imagine what junk they're getting in Philadelphia that they'd be envying Mission Bay.

(edit) No need to imagine. Here it is:

[BTinSF]

AvalonBay III rents (Whoa!):

Rents in the building range from $2,100-$4,900 for one bedrooms, $2,100-$3,300 for two bedrooms and from $3,300-$4,900 for three bedrooms. [Meg Spriggs, AvalonBay senior development director] said she is “cautiously optimistic” the project can attain target rents, but said “we will meet the market on rents.”

Source: www.curbedSF.com

[viewguysf]

Originally Posted by BTinSF

AvalonBay III rents (Whoa!):


Source: www.curbedSF.com

The top of the range for a one bedroom unit doesn't seem plausible. What's up with that?

[WildCowboy]

Originally Posted by viewguysf

The top of the range for a one bedroom unit doesn't seem plausible. What's up with that?

No, it doesn't seem so. The Marseille is their sole 1 BR penthouse unit, and it's currently listed in the $2700 range. They are also showing 2 BR units ranging from $2800-$4100.

And the site suggests in a number of places that there is nothing larger than 2 BR, so I have no idea what's going on.

[peanut gallery]

There have been some changes to the Mission Rock proposal. Gone is the music hall and half the retail space. Also, the expected revenue to the port has been reduced by about 40%. They plan to build in phases over 17 years (!) starting in 2013. The park won't go in for about a decade from today. In other words, don't expect to see anything happening for a very long time.

From today's Chronicle:

S.F. waterfront project may be downsized
Robert Selna, Chronicle Staff Writer
Tuesday, May 12, 2009

A plan to remake one of the last large tracts of San Francisco's waterfront likely will be more modest than originally imagined and bring the cash-strapped Port of San Francisco less money than once hoped.

The Port Commission today will decide whether to allow port officials to negotiate exclusively with a team that wants to construct a neighborhood on a 16-acre tract that has been used as a parking lot for AT&T Park.

The builders, which include the Giants baseball team and developers of the Ferry Building and Treasure Island, have hashed out a proposal over nine months that is a work in progress and that has been influenced by the economic downturn.

Originally, port officials believed the agency might earn as much as $10.2 million per year by renting the parking lot land and the adjacent Pier 48. That figure has been whittled down to approximately $6.5 million.

The amount of proposed retail space has also been cut by more than half, to about 186,000 square feet. The developers also want to complete the project in phases over a 17-year period that would start in 2013. Work building a large waterfront park likely would not begin for nearly a decade.

Initial infrastructure development would be funded with private investment and port- issued bonds repaid through taxes generated by new development. In total, the project is estimated to cost $2 billion.

Jack Bair, Giants general counsel, emphasized that the proposal is not final and will be further refined. Nonetheless, he said he believes the plan is the "right mix of uses to generate a vibrant new community along the waterfront."

In about a year, the Port Commission will be expected to review a more detailed proposal, officials said.

"This development group has the equity needed to get this project done, they have the experience, and the plan is generally well thought of," said Jonathan Stern, a waterfront development manager at the Port.

Stern said the parcel - which roughly is the size of nine football fields - could generate more revenue than any other port property proposed for development.

As it stands, the project would produce approximately 10 commercial and residential buildings, including two towers near 200 feet and another taller than 300 feet. The area would be broken into 12 small city blocks and would feature 8 acres of open space, including the waterfront park.

One major parking structure and stalls in other buildings would accommodate 2,650 parking spaces for Giants games and other uses. There also are plans to refurbish Pier 48 for exhibitions and other events.

While the vision for the development is grand, it differs from what originally was proposed. In February, the Giants presented a scheme for an entertainment center tied to well-known names in food and music, including a 5,000-seat music hall.

Treasure Island builders Kenwood Investments, which had partnered with Ferry Building developers Wilson, Meany, Sullivan, proposed an arts destination with galleries and studios to lure visitors.

Each plan included apartments, offices, retail space and parking.

[timbad]

just a general update, since it's been quiet on this front for a while. yesterday I braved the fog and chill to wander over and see how things were progressing.

here's a shot of the cardiovascular research building and part of Pfizer.

on the former they have started putting in the glass on the section closest to the cancer center. on an adjacent lot (not in this pic) it looked like they had a mock-up of exterior panels set up, so those may be going in soon. btw, there is a rendering of the CVRB here:

Pfizer's exterior panels are going up fairly quickly. to me the building has a 'cheap' look to it compared to UCSF.



another shot of Pfizer, and in foreground you can see where there has been digging for the last few months, in one of the Commons lots in front of the cancer center. this hole went down the equivalent of at least two stories, and has had concrete boxes poured in it. I assume this is part of water/sewer infrastructure, but maybe someone else knows better?



at the other end of the Commons, near where the roundabout at Owens' northern end will be, they have also been digging for the last few months, and I wonder if the two sites are related/connected. here they seem to be digging an outlet to the creek nearby also. this pic essentially is looking down the axis of the future Commons from its western end (CVRB in the distance):



speaking of underground construction, south of 16th, just to the west of where the UCSF medical center will be, they have also been moving a lot of dirt excavating a trench over the last few weeks, and here I did note they were laying at least meter-wide concrete pipe the other day.



