Chronicle Site Rendering

It was back in 2007 that the Hearst Corp. first started to seek a developer for their four-acre mid-market site on which the Chronicle Building stands. And now, four years later, Forest City has filed a preliminary project assessment application with San Francisco’s Planning Department to build “1.3 million square feet of commercial space, 700 units of housing and a wide array of cultural and arts uses” across the site at Fifth and Mission.

For now, the plan envisions eight buildings that will range from quite small on the western side of the property closer to Sixth Street to nearly 400-foot towers on the eastern side, closer to Fifth Street and downtown. The site, currently 50 percent surface parking, extends from Mission to Howard streets between Fifth and Sixth streets.

The project calls for 35,000 square feet of open space, including 22,000 square feet on the roof of the Chronicle building and 13,000 square feet of ground-level public open space. About 85,000 square feet would be dedicated to arts and cultural groups.

According to the San Francisco Business Times, “Forest City hopes to have the project approved by 2014 and build in phases between 2015 and 2026.”

Chronicle Site Rendering: Minna Elevation

6 thoughts on “Testing The Waters To Develop Four Infill Acres At Fifth And Mission”
  1. 400 hundred feet tall….??? Uhm…
    Heck why stop at 400 feet…..5th and mission deserves better let em go to 4000 feet….lol
    Since when did the West SoMa become Rincon hill west? RUkidding???
    I guess the folks living in those residential enclaves under the shadows of 400 hundred foot towers will now officially be classified as SoMa cave dwellers.
    I can see it now…
    A whole new cottage industry pops up in San Francisco….”Finest mushrooms grown on acreage located right in the heart of West SoMa”… read the headline in Sunset Mag……SF latest addition to the slow food movement….

  2. @4000 feet. I agree! Along the east side of south van ness south of Mission the towers are proposed at 400 feet, and they would be located less than 50 feet from two story apartment units located in an residential enclave, as proposed zoning for the Western SOMA Plan. The Planning Commission was invited to walk the area to see what the likely impact would be of these towers,not one of them accepted the invite.

  3. Because to the average “reasonable” San Franciscan, there is no difference between 400 feet and 4000 feet or 40000 for that matter.
    Tall buildings are evil and cast shadows. It doesnt matter that they are next door, or down the block from other tall buildings.
    Our local development language is just that worldly and sophisticated!

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