7 MAIN /BEALE PRECINCT - sfocii.org Precinct.pdf7.2 MAIN/BEALE PRECINCT DISTRICT OVERVIEW The...

12
7 MAIN / BEALE PRECINCT 7.1 07_Main_Beale Precinct.qxd 9/29/2003 5:53 PM Page 7.1

Transcript of 7 MAIN /BEALE PRECINCT - sfocii.org Precinct.pdf7.2 MAIN/BEALE PRECINCT DISTRICT OVERVIEW The...

Page 1: 7 MAIN /BEALE PRECINCT - sfocii.org Precinct.pdf7.2 MAIN/BEALE PRECINCT DISTRICT OVERVIEW The Main/Beale precinct is located just south of the southern edge of the downtown office

7 MAIN / BEALE PRECINCT

7.1

07_Main_Beale Precinct.qxd 9/29/2003 5:53 PM Page 7.1

Page 2: 7 MAIN /BEALE PRECINCT - sfocii.org Precinct.pdf7.2 MAIN/BEALE PRECINCT DISTRICT OVERVIEW The Main/Beale precinct is located just south of the southern edge of the downtown office

7.2

M A I N / B E A L E P R E C I N C T

DISTRICT OVERVIEW

The Main/Beale precinct is located just south of thesouthern edge of the downtown office core andjust north of the Rincon Hill residential area. It hasexceptional access to the future Transbay Terminaland is in close walking distance to the FinancialDistrict, Market Street, BART, numerous Muni lines(subway, streetcar, and bus), and the Embarcadero,making it potentially one of the city’s richest transitlocations for housing.

The blocks bordered by Main, Beale, NatomaStreets and Folsom Boulevard will become theTransbay Area’s residential core. Across FolsomBoulevard, planning for Rincon Hill proposes toextend this residential district southward.

This precinct will develop its own neighborhoodidentity, characterized by townhouses with individ-ual entries and front stoops at 20–25 foot incre-ments along low-rise, mid-block buildings and incor-porated into larger, high-rise development blocks, alllining significantly expanded sidewalk spaces. Thereis little existing accessible open space within theimmediate area; thus, the new neighborhood will becentered on the new Transbay Square, the publicpark comprised of passive and casual active recre-ation space. This park will be accentuated with dra-matic streetscape improvements featuring usableopen space amenities along Main and Beale, and apedestrian retail mews extending from the park toFolsom Boulevard.

The blocks bordered by Main and Beale Streets have the opportunity to become a

livable, high-density residential neighborhood comprised of a network of open space

improvements, sensitively designed townhouses, and mid- to high-rise residential towers.

Wide, usable sidewalks, neighborhood parks and public plazas will improve the quality of

space for residents, while connecting the area to the downtown, the waterfront and the

adjacent residential neighborhoods of Rincon Hill and South Beach.

BEALE ST

MAIN ST

FOLS

OM ST

Main/Beale Precinct

The Main/Beale Precinct is bordered by mid- to high-rise office buildings. The plan to create wide, usable sidewalks will bufferthe residential district and provide direct links to the Embarcadero, Rincon Hill and South Beach to the south and downtown to the north.

N

07_Main_Beale Precinct.qxd 9/29/2003 5:53 PM Page 7.2

Page 3: 7 MAIN /BEALE PRECINCT - sfocii.org Precinct.pdf7.2 MAIN/BEALE PRECINCT DISTRICT OVERVIEW The Main/Beale precinct is located just south of the southern edge of the downtown office

7.3MAIN / BEALE PRECINCTMAIN / BEALE PRECINCT

PLAN DETAIL OF MAIN / BEALE STREET

This high-density residential district will be a hall-mark of sustainability for urban development.All new residential buildings, from townhouses totowers, will make extensive use of “green” buildingtechnology, including natural lighting, energy andwater efficient building systems, life-cycle buildingmaterials, green podium rooftops, and solar installa-tions where feasible. The parks and streetscapeswill incorporate permeable surfaces to filter rainwater, regionally appropriate tree selection,and other sustainable landscape materials.

The district circulation and walkability will beenhanced by three new right-of-way extensions.At the north end, Natoma Street will extend acrossBeale to become a pedestrian pathway at the transition point between office and residentialdevelopment. South of Howard Street, two newnarrow alleys will border the new park: one alongthe current alignment of Clementina, the other willbe aligned with the existing pedestrian access waythat connects Main Street to Spear Street. Thesealleyways will provide vehicular access to buildingswith special pavement treatment and landscaping to create a safe, pedestrian-oriented realm betweenthe townhouses and the park. Howard Street will also receive streetscape improvements and will become lined with walk-up residential unitsintegrated into larger buildings.

