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Transbay Block 5 office concept presented as workshop with revised ground‑floor and plaza
Summary
Developers presented a revised conceptual design for a roughly 700,000‑square‑foot office tower on Transbay Block 5, showing a redesigned ground floor with more retail, a 6,000‑square‑foot plaza in exchange for a Planning Code bulk exception, and expanded public‑realm and landscape concepts; the meeting was a workshop (no action).
At a workshop on Nov. 18 the Commission reviewed a revised conceptual scheme for a proposed commercial project on Transbay Block 5, presented by Golub Real Estate and the John Buck Company (development team partners) with architectural work by Gensler/SCB and landscape design by Andrea Cochran.
Courtney Pash, acting project manager for Transbay, said staff asked the team to revise the prior concept to improve the ground floor for pedestrians and add more retail. The developers sought and staff tentatively agreed to consider an exception to strict bulk requirements under Planning Code Section 2.72 in exchange for roughly 6,000 square feet of ground‑floor open space and a superior ground‑floor design.
Scott Seier of GECCH Partners walked commissioners through revised massing, terraces designed to preserve views toward the bay and Transbay Terminal rooftop, and a reworked ground floor that moves loading below grade and increases retail frontage along Howard and Beale. The design includes a multi‑story plaza concept, landscaped seating, and rooftop terraces for tenant amenity; the team said two levels of below‑grade parking and a consolidated ramp will accommodate loading and service needs.
Commissioners emphasized using local artists for plaza sculptures and lobby art and praised the stronger pedestrian orientation. As a workshop the item required no vote; staff said the team will return in March with schematic design and a disposition and development agreement for formal review.
