Condos More Likely Than Subway Extension for North Beach

There has been talk of a subway extension to North Beach for some time, but a new report says that there has been no progress on turning that talk into a reality. Supervisor Julie Christensen, who was voted out of office last month, commissioned the report to find out if the city would be able to purchase a necessary parcel of land at 1731 Powell St. to extend the now-under-construction Central Subway line. But the report says that the owners of the land are eyeing their own redevelopment.

Currently, the land that would serve as a North Beach subway stop is occupied by the Pagoda Palace, an old movie theater that stood vacant for more than 20 years and was demolished in 2013. The site was used as an exit point for Central Subway boring machines. Now, the owner of the land has applied for permits to build The Palace at Washington Square, an 18-condo building with a restaurant on the ground floor. The owner of the site has expressed no interest in selling to the City, says the report.

· North Beach Subway Extension Hits Major Snags [SF Business Times]
· North Beach's Pagoda Theater Makes Way for Central Subway [Curbed SF]