STREETS AND OPEN SPACE

IMPROVEMENTS

Due to the low traffic volumes on Main and BealeStreets, this neighborhood will feature a publicspace resource that will be unique in San Francisco.Sidewalks on one side of each of these streets willbe widened to 32 feet, creating sidewalks that actually function as open space in addition to pedes-trian movement corridors. These wide sidewalks will create a new prototype for open space in SanFrancisco. Reserving eight to ten feet of width forpedestrian movement, the remaining 22 to 24 feetof width is gracious enough to accommodate usableopen space amenities, creating a linear park alongthese streets and increasing the water-permeableopen space. Such amenities and small-scale, activerecreational uses could include tot lots, small gar-dens, bocci ball courts, life-size chess boards, and amyriad of other possibilities. In areas where theseextra-wide sidewalks abut commercial uses, theopen space portion could feature café seating,temporary merchant displays, or news kiosks.Much narrower than 32 feet, the sidewalk wouldnot be able to comfortably fit such amenities along-side walking space.

07_Main_Beale Precinct.qxd 9/29/2003 5:53 PM Page 7.3

Page 4: 7 MAIN /BEALE PRECINCT - sfocii.org Precinct.pdf7.2 MAIN/BEALE PRECINCT DISTRICT OVERVIEW The Main/Beale precinct is located just south of the southern edge of the downtown office

7.4

The linear park streetscapes along Main and BealeStreets bracket the new major community park atthe center of this district. The new Transbay Squarewould be comparable in size to Sydney Walton Parkin the Golden Gateway area. The park, intended tobe a soft, landscaped space, would be framed on thenorth and south by residential townhouses openingdirectly onto the park frontage alleys. These parkfrontage alleys (as illustrated by the cross-section ofthe Clementina Street extension) will be narrowand designed as slow, pedestrian-oriented spaces.The rows of townhouses framing the park lanes, inaddition to being very desirable park-fronting units,will give the park a neighborhood ambiance.

To provide for the wider sidewalks, one travel lanewill be eliminated along portions of Beale Street(southbound), Main Street (northbound) and SpearStreet (southbound). Parallel curb parking would be retained on both sides of these streets, with two travel lanes total. New bicycle routes will be established on Beale Street and Main Street,which will connect to the existing routes along the Embarcadero and within the Financial District.Traffic volumes and speeds will be low enough toallow those streets to be excellent bicycle routeswithout the need for striped bicycle lanes. Neweast-west alleyways will be established betweenHoward Street and Folsom Boulevard, which willenhance local vehicular circulation and pedestrianconnections.

BEALE STREET

07_Main_Beale Precinct.qxd 9/29/2003 5:54 PM Page 7.4

Page 5: 7 MAIN /BEALE PRECINCT - sfocii.org Precinct.pdf7.2 MAIN/BEALE PRECINCT DISTRICT OVERVIEW The Main/Beale precinct is located just south of the southern edge of the downtown office

7.5MAIN / BEALE PRECINCT

MAIN STREET AT PARK (looking north)

CLEMENTINA STREET AT PARK(looking east)

07_Main_Beale Precinct.qxd 9/29/2003 5:54 PM Page 7.5

Page 6: 7 MAIN /BEALE PRECINCT - sfocii.org Precinct.pdf7.2 MAIN/BEALE PRECINCT DISTRICT OVERVIEW The Main/Beale precinct is located just south of the southern edge of the downtown office

7.6

PLAN DETAIL OF TRANSBAY SQUARE ANDADJACENT STREETS

07_Main_Beale Precinct.qxd 9/29/2003 5:54 PM Page 7.6

Page 7: 7 MAIN /BEALE PRECINCT - sfocii.org Precinct.pdf7.2 MAIN/BEALE PRECINCT DISTRICT OVERVIEW The Main/Beale precinct is located just south of the southern edge of the downtown office

7.7

URBAN FORM

Like the blocks along Folsom Boulevard, each blockwill be comprised of a mixture of mid-block, low-rise buildings punctuated by mid-rise and high-risebuildings on the corners, all meeting the ground inthe form of townhouse units. Landscaping and frontstoops at the ground level will reinforce the humanscale of the development, will soften the buildingedges, and will allow personalization and individuali-ty to be expressed for each townhouse, making foran engaging, pedestrian environment. Along Main,Beale,Tehama and Clementina Streets, the semi-private open spaces created by the stoops will facethe linear parks or Transbay Square, creating a trulyresidential neighborhood with ample green space.

