January 21st, 2009
Federal building face-off, Giants parking lot & 110 The Embarcadero
The San Francisco Chronicle has two writers that cover aspects of commercial real estate either full time or part time and the paper has produced three very interesting news stories over the past week.
John King, who runs a regular column called “Place” on Tuesdays in the Chronicle, reported this week on the contrast between the newly opened (relatively speaking) federal building on Seventh and Mission and the former federal building across the street that opened in 1905. The discussion is not just about structure, but about style and cost as well. In today’s world, City leaders are cognizant of public perception regarding use of tax payer dollars, and new state financed properties are designed to be as efficient and sustainable as pricing allows. His article is worth your time as King usually gives some nice historical color to current events. You can find his article here.
Robert Selna, also of the San Francisco Chronicle, has two new blog postings on the SFGate.com website that give updates to a couple of stories we have been tracking over the past few months. In the first, found here, he discusses the approvals received to go ahead with the construction of 110 The Embarcadero despite a design that puts the property at a greater than currently allowed height. I am very excited about this building as it seems they have found a nice way to continue the appearance of the block while improving it as well.
In his second blog posting found here, Selna discusses the Giants parking lot, which has a short recent history consisting of the City seeking a developer to improve the land. As is always the case in San Francisco, progress is slow and proposals change. In this update, Selna discusses the combined efforts of two former competitors to move forward with a dual proposal that hopefully satisfies City planners controlling the redevelopment.
Photo credit the San Francisco Chronicle via Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects
If there is anything I can do to help you as a Tenant Representative in the commercial real estate world, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me.
Thanks for visiting,
Tom Poser, Jones Lang LaSalle, San Francisco
www.sanfranciscotenantrep.com