above ground, 1500 Owens has pretty much wrapped up all external construction, and it seems the internal is coming right along as well, with lights on! this was taken earlier this month:



this is the south entrance, taken yesterday:



the only other above-ground construction currently are the two parking garages. this is the one behind the Gladstone building next to the freeway:



and this is the big one across Third from UCSF. you can see that it is getting some of its external panels on its north side:



here is detail on the panels, taken from the 'back' (east) side. the panels remind me of the copper exterior of the deYoung, with patterns that evoke leafy shadows:



it's not a super clear pic, but this one, taken a couple weeks ago, shows the effect at night:



near the garage, a couple signs of minor infrastructure developments: foundation for a new street (with sidewalk and trees already on the north side next to the garage)...



... and framework for a section of new sidewalk on the east side of Third (looking north; 'back' of Pfizer in the background):



last but not least, a few days ago I noticed what I thought from a distance was a new piledriver on the lot to the west of Rock Hall, UCSF. I finally got closer yesterday, and saw that they've done a lot of grading, but I'm not sure what it is they're putting in the ground there. can anyone tell?

[KVNBKLYN]

Thanks for the very comprehensive update!

How many parking garages does this neighborhood need? What ever happened to transit oriented development?

[timbad]

Originally Posted by rocketman_95046

great pics timbad,

being a resident, do you like the way the neighborhood is coming together?

sorry for the long delay in responding!

this is still a tough question to answer. north of the creek, Berry St, as I think WildCowboy and probably others have noted, is pretty dead, almost an alley. and as we know, the architecture so far is mostly blah. BUT, is there a ton of pedestrian traffic along the north side of King between 2nd and 4th? do I see people enjoying the sports courts underneath the freeway ramps? are the promenade and park along the banks of the creek heavily used? do I see people of all ages in these public places? do I see people meeting each other and interacting? yes to all of that.

I think a lot will depend on how Fourth St south of the creek turns out. has the potential to be where the neighborhood finds its soul (which it certainly does not have yet), with good retail and hangouts, but of course it looks like we won't see a verdict there for many years.

and I do like the little streetscape touches - the benches, lampposts, cobbles under the street trees, and the other street furniture forms. I think it will help when everything goes up around them.

[WildCowboy]

Awesome...thanks for the great shots, timbad! Great to see all the progress that's happened since I moved away.

That's not a piledriver you see near Rock Hall...it's a drill for installing wicks for surcharging the soil to compress it and draw out subsurface water. They have been surcharging the portion of Block 19 directly to the west of Rock Hall for the past year or so, and that is now complete.

So now they're looking to move that dirt elsewhere on the campus to surcharge those areas (Blocks 15 and 18, and surrounding 5th and 6th Streets and the block of Nelson Rising Lane between them), and the wicks have to go in first. Then they'll be able to transfer the current dirt piles, which will allow them to start construction on the neurosciences building on Block 19A directly next to Rock Hall.

I agree that Pfizer building looks cheap. Hopefully it will look better once it's complete.

The two parking garages are coming along nicely, and they should be interesting projects. The one near Pfizer and Old Navy looks awfully gloomy under cloudy skies so far, but much better when lighted. Here's hoping the finished product ends up a bit brighter. Can't tell much on the Gladstone garage yet, but it's slated to have a significant amount of planting on the façade. Hopefully they're planning to seed with a good amount of green upfront so we don't have wait ten years for it to look good.

The cancer building should be done...official opening is next week, so I assume they're moving people in now.

How are the new section of Fourth Street and the cross streets connecting Third and Fourth coming? I assume they've had to open some of it with the opening of Strata (555 Mission Rock), but it looks like Fourth is still closed south of there. Any sign of the rest of it opening any time soon?

I'd really like to see more of The Commons coming along. Certainly looks like a major project going on under there, so hopefully once they wrap that up they'll start working on the block between Third and Fourth. The north edge of UCSF's campus is really coming along there, so they need The Commons to move along with them.

[peanut gallery]

Thanks for the comprehensive update. timbad. Mission Bay is so massive, it's hard to tell just how much progress is being made when looking from a distance. I love 1500 Owens. In fact, it's probably my favorite south of the channel. Pfizer looks very much like another building I can't place at the moment. Probably because it looks like your basic generic Silicon Valley office building. I've seen something like it dozens of times, no doubt.

[KVNBKLYN]

Just to remind myself of what this should all look like when done, I wanted to post the renderings for the buildings currently under construction. I think these were posted a while ago.

This view...



...should look something like this when done...



And this view...



...should look something like this...



Both renderings from http://www.labspace.com/cluster/mb/index.php

Both construction photos from timbad.

[AndrewK]

i was hoping something was going to go into the lot when i saw that pic. it seems like theres lots of setbacks and wide streets from the pics ive seen, which doesnt really seem like wise planning for building a neighborhood. i have to admit though that i havent really been down there recently or kept close tabs on these projects, just perceptions from looking at photos posted here.