Gregory San Francisco Real Estate Blog

Rough Deals: The Eminent Domaining of Transbay Transit Center Land

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 21:21:03 -0600

Rough Deals: The Eminent Domaining of Transbay Transit Center Land

December 11th, 2009

Residents and business owners near the planned Transbay Transit Center are grumbling a bit - some about about being forced to move, others about not being fairly compensated for being manhandled by the government. What it all comes down to: it's all eminent domain-able because 1) the existing Transbay Terminal is "outdated ... unattractive and seismically unsafe," and 2) a lot of post-Loma Prieta Embarcadero Freeway parcels are still, 20 years later, vacant. That adds up to, in the case the Redevelopment Agency's making, blight, blight, blight. So the people associated with the adjacent 26 businesses, eight parking lots, and "at least" 24 live-work lofts are being forced out. But, says the co-owner of the restaurant Zebulon: "I'm not opposed to the project, it's progress. But I feel the city is boxing us into closing by not paying us proper compensation." The figure they were offered: $100K. And on 17,500 square feet, they say they should get something in the ballpark of $4.3 million. Too bad no one's made of that kind of money anymore.
· New transit center to displace SoMa neighbors [SF Public Press]
· Inside the Plan for a Dramatic New Downtown South of Market [Curbed SF]
· Rendering Revelation: Transbay Transit Center & Funicular Extravaganza [Curbed SF]

Posted in Uncategorized | Edit | No Comments »

Building Down: South Beach Mixed-Use Warehouse Project Files for Chapter 11

December 11th, 2009

A 74-unit project in South Beach is on the ropes now that its development LLC, helmed by Thompson Development and West Bay Builders, has filed for Chapter 11, reports the SF Business Times. Designed by SB Architects, 72 Townsend was destined to be one of those glassy-blocks-on-top-of-old-warehouse projects, not unlike the Martin Building project just down the street at 178 Townsend. Should the latest development team hit the road (Lambert Development owned the project before they did), the project's still entitled and ready to build... if there's anyone out there with that kind of cash to throw around, anyway.
· 75 Townsend developer files for Chapter 11 [SF Business Times]
· Development du Jour: More Condos at 72 Townsend Street [Curbed SF]

Embiggening: SFMOMA’s Planned Expansion Is 5 to 6 Years Away… Perhaps!

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 21:18:03 -0600

Embiggening: SFMOMA's Planned Expansion Is 5 to 6 Years Away... Perhaps!

December 11th, 2009

To take on the late Don Fisher's prized art collection, SFMOMA plans a new wing - but the nearest they have to a target date for that wing is "five to six years," in the words of the museum's director. Still, even that sounds like a guesstimate, given the very embryonic stages the planning's in. Next spring, a list of potential architects will be put together, and the museum will go knocking on their doors asking for their visions. One thing seems like a sure bet, according to the Chron's John King: the original architect, Mario Botta, is probably not going to get top billing on the list of possible suitors. The director compares the "generosity and welcome" of SFMOMA's new rooftop garden by Jensen Architects to the... well, the design of the museum itself, circa 1995. In any case, it'll be a tricky job, squeezing between two other buildings from the current building's backside. Godspeed, SFMOMA.
· SFMOMA expansion depends on lots of ifs [SFGate]
· Where To Now, SFMOMA? [Curbed SF]
· SFMOMA Hits It Big, Scores Don Fisher's Art Collection [Curbed SF]

Posted in Uncategorized | Edit | No Comments »

Christmas-tecture: Target-to-Go Creates Shopping Village With Santa Architecture

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 21:14:52 -0600

Christmas-tecture: Target-to-Go Creates Shopping Village With Santa Architecture

December 11th, 2009

Click the image above to view the full photogallery.

