Developers of a construction project that broke ground Thursday in San Francisco’s SOMA neighborhood are banking on commuters opting to bike to work instead of driving.
The 213,000 gross square-foot office building at 270 Brannan St. will incorporate an environmentally sustainable design and will feature more bicycle parking spots than car parking spots, according to developers SKS Partners and Mitsui Fudosan America.
Developers said its one of the first buildings in the city that will offer more bike parking than vehicle parking.
Steve Shanks, vice president at SKS Partners, said the developers recently completed another project on Brannan Street in which the tenant ended up needing double to triple the bike parking initially planned for the building.
“We are finding, especially in this neighborhood, a lot of the tenants have their employees take alternative forms of transportation,” he said.
The building will feature rooftop solar panels, a 5,000 square-foot internal atrium connecting the building’s five-story front to its seven-story rear, and parking spaces for 52 bicycles with adjacent showers and lockers in the building’s basement. The building will have 12 vehicle
parking spots in an underground garage.
Local architect Peter Pfau designed the building, which is scheduled for completion in December of 2015.
San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee attended the groundbreaking and said the project is a good example of developers working with the community to ensure the neighborhood thrives economically and maintains its historic presence.
“Our city’s South of Market neighborhood is going through an exciting renaissance, transforming an underutilized warehouse district into a growing, modern mixed-use area with office space, housing and small businesses,” Lee said.
Dennis Culver, Bay City News
