[Image Credit: Pelli Clarke Pelli via The SF Chronicle]
Back in the heady days of the Newsom Administration, tall thin towers South of Market were the new black. Only two got built- the condo towers known as One Rincon and The Millenium- and concepts by various starchitects launched optimistically, only to be shelved after the Great Collapse. Meanwhile, the gleaming Pelli Clarke Pelli Transbay Tower, clocking in at 1200 feet tall, has been waiting in the wings, with all that messy transit stuff underneath needing to get resolved, plodding along with actual shadow studies and a draft EIR. And while the transit stuff is still messy- the high speed rail portion may yet turn into the West Coast's biggest party space- the tower and terminal is moving ahead. Just shorter.
The Hines Organization revealed plans this week for a short tower, down to a mere 1070 feet, filing the documents as the Planning Department completes its own proposal for the area, expected late in the Spring. In the works since 2007 and a combination of commercial and residential space, the Transbay Tower will still be the tallest building west of the Rockies. In an attempt to mollify people with shadow issues, the new design, along with being shorter, will have a more transparent top, a 150-foot glittery scrim As John King points out, Hines originally offered $350M for the property, but has yet to purchase, still negotiating with the Transbay Joint Powers on a final amount.
· Transbay Center District Design [SFPD]
· High Speed Rail and Transit Terminal: Build it Anyway? [Curbed SF]
· Boo! Transbay Tower Gets Shorter [SFist]
· SF's Tallest Skyscraper Plans Revamped [John King/SF Gate]
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