The country has only three Target-to-Gos, and if you'll recall - of course you will - San Francisco has one of the wondrous outdoor pop-up Targets! What does this rare beast look like? A reader has sent us the spy shots, and it looks something like a fake Santa village. Or a quaint German Christmas market. Or maybe like the Christmas fairs you seem to remember exist, but can't actually remember ever going to. Except instead of ordering hot chocolate or mulled wine, you order one Women's Clog Slipper, $16.99. Or "The Lost Symbol," by Dan Brown, $17.00. Up DVD's a sure winner this season, $19.99. Happy shopping holidays, everyone!
· Target Gets Ahead of Itself, Opens Outdoor Store in Mint Plaza [Curbed SF]

Posted in Uncategorized | Edit | No Comments »

Rent Wars: ‘Just Cause' Legislation Passes, But Gavin's Got His Veto Ready

December 11th, 2009

The proposed law that would have created a laundry list of "just cause" check points for landlords to be able to legally evict tenants: passed. But it passed without a veto-proof majority, and Gavin's already promised a veto on this one. The law would otherwise add the same 15-point "just cause" list that currently applies to all the city's rent-controlled apartments - that is, for buildings build in or before 1979 - to all buildings in the city, just without the rent control. According to the Chron, property owners showed up to speak out against the measure, but were vastly outnumbered by tenants and tenants' rights groups. The guy who voted no and cost the board their veto-proof majority? Perhaps one day to be our mayor!) Bevan Dufty, who said he was afraid of the law's "unintended consequences."
· S.F. tenants' victory likely to be short-lived [SFGate]

Posted in Uncategorized | Edit | No Comments »

Linkage: Berkeley Landmark, and Fat Boy Sign Has Traveled a Long Way

December 11th, 2009

["The New Victorians," via Troy Holden]

· Ocean Beach's Fat Boy lives at the Musée Mécanique [IOL]
· Another foot forward in Santa Clara's 49ers stadium [CBS 5]
· The horrible house built for Brangelina [Zillow]
· Homeless families on the rise in survey of cities [ABC News]
· Berkeley maybe backpedaling on building's landmark status [SFGate]
· Placenta composting tip! Don't put it in the green bin [SF Appeal]

Posted in Uncategorized | Edit | No Comments »

sponsored post: Gilt Man for the Holidays

December 11th, 2009

Looking for the perfect gift for the man in your life? Try Gilt Man, where hot fall and winter pieces from Cockpit Clothing (above, left) and great gift-giving items from Tateossian (above, right) are on sale for less this week. Not sure what to get that special someone? Send them an e-gift card from Gilt Man. You can customize images and choose any value up to $2,500. The cards are redeemable on any Gilt site.
Start shopping today. >>

Posted in Uncategorized | Edit | No Comments »

Comment of the Day: "Because, in the 1930s in the...

December 11th, 2009

"Because, in the 1930s in the midst of the Great Depression, when we built two BIG BRIDGES folks' minds were so much more capacious." -Herb Urb [Too Big to Comprehend]

Posted in Uncategorized | Edit | No Comments »

Rent Check: Potrero Hill House Is Ready for a Big Family, Au Pair Included

December 11th, 2009

Click the image above to view the full photogallery.

This au pair-ready 4-bedroom in Potrero Hill has been on the market for over two months now - listed back on Oct. 2 for $1,595,000. It's got 3.5 baths and 2,600 square feet. The master suite has "sweeping views," something the timid never-nude might have trouble with. The house also has a renovated in-law, said to be "perfect for au pair, guests or office." Just to cover its bases, the home's also making the Craigslist rounds, going for $7,000 a month.
· Stunning Single Family home, separate au pair [Craigslist]
· 509 Vermont St [Redfin]

Posted in Uncategorized | Edit | No Comments »

Too Big to Comprehend: The SF Public Press has unleashed...

December 11th, 2009

The SF Public Press has unleashed a special report on the Bay Bridge. Among the conclusions of the top story? It's expensive. Very expensive. Here's another: it's big. Very big! So big, "so massive and complex that one consultant suggested the human mind might be unable to grasp, or accept, ‘the magnitude of the undertaking and the time and resources required to complete it.' " Go figure. [SF Public Press]

Posted in Uncategorized | Edit | No Comments »

Makeout Spots: Ferry Plaza Going More Pedestrian, But Also Getting More Parking

December 11th, 2009

We know Surfacedesign's proposal to outfit the area behind the Ferry Building with tree planters, floating gardens, and mobile kiosks was purely speculative - but it was a response to the real problem of Ferry Plaza's bleak reality. The Port's not sitting on their hands, though. In a plan to create an "exclusive pedestrian area," the Port's making the arguably counterintuitive move of bringing in 65 car parking spots for the Ferry Building's backyard. The parking spots, which would stay there for up to six years, would fund the project, which is forecast to cost $879,000. And then, after shaking hands with the devil, the Ferry Building will be able to more clearly demarcate loading and traffic areas, while stretching the current pedestrian promenade behind the building southward and making "one of the great urban places in San Francisco." Commence waterfront makeout.
· Overhaul planned for Ferry Plaza waterfront [SF Examiner]
· Ferry Building Brainstorm: Floating Gardens, Trees and More Vendors [Curbed SF]

Posted in Uncategorized | Edit | No Comments »

Electric City: Nissan is bringing their all-electric LEAF...

