A proposed development so massive that Caltrain seems afraid to show people, just yet, how big the buildings would be, gets a few more renderings this week, as the transit agency submits its application for the 20-acre Railyards redevelopment project.
The roots of the project already date back almost two decades, when SPUR presented a think piece about the potential for developing on top of the massive Caltrain railyards that sit between SoMa and Mission Bay into housing — something late Mayor Ed Lee would also float during his tenure. Developer Prologis, which owned the railyards property then and still does, has now submitted an application to the city imagining a development timeline of 15 to 20 years, as the Chronicle reports.
The first phase of the development would include a "world-class" transit station at 4th and King streets with an 850-square-foot tower above it, according to published plans. Several other towers stepping down in height would later join it, and the Chronicle notes that one tower of unclear height would be at 7th and King streets.
A component of the eventual development would be moving Caltrain's tracks underground — and with that comes a connection to the still unfunded Portal project, formerly DTX or the downtown underground extension of the tracks that will ultimately bring them, and the still hypothetical high-speed rail, under Second Street and into Salesforce Transit Center, where an underground concrete box awaits their arrival.
But, Prologis says, the Railyards project can get underway with or without the Portal, because that can just be added on later. (Though it would seem like doing all that digging at once would make more sense? Suffice it to say, for anyone who lives in the area, things are going to be getting dug up for a very long time once all this starts.)
Renderings like those below show the happy streetscape but don't actually show the scale of the buildings, which seems strategic. All we have is the far-away rendering seen above, showing the comparative heights of the development with the nearby Transbay district and the "Hub" at Van Ness and Market, which should be rising sooner.
Plans call for 8 million square feet, with around 2,500 housing units, and an unknown mix of retail, office, and possibly hotel mixed in. The first phase would include about 2.5 million square feet of development, with the residential and commercial mix to be decided later based on market conditions.
There are also plans for a public park being referred to as the Sixth Street Park, which would sit on top of the new overpass where the train tunnels begin.
"The SF Railyards project application comes at a pivotal moment for transit in the Bay Area. Caltrain and our fellow transit agencies are navigating real near-term financial challenges — but this project points toward a different future,” says Michelle Bouchard, executive director of Caltrain, in a statement to the Chronicle. "This visionary, multi-phased project is a bold bet on San Francisco and on the long-term value of connecting people, housing, and jobs through great transit."
And Mayor Daniel Lurie said in a statement, "This project will continue that momentum up into SoMa, leading with public space and transit access. The team behind this project has a bold vision for the neighborhood, and I appreciate their dedication to our city’s comeback."
