PriceChopper: Soundproof Lone Mountain Retreat

November 17th, 2009

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Then: $769,000
Now: $749,000
You Save: $20,000, or 3 percent

The condo at 115 Masonic was listed earlier this fall at $769,000, not so far above its 1999 sale price of $670,500. With a modest price chop, the 2-bed, 1-bath, 1,582 square foot property inches a bit closer to its pre-millennium asking price. The listing says the building's an Oliver Rousseau, and also points to "sound proof barrier windows" and a yard in the back. That's also the first piano in a while we've seen in a condo stage job. Don't worry, a 60″ HDTV would do just as well there.
· 115 Masonic Ave [Redfin]

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The Metreon's Cash Flow Problem: The Metreon's makeover — following its...

November 17th, 2009

The Metreon's makeover - following its failure as an electronics mall of the future - sort of hinged on their nabbing New York's Tavern on the Green. When that, too, fell through, their plan to rejigger the mall so that it would have a larger mid-block entrance on 4th Street also hit the rocks. The original plan was to get started in early 2010, but now funding for that hinges on getting tenants for the forlorn mall. Westfield's still playing coy: "There is significant interest by a wide range of appealing tenants." In other words, Target. [SF Examiner, previously]

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Pagoda Reboot: The Palace at Washington Square

November 17th, 2009

Approved earlier this year after maximum hateage by neighbors, it appears the Pagoda Theater project in North Beach has finally started rumbling forward. To wit, the "Enough with the plywood" banner that was long draped in protest on the empty husk of a building has now been either removed, or covered with a much larger banner. A much larger banner announcing the project's name - The Palace at Washington Square! - and its long-in-waiting ground-floor taqueria, La Corneta. Above will go 18 condos with one-, two-, and three-bedroom units, and below, La Corneta and another retail space or two. There'll also be 27 parking spaces in an underground garage. A call to the number on the banner is as yet unreturned, leaving a few biggies unresolved: 1) when does construction start? 2) when will it finish? and 3) it is starting soon, right?

On the Market, Sort Of: Toy Factory Loft Penthouse

November 17th, 2009

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It's not on the listing service, but it's been looking for a buyer for several months now: the Toy Factory Lofts' Penthouse H has 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and 2,428 square feet. After being converted to its new life as an exposed-concrete loft building by architect James Magni in ‘97, Unit H sold for $1,380,000 in 2005. It's now going for slightly higher $1,695,000, with homeowners dues of $518 a month. Bonus: private deck's view of the love-or-hate Federal Building, not to mention SOMA Grand and Trinity Place.
· Stunning Toy Factory Conversion Penthouse Loft in SOMA [Craigslist]
· One Rausch Street [Website]

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CurbedWire: Saitowitz Artifacts: We found out a few months...

November 17th, 2009

We found out a few months ago that the designer of the Contemporary Jewish Museum, Daniel Libeskind, had also designed a mezuzah for their gift shop. Now San Francisco's own Stanley Saitowitz has his own "series of ritualist artifacts" called the Judaica Collection (including a mezuzah too, naturally). According to the firm, "each piece is a contemporary expression of an ancient object." Saitowitz gives a free introduction to the line from 6 to 8 p.m. on Nov. 19 at Propeller in Hayes Valley. In time for Hanukkah, no less. [Curbed Inbox]

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Boon vs. Boondoggle: Richmond SF Blog has a nice...

November 17th, 2009

Richmond SF Blog has a nice pro vs. con dialogue on the Geary BRT project. No. 1: "All businesses will benefit a little, some a great deal. Geary BRT will attract more people to the corridor as people figure out that if you want to go downtown without your car, you can always walk to Geary and catch a fast and comfortable BRT vehicle in five minutes." No. 2: "Businesses will suffer during construction and after. The loss of traffic lanes, left-hand turns and parking spaces will hurt an already battered business district."

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

November 17th, 2009

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One giant leap forward for Lennar-kind: the Hunters Point/Candlestick redevelopment's draft environmental impact report for Phase II went online yesterday. The project, which encompasses a total of about 790 acres in the southeastern portion of the city, is so huge it's about twice the size of Treasure Island, which incidentally is also supposed to get redeveloped by Lennar. Phase II follows the comparative drop in the bucket of Phase I, in which the 247 condos as first described in April and in another render reveal just a couple weeks ago belong. The impetus behind the massive redevelopment: pumping life back into the southeastern portions of the city (cough: Bayview) via 10,500 homes and an infusion of 24,465 residents with which to jelly-fill those donuts. And still key to this very plan: a 49ers stadium, located in Hunters Point rather than its current Candlestick spot.

Will it be enough to keep the 49ers in the city, even as they negotiate with Santa Clara on moving their stadium there? That remains to be seen- if the Hunters Point stadium falls through, Lennar and the city will simply fill in the hole with more housing and offices. Construction on Phase II - an estimate, mind you - could go from 2010 through 2023. During that span of time, 10,000 trees will be planted, and 336 acres of new and rehabbed park and open space will be created (including the football stadium). The tab for all this: $2 billion.