December 11th, 2009

Nissan is bringing their all-electric LEAF car to the Bay Area, one of a small handful of U.S. markets where the car will hit the road. The occasion was enough for Gavin to send out a blast of press releases reminding us all of the "aggressive work" that the Bay Area's putting in to turning us into the "nation's EV capital." He's referring, of course, to new charging stations and Better Place's system of battery-swap stations planned for the city. Only problem is, the LEAF won't even be compatible with those battery-swap stations, according to the AP. Oh well.

Banking On Lembi, and Losing: After lending more than 75 percent…

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 21:11:25 -0600

Banking On Lembi, and Losing: After lending more than 75 percent...

December 11th, 2009

After lending more than 75 percent of its capital to Lembi Group - and after all but one of those loans defaulted - the local Tamalpais Bank is now minus $38 million. The bank has a cease and desist from the FDIC telling them they need to seriously shape up. Seriously, how did this happen? Well, Lembi's money pipes from commercial mortgage-backed securities had already dried up, but local banks like Tamalpais took the opportunity between December 2007 and April 2008 to swoop in. Maybe not the best thing to swoop in on, alas. [San Francisco, previously]

Price Chopper: Top-Floor Telegraph Hill Condo's Says It's an Old-School Charmer

December 11th, 2009

Click the image above to view the full photogallery.

Then: $849,000
Now: $799,000
You Save: $50,000, or 5.9 percent!

Leave it to the well-manicured digs of Telegraph Hill to promise the elusive combination of "old world charm & modern conveniences," and then maybe actually deliver. The 2-bed, 2-bath top-floor condo at 11 Tracy's placed in Telegraph Hill by the Realtors district map anyway - it's just south of Vallejo and Columbus. Looks like the entire two-unit building's also for sale, for $1,548,000.
· 11 Tracy [Redfin]

Posted in Uncategorized | Edit | No Comments »

Passive Aggressive: Lennar’s Latest Stadium Images Timed Alongside Santa Clara Fumble

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 21:09:18 -0600

Passive Aggressive: Lennar's Latest Stadium Images Timed Alongside Santa Clara Fumble

December 11th, 2009

Click the image above to view the full photogallery.

Dialing up the drama: the owners of the Great America theme park in Santa Clara are suing the city, arguing they approved the environmental impact report for the 49ers stadium before it was even done. They have their own stake in the matter, being that the proposed stadium would land right next to the kiddie fun land. Meanwhile, over in Lennar land, the developer has let loose a new set of images of their Hunters Point redevelopment, including their vision of a 49ers stadium on the site of the former shipyard, and a curious collection of alien eggs strewn about a public park. Says the San Francisco Sentinel: "The images also show a scene not likely to be repeated by any stadium in Santa Clara - a Monday Night Football game." Zing! (Concerns over traffic in Santa Clara have raised the possibility of a Monday Night Football-free stadium.)
· Great America owners sue Santa Clara over 49ers stadium deal [SJ Merc]
· Lennar Urban Releases New Images of a Potential 49ers Stadium [SF Sentinel]
· Hunters Point Report Drops, 49ers Stadium Still in the Works [Curbed SF]

Posted in Uncategorized | Edit | No Comments »

Property Reassessment Scam Returns: Once again, letters are hitting homeowners'...

December 11th, 2009

Once again, letters are hitting homeowners' mailboxes advertising $180 worth of help in getting their properties reassessed, so that they might get to pay lower taxes. And once again, the city's own assessor-recorder has to reassure everyone that the city already does this for homeowners for free, reports the Chron. (They reported the same story back in February.) Scammers clearly rely on collective amnesia for all their scamming fun. [SFGate, previously]

Posted in Uncategorized | Edit | No Comments »

That's Rather Hideous: Horrible Holiday Decor's Actually a Hilarious Office Prank

December 11th, 2009

Click the image above to view the full photogallery.

