Developer outlines revised Trinity Plaza phase; Planning Dept. to expedite permits

The Trinity Plaza project team told the San Francisco Planning Commission on Feb. 18 that it is changing the construction sequence for the multi-phase redevelopment previously approved in 2006.

Kevin Guy of the Planning Department summarized the 2006 master plan as calling for 1,900 housing units, 60,000 square feet of commercial space, up to 1,425 parking spaces and 2.1 acres of open space. Sponsor representatives said Building A (440 units) is complete and occupied; rather than building the previously-entitled Building B on Market Street next, the sponsor proposes building a 417-unit component (333 studios and 84 one-bedroom units) at Mission and Eighth Streets.

Architect John Connolly said designers reran shadow studies and refined the massing to reduce shadow impacts on Civic Center Plaza and Howard Langton Park compared with earlier entitlement drawings. The team also proposed deferring parking construction for this phase and segmenting a larger building mass into smaller elements to provide more light to the central plaza. ‘‘We've reduced the amount of curtain wall glazing ... which makes the building appear more residential,’’ Connolly said.

Commissioners, planning staff and public commenters (including Livable City and the Mayor's Office of Economic and Workforce Development) generally welcomed the changes; staff said it would expedite permit review and begin quarterly updates so the commission and land use committee can track construction progress.

Next steps: Sponsor will submit permits under the revised plan; Planning Department to fast-track review and report back with quarterly updates.