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Moving Forward: 1415 Mission, With Green Wall in Tow

November 17th, 2009

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The 117-unit project at 1415 Mission was approved yesterday, with a few strings attached, including an exploration to better transition the building's height to its neighbors to the south, and to explore building a vertical green wall. The pitched battle to chop the height of the building in half, led by a petitioning neighbor, focused particularly on two points of contention: the lack of "transition" in heights between the north side of Mission Street and the south side, and the wind impacts of the tall building - which in this area seems to be a hot topic given the endless gusts of wind.

First, having discovered a petition in opposition to 1415 Mission as it was proposed, the lawyers and architects for the project pulled together their very own petition with 70 names, patting themselves on the back for the "truly notable" amount of outreach they did with the community. There was indeed a very long list of supporting organizations, but dissenters noted that the block on which 1415 Mission resides averages 25 to 30 feet in height, while the project is a singular 130 feet. The problem, as deftly summed up by the city's zoning administrator: Mission Street is a primary transit corridor, making height and density key, but the spot also abuts the relatively flat Western SoMa, which would cause a "dramatic drop in height" - or as one neighbor called it, "like standing on the edge of a cliff and falling off." The Planning Commission ultimately decided that "we cannot build something at 40 feet because there's a 20 foot building next door and keep doing that over the entire city in these types of areas," noting that the height was "totally appropriate" for this particular location.

The problem of wind, however, was less clear cut. Two studies did confirm that the overall impact of the building on the local wind situation would be more or less negligible. A planning commissioner did quibble over a change in the way wind studies are done, and whether the newfangled computer way can be reconciled with the old-school way of doing wind studies. But we digress. It was noted, again, that 1415 Mission is 600 feet down from the wind current around Fox Plaza and AAA, and that this building would have a pretty hard time getting in on that action from where it stands.

Finally, a purely aesthetic issue over the project's south-facing wall. Tall as the building would be in comparison to its neighbors, its blank property-line wall suggested something of a foreboding presence. Heller Manus acknowledged the challenge, saying that some ideas floated to lessen the brutalist look were digital media displays, supergraphics, or a vertical green wall. The Planning Commission dug that last idea, and requested that the developers explore it further - before giving them the green light and sending them all home for the night.
· Misunderstood 1415 Mission Actually Has Much Love [Curbed SF]
· Too Tall, Too Wind Tunnelly: 1415 Mission Faces SoMa Wrath [Curbed SF]
· Rendering Update: SoMa's 1415 Mission Gets a New Chassis [Curbed SF]

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Life After the Storm: One Hawthorne Braces for Launch

November 17th, 2009

The SF Business Times has a harsh dose of truth for SoMa's One Hawthorne in today's issue: "Not only will One Hawthorne be the only new tower to open in 2010, it will still be the new kid on the block in 2011, 2012 and likely even in 2013." (Rentals must not count.) Anyway, developer Ezra Mersey's whistling a cautiously optimistic tune- citing the deep valley in the Case-Shiller home price index, he says "we are on the other side." Meaning the EHDD-designed, 165-unit high-rise probably won't have such a tough go of it when it opens for sales come January. According to the SFBT, One Hawthorne will be taking a more "intimate" approach to the luxury space, with a "smaller, more subdued vibe" than, say, the Infinity or Millennium Tower, the cool kids down the hall. Units should start in the $400Ks for a junior 1-bed, with 3-bed penthouses landing somewhere north of $2 mil.
· Condo tower rising over San Francisco [SFBT]
· One Hawthorne Teaser: A Hundred Reasons for One, Well, You Know [Curbed SF]
· Construction Update: Rebar Rises at One Hawthorne [Curbed SF]

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Rent Check: Corner 2-Bedroom in the Paramount

November 17th, 2009

The luxury rentals at the 43-story Paramount in SoMa seem like ancient history now, but lest we forget, they're still relatively new on the scene. Not that they should have a complex about that or anything- a Craigslist ad for a 2-bedroom there today announces boldly that you'd "be living in The Paramount, the tallest, most dramatic luxury rental in the history of San Francisco." Which is probably at least a notch or two higher than, "If you lived here, you'd be home by now." So a corner 2-bed unit with all the luxury amenities, doorman, valet services, etc.: $4,028 a month.
· Corner two bedroom available NOW [Craigslist]

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Facebook, Curbed SF: Together At Last

November 17th, 2009

Because not everyone's on the Twitter, nor should they be, damnit- click the button below and become a Curbed SF fan on Facebook, so you can get updates while on the stalk. Go ahead, we know you're already logged in anyway.

Curbed SF on Facebook

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The Right to Have Pets: The city's animal commission wants to...

November 17th, 2009

The city's animal commission wants to "give San Francisco tenants the right to have pets." Landlords currently have the right of refusal, typically putting pet owners in a difficult position when apartment hunting. Now, one commission member has taken the whole debate up a notch, calling it a "civil rights issue." Hyperbole: thoroughly achieved. [SF Appeal]