An incredibly complex development proposal for 20 acres of Caltrain railyard is back on the table, nearly a decade since it first made news in San Francisco.
A proposal that would redevelop the Caltrain yard in San Francisco into a massive redevelopment project—which has been making the Planetizen newswire since 2013—has new life.
According to a paywalled article by J.K. Dineen for the San Francisco Chronicle, the Caltrain yard is one of the Bay Area's most complicated sites—20 acres of railyard straddling the space between the neighborhoods of South of Market (SoMa) and Mission Bay. One of the key challenges to the project would be moving the railyards underground.
So after four years of quiet, what does the new interest in the project look like? Dineen reports:
This week Caltrain and developer Prologis, which owns the 20-acre site, are working jointly with architects and engineers and other public agencies to complete a “business case study” that will lay out solutions for both the future of rail in San Francisco and potential development — likely a lot of housing — on whatever land is freed up by the reconfiguration of the station at Fourth and King streets and the rail yards that stretch four blocks.
A virtual public meeting was held earlier this month, and already the conversation around the project is taking a different tone in a city famous for development controversy:
The potential redevelopment of the rail yards is different from other big public-private megaprojects because the conversation will not be driven by the normal San Francisco fights around affordable housing or building heights or open space. It will be shaped by the question of what best serves the future of Caltrain and high-speed rail.
San Francisco is one of the cities in California facing the prospect of losing local control of zoning regulation after running afoul of state law and not planning adequately for new housing—a group that includes Redondo Beach in Southern California and Palo Alto and Cupertino in the Bay Area.
While the 20-acre site is capable of providing thousands of housing unit, according to Leigh Lutenski, a deputy director at the San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development, the project's backers are "thinking in broad strokes about land uses and densities" at this point in the process.
FULL STORY: A big S.F. rail yard project has goals of transforming transit. Could it also bring more housing? [paywall]
San Francisco’s Big Redevelopment Plan Was Paused for Equity Analysis That Never Happened
Checking in with The Hub, a proposed rezoning that would enable a multi-parcel redevelopment at a conspicuous intersection, two years after the city paused the rezoning for additional analysis (spoiler alert: the analysis hasn’t even started).
'Mr. Mayor, Tear Down This Freeway', Says San Francisco Planning Think Tank
In their June magazine, SPUR proposes a bold vision for transforming several San Francisco neighborhoods based on three big moves: tear down the end of Interstate 280, put Caltrain and high-speed rail underground, and redevelop the Caltrain railyard.
The Simple Legislative Tool Transforming Vacant Downtowns
In California, Michigan and Georgia, an easy win is bringing dollars — and delight — back to city centers.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Congressman Proposes Bill to Rename DC Metro “Trump Train”
The Make Autorail Great Again Act would withhold federal funding to the system until the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), rebrands as the Washington Metropolitan Authority for Greater Access (WMAGA).
The Simple Legislative Tool Transforming Vacant Downtowns
In California, Michigan and Georgia, an easy win is bringing dollars — and delight — back to city centers.
The States Losing Rural Delivery Rooms at an Alarming Pace
In some states, as few as 9% of rural hospitals still deliver babies. As a result, rising pre-term births, no adequate pre-term care and harrowing close calls are a growing reality.
The Small South Asian Republic Going all in on EVs
Thanks to one simple policy change less than five years ago, 65% of new cars in this Himalayan country are now electric.
DC Backpedals on Bike Lane Protection, Swaps Barriers for Paint
Citing aesthetic concerns, the city is removing the concrete barriers and flexposts that once separated Arizona Avenue cyclists from motor vehicles.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)