As long as it's Christmas-tecture season, how about a quick check-in with the well-appointed folks of SFMOMA to see how our cultural tastemakers get into the holiday spirit! What's this? Did someone just detonate a Santa bomb in an office? Actually, this is nothing less than the perfect prank, perpetrated on SFMOMA's head of information systems. To the pranksters, we say: bravo. Now get back to work. Readers: spot offending holiday decor out there? Neighbor's apartment? Co-worker's cubicle? Our inbox is wide open.
· SFMOMA Head of Information Systems & Services goes on holiday [OPEN SPACE]

Hot Wheels: Academy of Art Auto Collection Bound for Old Mercedes Showcase

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 21:08:09 -0600

Hot Wheels: Academy of Art Auto Collection Bound for Old Mercedes Showcase

December 11th, 2009

Above: the old Mercedes showcase at 950 Van Ness, at times a Halloween pop-up store, more recently a Smart car showcase and then even more recently, just nothing. In the last couple months, the building has seen progressively more movement inside, with workers cleaning up behind a shroud of plastic wrap, and now scaffolding and a spray-on tan. As Curbed reported a couple weeks ago, the building has a solid future ahead of it - permanent home of the Academy of Art's classic auto collection. The connection between the collection and the art school can be confusing to passersby, but word is that not only is it the private collection of the family behind the university, but the school itself has a car design program. So there you have it. Makes total sense. Anyway, the city's currently exploring whether the collection could be open to the public, according to comments made by a planning commissioner last month.
· Academy of Art Gets a Timeout, Cars Are Moving Down Van Ness [Curbed SF]

Defriending: 49ers Are Oblivious to San Francisco As They Focus On Santa Clara

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 21:07:11 -0600

Defriending: 49ers Are Oblivious to San Francisco As They Focus On Santa Clara

December 11th, 2009

San Francisco and Lennar are selling the Hunters Point site for a 49ers stadium as a thrilling waterfront location - "the most stunning NFL venue in the country." But the Niners appear to be completely oblivious to their efforts, they themselves being laser-focused on not, at the moment, deciding where they should plop their stadium, but how to get their Santa Clara stadium through. Yes, the city of Santa Clara is getting sued now for apparently ramming through their approval of the football team's environmental impact report before it was ready, but, according to the Merc, the team has a clever end run around that whole situation. See that? "End run." They're backing a voters' initiative on the ballot, which would put aside any question of whether the city council acted improperly in putting their stadium proposal on the ballot. ‘Course, now there just might be two initiatives on the ballot for the same damn thing. And we probably don't need to mention that neither of them has anything to do with San Francisco.
· 49ers dig into political playbook for stadium ballot measure [Inside Bay Area]
· Santa Clarans' backup plan on 49ers stadium [SFGate]
· Lennar's Latest Stadium Images Timed Alongside Santa Clara Fumble [Curbed SF]
· Hunters Point Report Drops, 49ers Stadium Still in the Works [Curbed SF]

Posted in Uncategorized | Edit | No Comments »

The Sunset's Like Hawaii and Alaska, and Another Reclaimed City

December 11th, 2009

[Curbed officially ODs on Christmas, via Tenderblog]

· The Sunset: "looks like Hawaii, feels like Alaska" [KQED, via IOL]
· Mini-city's second year rising from the trashes [SFGate]
· Editorial: slow up on Hunters Point, please [SFBG]
· Silicon Valley homes lose $9.3 billion this year [SJ Merc]
· Gift unwrapped: 555 Bartlett sheds its scaffolding [SocketSite]
· City sends millions of gallons of water down the drain [Snitch]
· Updating LEED standards for buildings "after the plaque" [SFBT]

Posted in Uncategorized | Edit | No Comments »

The Price of Art-Vandalism: San Francisco spends more per capita...

