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Commission approves large office project at 510 Townsend with conditions to ease alley impacts
Summary
The commission approved Alexandria Real Estate’s 269,000 sq ft office project at 510 Townsend, granting large‑project authorization and office allocation while adding conditions to mitigate alley/Harriet Street impacts including a parking attendant during peak hours and a one‑year informational follow‑up.
The Planning Commission voted Aug. 13 to approve a large project authorization and office allocation for a proposed 269,063‑square‑foot office building at 510–520 Townsend Street, subject to conditions aimed at reducing impacts on neighboring small businesses.
Staff described the Western SoMa site plan: a 5–7‑story office building with a landscaped 20‑foot pedestrian passage from Townsend to Harriet, 46 underground parking spaces, 4 off‑street loading spaces (smaller loading bays requested), Better Streets streetscape improvements (15‑foot sidewalks and new street trees), and a goal of LEED Platinum certification. The project sponsor, Alexandria Real Estate, said the design conforms with the Western SoMa area plan and that changes were made after outreach to Harriet Street business owners.
Harriet Street businesses and property owners testified that the project’s proposed primary vehicular access from Harriet Street would worsen congestion at Sixth and Brannan and hamper deliveries and loading for long‑established small businesses. They urged the commission to require the project to use Townsend access instead.
Staff and SFMTA explained that Townsend is a designated bicycle corridor and that an alternate access there raised safety concerns for cyclists. Commissioners heard technical arguments over traffic modeling and whether the analysis overstated peak trips given existing parking removal and the tenant profile. To address neighborhood concerns, Alexandria committed to provide an on‑site attendant to manage ingress/egress during peak commute hours and to work with SFMTA on signal timing; commissioners added a requirement for a one‑year informational report on traffic operations after opening.
The motion to approve the project with the added conditions passed unanimously. Commissioners said they expect the sponsor to continue working with neighbors and city agencies to manage alley operations and loading activity.
