Yesterday, the Planning Commission voted 5–1 to approve a new high-rise for 75 Howard St., including approval for a 10 percent height increase, to 220 feet. The building will be constructed on the current site of an eight-story parking garage, and will feature 133 units of luxury housing, 5,824 square feet of retail space and 102 below-ground parking spaces. In lieu of offering below-market-rate units, the developer will pay into the city's affordable housing fund, as required by law.
Rendering: Paramount Group, Inc.
The new building has some opposition: a contingent of neighbors, including residents and businesses, are aiming to get its design altered, at a minimum. Save Rincon Park, whose leadership includes some of the same people who opposed the 8 Washington condo development on the Embarcadero, has a number of concerns. First and foremost is that the new building will cast shadows on Rincon Park because it doesn't "step down" as it nears the waterfront.
David Osgood of Rincon Neighbors sent a letter to the Commissioners on August 17th, outlining what he called "several critical procedural and substantive flaws" with the project. He also sent an email asking for a delay, which was not granted. The letter includes a shadow diagram and describes concerns regarding height limits, step-downs, setbacks, lack of on-site affordable housing, traffic and privacy.
The Gap building's shadow doesn't reach Rincon Park due to setbacks.
The current row of buildings along the Embarcadero, from Rincon Center Apartments south "were required to have significant setbacks around the sixth or seventh floor," Osgood said.
As with 8 Washington, the opposition to 75 Howard has in turn been accused of NIMBYism, in part because the tower will block some views. The new building would mostly affect the views from the Gap building and the office tower at 201 Spear St. (Osgood's own view would not be affected.) The building's height would also impact some residential units in the Rincon Center Apartments and Infinity Towers.
Offices at the Gap building and 201 Spear St. will be most affected by 75 Howard.
A source who is a proponent of the 75 Howard project said that more housing, even luxury housing, is needed in the city. The building will replace an aesthetically unpleasing garage, with units that could house people who will live and work in the city, thus reducing the need for workers to drive in and lessening, not increasing, traffic and pollution. If setbacks are required, taking away square footage, the cost might not pencil out for the developers.
Osgood said protecting the waterfront is a regional issue. "People in Hayward and Fresno know about the Embarcadero, and have an interest in it," he said, adding that many people from all over the city gave "passionate testimony" at the late-night Planning Commission meeting (reported in more detail here by the Examiner). The meeting ran from noon until after midnight; the 75 Howard issue was heard around 9pm. Because of the late hour, Osgood said, "so many people bailed out" who had planned to speak in opposition.
"The Planning Commission is clearly out of sync with the people of San Francisco, who've made it clear they don't want oversize buildings hovering over the Embarcadero, so corrective action is required," Osgood said. He added that Save Rincon Park is looking at developing a ballot issue similar to Proposition B, which fought 8 Washington by requiring voter approval to exceed current height limits on Port parcels. (It's currently being litigated.) "Prop B didn't go far enough," Osgood said. "It omitted much of the waterfront. It needs to be strengthened."
