Neighbors Tour Construction Site of New Regional Agency Headquarters

Neighboring residents explored MTC’s future digs at an open house in early February, mingling in the newly carved out atrium, which will eventually allow natural light to fill the space via a large skylight. 



The building at 375 Beale Street in San Francisco was built to serve as a military armored vehicle assembly plant during World War II. More recently, it was occupied by the U.S. Postal Service. Now, the structure is a dusty construction zone filled with piles of bricks and dirt, and bone-like concrete columns. There are no interior walls and the ground floor is open to the air  — but the eight-floor building is well on its way to becoming a vibrant regional headquarters. Crews are currently retrofitting the building for seismic safety before installing tenant improvements, and expect to finish construction by the summer of 2015. 



The building at 375 Beale (the newly designated address is a tribute to Senate Bill 375, which gave rise to the One Bay Area initiative) will serve as the joint headquarters of MTC, the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) and possibly the Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC). The shared home will allow the agencies to collaborate in their mutual pursuit of regional sustainability. 



Neighbors said the facility will be a welcome addition to the area. 



“We want more activity in the neighborhood, the sooner the better,” said Katy Liddell, president of the Mission Bay Neighborhood Association and longtime resident. Liddell said the influx of employees in the area might attract more affordable restaurants. 



“It’s going to add to the residential environment,” said Debra Gurniere, Beale Street resident. “It was kind of an ugly building before.” 



While the agencies will occupy the top three floors of the building, the first floor will include a food service establishment and coffee shop. The main board room for all agencies, including MTC, is also on the first floor. Sandwiched in between will be three and a half floors of leased office space and the backroom operations for the FasTrak® electronic toll program and Clipper® transit fare card program, both of which MTC sponsors. 



During the demolition phase, crews tore down the drywalls, and removed 3 million pounds of concrete to create the atrium.The project aims for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification.



“The most sustainable feature is that we’re reusing this massive structure, rather than diverting it to waste and bringing in new materials,” said Gary Szeto, BAHA’s assistant project manager.



The seismic retrofit of the building requires adding reinforced concrete for stabilization. Up to two feet of shotcrete – concrete applied at a high velocity through a hose – is sprayed onto rebar cages along the walls, and “sticks like mud,” Szeto said.  



When the seismic retrofit is complete, crews will move on to the final construction phases. They will install lighting and plumbing, add architectural finishes and build the large plastic “pillow skylight” above the atrium. “It’s like a big bubble wrap,” Szeto said. 



The workers’ job is made a little easier by the building’s two giant freight elevators, vestiges of its stint moving armored vehicles. 



A few MTC commissioners stopped by the open house to check out the progress on their future meeting space.



“It’s very exciting,” said MTC Chair Amy Worth. “It’s wonderful to see how it’s transformed from an industrial space to a space that’s great for people. This building has such history.”



--Natalie Orenstein