The height and width of the front stoop transitionspace for the ground floor units are very importantin providing units with enough privacy and usabilityof the space, while creating an engaging interfacewith the sidewalk. Setbacks of different depths areappropriate in different street types and for differ-ent front entry arrangements. For example, a shal-lower, six foot setback along the less active alleysand streets like Tehama and Clementina is sufficient,whereas 10 feet is required along more activestreets such as Main, Beale, and Howard Streets.A deeper (8–10 foot) setback enables the creationof a usable raised front porch in addition to a land-scaped street edge, while a shallower (5– 6 foot) setback is fine for conditions where only landscap-ing is desired. In all cases, the ground floor unitsmust be raised at least three feet above the side-walk level to keep windows above pedestrian eye

level for privacy, but not much more than three feetto maintain a visual connection to and the privatesurveillance of the street.

The heights around Transbay Square, especially the45-foot townhouse area to the immediate south,have been carefully tuned to allow maximum sunlight access to the open space. The corners onBeale Street along the west side of the squareshould be designed to accommodate retail tenants,such as restaurants and cafes, that will further theconnection between the open space and communitygathering spaces. The two tall residential towersbetween Tehama and Natoma Streets are proposedto be built fronting Main Street. While tower place-ment in this plan is prescriptive, in this case, an

alternative tower siting fronting Beale Street, on theblock between Howard and Natoma Streets, to offset the towers may be acceptable.The towerplacement must meet the Design for Developmentperformance standards, such as the maintenance ofsunlight to public open space and permeable viewsfrom the Bay Bridge to downtown.

MAIN/BEALE PRECINCT

The base level treatment of these townhouses break up thestreet wall, provide residents semi-private open space and enliven the sidewalk. Source of photographs: Vancouver PlanningDepartment

07_Main_Beale Precinct.qxd 9/29/2003 5:54 PM Page 7.7

Page 8: 7 MAIN /BEALE PRECINCT - sfocii.org Precinct.pdf7.2 MAIN/BEALE PRECINCT DISTRICT OVERVIEW The Main/Beale precinct is located just south of the southern edge of the downtown office

7.8

The three dimensional block studies above showhow Transbay Square and the blocks to the northand south are little affected by shadow throughoutthe day during the spring Equinox (March 21st).Tower placement in the plan has been very deliber-ate to achieve this.

The five residential blocks along Folsom Boulevardand the two blocks between Main and Beale Streetsare composed of mid-rise development along theperimeter of each block in addition to the high-rise

towers.The courtyards in the center of each blockand the surrounding building facades will receivesunlight during the mid-day hours between thespring and fall Equinox. Special attention was givento units with a single orientation inside double-loaded corridor buildings.The majority of thesebuildings will receive sunlight either during mid-morning or mid-afternoon between the spring andfall Equinox.

MAIN / BEALE PRECINCT

2 pm 3 pm 4 pm

12 pm10 am9 am

SUNLIGHT ACCESS TO PROPOSED TRANSBAY SQUARE

07_Main_Beale Precinct.qxd 9/29/2003 5:56 PM Page 7.8

Page 9: 7 MAIN /BEALE PRECINCT - sfocii.org Precinct.pdf7.2 MAIN/BEALE PRECINCT DISTRICT OVERVIEW The Main/Beale precinct is located just south of the southern edge of the downtown office

7.9

SUNLIGHT ACCESS TO PROPOSED TRANSBAY SQUARE

MAIN/BEALE PRECINCT

2 pm 3 pm 4 pm

12 pm10 am9 am

07_Main_Beale Precinct.qxd 9/29/2003 5:57 PM Page 7.9

Page 10: 7 MAIN /BEALE PRECINCT - sfocii.org Precinct.pdf7.2 MAIN/BEALE PRECINCT DISTRICT OVERVIEW The Main/Beale precinct is located just south of the southern edge of the downtown office

07_Main_Beale Precinct.qxd 9/29/2003 5:58 PM Page 7.10

Page 11: 7 MAIN /BEALE PRECINCT - sfocii.org Precinct.pdf7.2 MAIN/BEALE PRECINCT DISTRICT OVERVIEW The Main/Beale precinct is located just south of the southern edge of the downtown office

Looking east towards the park, the new extension ofClementina Street is lined with residential townhouses.

07_Main_Beale Precinct.qxd 9/29/2003 5:58 PM Page 7.11

Page 12: 7 MAIN /BEALE PRECINCT - sfocii.org Precinct.pdf7.2 MAIN/BEALE PRECINCT DISTRICT OVERVIEW The Main/Beale precinct is located just south of the southern edge of the downtown office

07_Main_Beale Precinct.qxd 9/29/2003 6:00 PM Page 7.12