In honor of New York YIMBY’s Turkey Week tradition of spotlighting stalled projects, we’d like to highlight the one big project that comes to mind for San Francisco. Oceanwide Center was meant to produce the second-tallest skyscraper in the city, with a unique geometric structure designed by Foster + Partners. Today, the property at First and Mission remains an unfinished hole in the ground, collecting dust and water.
Last week, YIMBY was given an exclusive tour of the Transamerica Pyramid, showcasing the progress of renovations designed by the internationally acclaimed Foster + Partners. The revamp is led by New York-based developer SHVO, with funding from Deutsche Finance Group. The iconic San Francisco skyscraper is now expected to fully reopen this September, just over a year and a half after the official groundbreaking.
New project details have been revealed ahead of tomorrow’s meeting about expanding the Diridon Station in San Jose. The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority’s Diridon Joint Policy Advisory Board will review three design options to accommodate increased Caltrain services, integrate High-Speed Rail, and connect to the future BART extension. As expected for an infrastructure project in the Bay Area, the costs are astronomical, ranging from $2.5 billion to $13 billion.
California’s High-Speed Rail Authority has revealed detailed plans for four stations along the Central Valley segment. While High-Speed Rail remains a distant prospect for the Bay Area, construction on the 171-mile portion winding through the San Joaquin Valley shows steady progress. Previous statements by the Governor suggest that work connecting the Bay Area with the central line will not start until after the Central Valley tracks begin operating in the 2030s.
The San Francisco Parks Department and Planning Commission have unanimously approved the Three Transamerica redevelopment in San Francisco’s Financial District. Three Transamerica, or 545 Sansome Street, is the second phase of SHVO’s billion-dollar investment in the historic office complex with design by Foster + Partners. Its adaptive reuse will create a new gateway for the city’s most iconic skyscraper.
