ICONIC COMPETITION—Transamerica Pyramid Block proposal features a new expanded public park, rainwater garden, new trees, and a pedestrian piazza. The "green" residential building at 555 Washington will be a slender tower about half the size of the Pyramid that the architect claims fits into the backdrop of four higher buildings nearby. For more photo renderings of the building and the EIR visit www.BarbaryNeighbors.org/555.
The Draft Environmental Impact Report for the 555 Washington Street project was released in late March and is scheduled for hearing by the Planning Commission on May 7. The proposal is for a 390-foot residential tower to be built close to the iconic Transamerica Pyramid. The ultimate height would be 425 feet, including a 35-foot mechanical penthouse.
The site east of the Pyramid is presently zoned for 200 feet. As designed the project would require a Zoning Map change to a 400-S height and bulk district. The doubling of the allowed height is expected to engender the primary opposition to the complicated project.
The new Financial District high-rise would be constructed on the site of a nine story building at 545 Sansome Street, which would be demolished. Among other factors in the plan are providing about 248 residential units in about 331,640 square feet, 6,780 sq. ft. of retail space, and 230 subsurface parking spaces on four levels accessed from Washington Street.
BCNA News readers may recall the letter from Andrew Segal in the Winter Issue in which he emphasized the amount of open space that would be provided if the project eventually wins approval from the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors.
In the plan, private Redwood Park would be expanded to more than 22,000 sq. ft. by demolishing the ground-level vacant restaurant at the base of the Pyramid and a portion of the 505 Sansome Street building. The Park would then be conveyed to the city of San Francisco as a public park.
In addition, a portion of the capped basement at 517 Washington would be converted to park land and open space. Mark Twain Alley, currently used to access building garages in the Transamerica block and for trash pickup, would be purchased from the city and converted into open space.
555 Washington Street is a project of Lowe Enterprise, with Andrew Segal as local project partner. Architects are Heller Manus Architects. The case number for the project is 2002.0133E, and the Planning Dept. planner is Joy Navarrete.