Transbay Blog
Streetscape
Let them have parking lots
This week, the Oakland Planning Commission will consider a peculiar concoction brewed up by Planning Department staff called temporary conditional use permits (TCUPs). As explained by the staff report (41 MB PDF), the purpose of the proposed TCUP program is to help property owners maintain the economic viability of their vacant parcels, by allowing them … Continue reading
DPW holds hearing this week for two proposed parklets
This Wednesday, December 15, 2010, the Department of Public Works (DPW) will hold a hearing (PDF) to gather public comment on two parklets — extensions of the sidewalk built in parking spots to make space for outdoor seating — that have been proposed in San Francisco. One parklet would be installed on Post Street between Jones and Leavenworth, in front … Continue reading
Chipping Away at the Garage Problem
Take a stroll around North Beach or Chinatown in San Francisco, and you’ll see many of the characteristics you would expect to see in two of the densest urban districts in America’s second densest city — well-traveled sidewalks, mixed-use structures with ground-floor retail, buildings built to the sidewalk and property lines, a streetscape activated by … Continue reading
The New Market Street: 6th and 8th Street Turns
After years of seemingly-endless discussion, the quest to remake San Francisco’s Market Street took a step forward, moving beyond talk and studies to action. In a six-week trial that began today, motorists traveling inbound on Market Street are encouraged to turn south off of Market at 10th Street, and are required to turn right on … Continue reading
Market Street: Learning to Share
Arguing about how to solve the Market Street problem — usually via some sort of ban on automobiles — is a San Francisco pastime, given how often the topic resurfaces. So it should come as no surprise that although we discussed Market Street on this blog one full year ago, we are discussing it again … Continue reading
SB 375 and AB 1358: Victory for Livability Legislation
September 30 at midnight is the deadline for the Governor to sign bills into law, and in light of the record-late budget, legislation has been stacking up. Amidst all the signed and vetoed bills, I am happy to report that SB 375 and AB 1358, two important pieces of “livability legislation” that we have been … Continue reading
Complete Streets Act to Hit the State Senate Floor
Finally — the Complete Streets Act (AB 1358), first introduced in February 2007 and then later held in the Senate Appropriations Committee, has been reintroduced and will go before the full California State Senate next week (week of August 4, 2008). The bill was authored by San Francisco Assemblymember and presumptive 3rd District Senator Mark … Continue reading
Reclaiming Market Street
Whatever you might happen to think about San Francisco’s District 6 Supervisor Chris Daly, we should at least thank him for reigniting the conversation about closing off Market Street to cars, specifically the over two mile stretch between The Embarcadero and Octavia Boulevard in Hayes Valley. This comes fast on the heels of plans to … Continue reading
A Facelift for the College Avenue Safeway
The Safeway and 76 gas station, at the northeast corner of College and Claremont Avenues in Oakland, together occupy a site whose layout is entirely inappropriate for an urban setting, particularly for the intersection of two major avenues. The large parking lot, which fronts directly onto parts of both College and Claremont, is a (sub)urban … Continue reading
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