For the last twelve days of 2023, SF YIMBY will look back on each month and reflect on the biggest stories we covered. November saw the Builder’s Remedy used for a potential tower in Palo Alto and reduced project sizes in San Jose. Sunnyvale approved more housing next to Lawrence Station, and Berkeley upzoned the busy Southside neighborhood. YIMBY visited Sacramento to see the construction of a rising courthouse tower, and a new developer catapulted themselves into the spotlight with a potential 844-foot tall residential tower in San Francisco.
Shift From Offices To Housing For Former Fry’s Site, North San Jose
550 East Brokaw Road, image via Google Satellite
November 1st: Two new preliminary applications have been filed to construct housing on the former Fry’s Electronics box store site at 550 East Brokaw Road in North San Jose, Santa Clara County. The applications show a shift in focus from the developers, who, as early as January this year, went to the Planning Commission to review their plan for nearly two million square feet of office space.
Funding Milestone Reached For Redevelopment Of Freedom West, San Francisco
Freedom West 2.0 pedestrian view, rendering courtesy project team
November 3rd: A new funding milestone has been announced for Freedom West 2.0, a master plan to right the wrongs of 20th-century urban redevelopment in San Francisco’s Fillmore District. The $27 million secured to date comes a month after a new state bill has created a new pathway to finance the project. The development team includes MacFarlane Partners and Avanath Capital Management.
Competing Plans Filed For 3997 Fabian Way, Palo Alto
3997 Fabian Way aerial, rendering by TCA Architects
November 7th: Juno Realty Partners has resubmitted competing plans for housing at 3997 Fabian Way in Palo Alto, Santa Clara County. The two entitlements reflect previous plans by the developer for 292 or 350 units. The project made the news earlier this year as one of the first applications in the Bay Area to invoke the Builder’s Remedy for the 350-apartment version.
Meeting Today For 1154 & 1170 Sonora Court, Sunnyvale
1154 Sonora Court establishing view seen over the Caltrain tracks, rendering by WRNS Studio
November 13th: The City of Sunnyvale Planning Commission is scheduled to review plans for a mixed-use development at 1154 and 1170 Sonora Court in Sunnyvale, Santa Clara County. The buildings will create nearly three hundred homes and office space directly across from Caltrian’s Lawrence Station. SKS Partners and A&F Properties are joint developers.
Meeting Tonight For Berkeley Southside Rezoning
Southside approved zoning map, image from City Council documents
November 14th: Berkeley’s growing neighborhood could soon rise higher. The Berkeley City Council is scheduled to vote today to upzone Southside, a vibrant mixed-use neighborhood dominated by college students and small businesses on the south side of the UC Berkeley Campus. If approved, the rezoning would increase the area’s maximum housing capacity up by over 2,500 dwellings.
Plans Surface For 71-Story Residential Tower In SoMa, San Francisco
530 Howard Street seen from Dolores Park, rendering by Pickard Chilton
November 16th: Bayhill Ventures has announced plans for a new skyscraper at 530 Howard Street, overlooking San Francisco’s Salesforce Park. Initial plans shared with media this morning suggest the tower would stand 840 feet tall, making it the third tallest structure in the city skyline if built today and the second tallest in the city’s pipeline. Bayhill Ventures is a relatively new firm led by the former chief at Hines, Paul Paradis, and former president of the Sobrato Organization, Rob Hollister.
New Renderings For 13-Story Apartments In Tenderloin, San Francisco
530 Turk Street establishing view, rendering by RG Architecture
November 17th: New renderings and altered plans have been published for the 13-story apartment complex at 530 Turk Street close to Polk Street in the Tenderloin, San Francisco. The unit count has been reduced for the project, but the apartments have gotten bigger to allow for larger households. J.S. Sullivan Development is responsible for the proposal.
First New Renderings For 655 4th Street, San Francisco
655 4th Street street view from 4th and Townsend, rendering by Solomon Cordwell Buenz and IwamotoScott
November 22nd: Less than a month after elevations were shared, the San Francisco Planning Department has published two new realistic renderings for the two-towered complex at 655 4th Street, across from the San Francisco Caltrain Station in SoMa. The details illustrations provide a glimpse at the prospective 435-foot complex that would create over a thousand rental apartments. Tishman Speyer is the project developer.
Housing Law Costs San Jose Thousands Of Homes From Flea Market Proposal
Berryessa BART Urban Village Flea Market South District, elevation via Berryessa Properties LLC
November 23rd: The Builder’s Remedy was expected to boost housing construction across the state. However, it’s causing San Jose’s pipeline to shrink. The Bumb Family has withdrawn their 2021-proposed plan for the South District development, swapping the proposed offices and 3,450 units with a 940-unit alternative, representing a loss of 2,560 units. Since San Jose did not submit a compliant housing element, there is little for the city to do.
REDCO Proposed Palo Alto’s Tallest Residential Tower
November 24th: Preliminary plans have been filed for a mixed-use project with two new structures at 156 California Avenue in Palo Alto, Santa Clara County. The buildings will rise over a Caltrain Station, the tallest of which will be 17 floors. REDCO Development, the developer, aims to use Senate Bill 330 and the Builder’s Remedy for a streamlined approval process to create 382 apartments and a replacement for a Mollie Stone’s Market close to transit.
Construction Finishing For Sacramento Courthouse Building
Sacramento Courthouse Building pedestrian view, rendering by NBBJ
November 27th: Construction is wrapping up for the new Sacramento Criminal Courthouse around 500 G Street in Downtown Sacramento. The project has consolidated the city’s existing courthouse functions from four sites to a new tower directly across from the Sacramento Valley Station. NBBJ is the architect.
Permit Activity For 530 Howard Street, SoMa, San Francisco
530 Howard Street view from the pedestrian bridge connecting to Salesforce Tower, rendering by Pickard Chilton
November 30th: It has only been two weeks since plans were first announced for the region’s potential second-tallest residential tower, and a flurry of permit activity has already been submitted to the city’s Planning Department. The 72-story proposal for 530 Howard Street is expected to rise 844 feet tall, among the tallest in the country, and could become the third or fourth tallest skyscraper in San Francisco. Bayhill Ventures, the project developer, has also submitted a request for new building permits.
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That 71 story tower was definitely the highlight of the year for the future of Bay Area housing. Hopefully 2024 is a year defined by these projects being completed so we can see results!