Rem Koolhaas-Designed Transbay Project Lops Off 27 Affordable Units

Yesterday, the burgeoning Transbay district took a step forward as the body overseeing the redevelopment of the parcels, the Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure, approved the schematic design and development agreement for Transbay Block 8. As originally conceived, the proposal called for a 56-story tower, designed by Rem Koolhaas's Office of Metropolitan Architecture, and two mid-rise podium buildings designed by local firm Fougeron Architecture. The project's size hasn't changed, but the unit count has dropped from 653 to 554, cutting 72 market-rate units and 27 affordable ones. According to OCII's report, the change is the result of a study by developers Related California and the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation, which determined that the current housing market demands larger units than originally proposed. Market-rate and affordable units were cut proportionally, so the percentage of the project's affordable units still stands at 27 percent.

The tower will include market-rate condos, and the first through eighth floors will be devoted to affordable rentals open to households earning up to 40 or 50 percent of area median income. Additional affordable rentals will be concentrated in two Fougeron-designed podium buildings of six and eight stories each. There will also be affordable townhomes along Clementina Street.

The revised plans also chopped the retail square footage from 22,000 to 12,500, and an OCII staff member has confirmed that Whole Foods is out as a retail tenant. The developers are seeking a replacement grocery.

The development team plans to complete the $71 million purchase of the land in October and begin construction in 2016.

· Urban Living Room Will Surround Transbay Block 8 Tower [Curbed SF]