I can’t work up much enthusiasm for the Transbay Joint Powers Authority’s decision Thursday, so this could be my last post on the subject. As expected, the TJPA went with the jury recommendation and selected the Pelli Clarke Pelli obelisk design. They also heard the developers speak of a fast-track effort to construct the 1200-foot tower. Not surprisingly, a number of interested observers weighed in with comments on the TJPA’s decision.
My previous posts listed several perceived flaws in the selection process and the Pelli design, all of them raised by SF Chronicle readers. That paper’s urban design writer John King touched on these same points in yesterday’s fast-track article, specifically the impact of money on the decision, the accessibility of a park 70 feet above ground level, and the lack of any housing in the proposed tower.
Regarding the tower’s proposed 80-stories, King points out that any reduction in height will likely cause the developers to reduce the amount of money they’re willing to offer. So while there may be revisions to the design and even its proposed inhabitants (from offices-only to mixed use), don’t expect the tower to be brought down to the Transamerica Pyramid’s 853-foot height. This design, or something quite like it, will become the new focal point of San Francisco’s skyline.
Chronicle readers looking for a silver lining in Thursday’s TJPA decision found it in the realization that at least a new public transit hub will be constructed. As reader rs1009 said in the Chronicle’s reader comments, “… the proposal to improve the terminal I am all for. A major public transit hub and improved transportation options (see: high-speed rail) will do more to move this city forward than any number of giant skyscrapers.”
High-speed rail: now there’s a subject a lot of folks could get excited about. Would that we had the political will to make high-speed rail happen.
