Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City launches feasibility study of Fourth & King railyard and I‑280 boulevard alternatives
Summary
Planning staff released an RFP and described a five-part feasibility study to evaluate boulevarding I‑280, rail-yard reconfiguration, DTX value engineering and related alternatives; staff estimates Phase 1 at about $350,000 and anticipates contract start in May–June 2014.
Planning Department staff told the Planning Commission on Feb. 6 they have issued an RFP for a feasibility study to examine alternatives for the Fourth & King railyard, boulevarding Interstate 280, the downtown rail-tunnel extension (DTX), a Transbay Transit Center loop track and placemaking and redevelopment opportunities on the railyard site.
"This technical study started and stopped a couple of times due to some flux with Caltrain and high speed rail, but we finally published a memo at the end of 2012 that put the development on the railyard site at a value of upwards of $200,000,000 conservatively," Planning staff Joshua Switzky said, summarizing earlier work and the rationale for a coordinated, citywide approach.
Project manager Susan Gigi described the study’s five components: boulevarding a 1.2‑mile stretch of I‑280, DTX value-engineering to assess alignment and construction methods, reevaluating a Transbay loop track, potential relocation or reconfiguration of parts of the Fourth & King railyard to free land for development, and a value-capture and placemaking analysis to estimate revenues and redevelopment scenarios. Gigi said the RFP went out Jan. 29 and staff expects to start a contract in May–June; Phase 1 (vision and conceptual development) is estimated at six to nine months, and Phase 2 (alternatives development) at 12–15 months, with study completion targeted between Dec. 2015 and June 2016.
Speakers from neighborhood groups urged that the study include explicit affordable-housing objectives. John Erbling of the Taco Group urged the commission to set a policy threshold so that "affordable housing has to be 30% of the future housing on this site." Commissioners and staff said housing mixes — including affordability targets — will be part of land‑use and financial scenario work in the study.
Next steps: staff will evaluate RFP responses and seek a contract in late spring; the study will include a technical advisory committee and focused public outreach, with periodic updates to commissions and community advisory panels.
