Transit Project Could Remake The Image Of San Francisco

"The competition to build a new transit center and skyscraper on Mission Street isn't a beauty contest. It's a gamble in city-making that could redefine San Francisco in the sky and on the ground."

"The three design-development teams in the running were asked for detailed schemes showing a tower proposal that the team would build as well as a transit center design that the authority can then build itself. Financial bids that were attached to the projects have not been released."

"The competition rules call for a terminal that can welcome AC Transit commuter buses from the East Bay, along with other bus lines and, in the future, train service from the Peninsula. They also specify that any tower should be "an iconic presence." The goal is for both buildings to open in 2014, which in development years isn't nearly as far off as it sounds."