December 11th, 2009

San Francisco spends more per capita fighting graffiti than Los Angeles, and spends almost double the sum that San Jose spends, even though they have a bigger population. (To be fair, they might have less graffiti.) The city's antigraffiti program logs a total of $3.7 million a year patching over the work of "artist-vandals." Worth it? Jurors generally think it's a waste of time, but neighborhood groups certainly care. Says a police officer: "We're a tourist destination, so we should look nice." [SF Weekly]

Posted in Uncategorized | Edit | No Comments »

1025-1029 Market Street, San Francisco CA Retail Development

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 21:05:24 -0600

Mindboggling Reveals: Inside the Strange World of Market Street's Superb Art Museum

December 11th, 2009

Click the image above to view the full photogallery.

Boom: one of Curbed SF's enduring mystery's has ended - somewhat. The long-in-the-works "Superb Art Museum of America" at 1025-1029 Market St has for just as long been completely sealed, with no word whatsoever on what was going on in there. But this morning, a reader passing by the mystery storefront saw the "doors of heaven open." And inside was probably nothing anybody would have guessed. Foam rock formations! A bridge! A moat! (Sounds like our previously rumored "creek.") Rope cargo nets! A "Classical Greek looking ticket counter"! Quoth a nearby crackhead: "Shit! is this going to be a nightclub?!?" That, or some sort of gimmicky visitor attraction. To tickle our noggins, the building use on a number of recently completed permits at the address is listed as "retail sales."
· Rumblings & Bumblings: Superb Art Museum's Amazing Creeks [Curbed SF]
· Rumblings & Bumblings: Superb Art No More [Curbed SF]
· Rumblings & Bumblings: A Pretty Superb Art Museum [Curbed SF]

Fun With Advertecture: Target’s Pop-Up Store Ad Hits a Panhandle Wall for Evening Rush

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 21:02:54 -0600

Fun With Advertecture: Target's Pop-Up Store Ad Hits a Panhandle Wall for Evening Rush

December 11th, 2009

[Via Aggressive Panhandler]

The barrage will end soon enough, but before it all dies down, it must first go appropriately crazy - that's probably what Target-to-Go's going for with its ads pushing the chilly outdoor pop-up store this weekend. Neighborhood blog Aggressive Panhandlers peeped this supersized one, complete with LCD projector message, at Fell and Masonic. Kind of reminds us of that anti-billboard ad, but that's another story.
· Target Pop-Up Store Projecting Commercials on Fell St. [Agg Pan]
· Target-to-Go Creates Shopping Village With Santa Architecture [Curbed SF]

Gregory San Francisco Real Estate Blog

Rough Deals: The Eminent Domaining of Transbay Transit Center Land

Embiggening: SFMOMA’s Planned Expansion Is 5 to 6 Years Away… Perhaps!

Christmas-tecture: Target-to-Go Creates Shopping Village With Santa Architecture

Banking On Lembi, and Losing: After lending more than 75 percent…

Passive Aggressive: Lennar’s Latest Stadium Images Timed Alongside Santa Clara Fumble

Hot Wheels: Academy of Art Auto Collection Bound for Old Mercedes Showcase

Defriending: 49ers Are Oblivious to San Francisco As They Focus On Santa Clara

1025-1029 Market Street, San Francisco CA Retail Development

Fun With Advertecture: Target’s Pop-Up Store Ad Hits a Panhandle Wall for Evening Rush

And After 47 Months 62 Days On The Market…

On the Market: Man Cave in SoMa Shows the Yuppie Condos How It’s Done

Good Numbers, Bad News?: How best to distill numbers from…

In the Works: How Much Do We Want an Uptown Tenderloin History Museum?

Linkage: Beige Striping on Market Street, Mom and Pop Stores Are Better?

The One and Only: We’re a bit late to this,…

On the Market: Top-Floor Condo Simulates That Elusive Boutique Hotel Feeling

Experiments in Vertigo: Golden Gate Bridge Opening for Catwalk Tours With Bridge Workers

Infinity Tower I Sold Out, Tower II At 70 Percent, 85 Percent Overall

Warm Thoughts Of A Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner (2009 Edition)

Stocks Vs SF Real Estate the past 10 yrs…

PriceChopper: Soundproof Lone Mountain Retreat

On the Market, Sort Of: Toy Factory Loft Penthouse

Hunters Point Report Drops, 49ers Stadium Still in the Works

Posted in Uncategorized | Edit | No Comments »

Posted in Uncategorized | Edit | No Comments »