Rincon Hill
Encyclopedia
Rincon Hill is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California
. It is one of San Francisco's 44 hills, and one of its original "Seven Hills."
, located just south of the Financial District. The top of the hill serves as the anchorage and touch-down for the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge. Recently it is transitioning from a former industrial district into a high-density residential neighborhood. The hill is about 100 feet (30 m) tall.
, the most prestigious residential neighborhoods in San Francisco were located south of Market Street on Rincon Hill and in the nearby neighborhood known as Happy Valley (centered around First and Market Streets). With the advent of cable cars
in the 1870s, the residential trend shifted towards new mansions built on the taller hills north of Market Street
especially Nob Hill
. The Second Street Cut of 1869, which sliced through Rincon Hill to reach industrial areas to the south, also contributed to the decline of Rincon Hill as a fashionable residential area. The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake
and the resulting fire destroyed the remaining Rincon Hill mansions. It was rebuilt as an industrial and maritime district, benefiting from its proximity to the Port of San Francisco
and the Bay Bridge, completed in 1936. However, as the city's industrial and maritime industries declined (as in most US cities), the area became underutilized and rundown.
While its potential for housing development has long been recognized due to its proximity to downtown, blight prevented its effective redevelopment. In 1985, the city adopted an area plan for Rincon Hill in the city's General Plan, zoning this area adjacent to downtown for high-density residential development. However, due to the presence of the former elevated Embarcadero Freeway surrounding the neighborhood, development in the area was slow coming, suffered from mediocre architecture, and lacked the pedestrian-oriented streets and open spaces emblematic of San Francisco's cherished neighborhoods. After the physical and psychological barrier of the Embarcadero Freeway (damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake
) was removed in the early 1990s, the area within walking distance of downtown rocketed in attractiveness.
In August 2005, the City adopted a new Plan for Rincon Hill, which revised the 1985 Plan with three major elements:
Recent downtown residential development in Vancouver served as a model for this new plan. The tall, residential towers sprouting in this area stretch up to 60 stories tall like One Rincon Hill
and will offer tremendous views of the entire Bay Area, for those fortunate enough to afford them. Many people hope that this massive highrise development will spruce up Rincon Hill and, through the thousands of dwelling units coming onto the market, put a damper on San Francisco's housing crunch.
Concerns abound that a significant portion of these new luxury units are being purchased by the regional and global elite for pied-à-terres and vacation homes. Unlike other San Francisco neighborhoods experiencing gentrification pains, Rincon Hill historically has had very little housing (save for a few homeless shelters), thus few are being displaced by new development. However, while developers are paying unprecedented mitigation fees for both community infrastructure (new parks, street narrowing) and human services (for the homeless who were displaced), so far all of the developers who have built in Rincon Hill to date have opted to build their required affordable housing off site (as is permitted for almost all new development citywide) in other portions of the South of Market.(The City's Inclusionary Housing ordinance currently requires that if developers opt to build their Below Market Rate units off-site that they must build them within 1 mile of the primary project site).
New concerns have developed in the midst of the economic recession and the collapse of the housing market of the late 2000s that fueled the construction boom in Rincon Hill. Many condominium projects have been indefinitely put on hold, or canceled all together, as the construction of the north tower of the Rincon Hill complex, a twin to the first tower has also been put on indefinite hold due to economic fears and low demand.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. It is one of San Francisco's 44 hills, and one of its original "Seven Hills."
Location
Rincon Hill is one of many hills located in the greater South of Market area of San FranciscoSan Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, located just south of the Financial District. The top of the hill serves as the anchorage and touch-down for the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge. Recently it is transitioning from a former industrial district into a high-density residential neighborhood. The hill is about 100 feet (30 m) tall.
History
During and immediately following the Gold RushCalifornia Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
, the most prestigious residential neighborhoods in San Francisco were located south of Market Street on Rincon Hill and in the nearby neighborhood known as Happy Valley (centered around First and Market Streets). With the advent of cable cars
San Francisco cable car system
The San Francisco cable car system is the world's last permanently operational manually operated cable car system, in the US sense of a tramway whose cars are pulled along by cables embedded in the street. It is an icon of San Francisco, California...
in the 1870s, the residential trend shifted towards new mansions built on the taller hills north of Market Street
Market Street (San Francisco)
Market Street is an important thoroughfare in San Francisco, California. It begins at The Embarcadero in front of the Ferry Building at the northeastern edge of the city and runs southwest through downtown, passing the Civic Center and the Castro District, to the intersection with Corbett Avenue in...
especially Nob Hill
Nob Hill, San Francisco, California
Nob Hill refers to a neighborhood in San Francisco, California, centered on the intersection of California and Powell streets. It is one of San Francisco's 44 hills, and one of its original "Seven Hills."-Location :...
. The Second Street Cut of 1869, which sliced through Rincon Hill to reach industrial areas to the south, also contributed to the decline of Rincon Hill as a fashionable residential area. The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a major earthquake that struck San Francisco, California, and the coast of Northern California at 5:12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. The most widely accepted estimate for the magnitude of the earthquake is a moment magnitude of 7.9; however, other...
and the resulting fire destroyed the remaining Rincon Hill mansions. It was rebuilt as an industrial and maritime district, benefiting from its proximity to the Port of San Francisco
Port of San Francisco
The Port of San Francisco lies on the western edge of the San Francisco Bay near the Golden Gate. It has been called one of the three great natural harbors in the world, but it took two long centuries for navigators from Spain and England to find the anchorage originally called Yerba Buena...
and the Bay Bridge, completed in 1936. However, as the city's industrial and maritime industries declined (as in most US cities), the area became underutilized and rundown.
While its potential for housing development has long been recognized due to its proximity to downtown, blight prevented its effective redevelopment. In 1985, the city adopted an area plan for Rincon Hill in the city's General Plan, zoning this area adjacent to downtown for high-density residential development. However, due to the presence of the former elevated Embarcadero Freeway surrounding the neighborhood, development in the area was slow coming, suffered from mediocre architecture, and lacked the pedestrian-oriented streets and open spaces emblematic of San Francisco's cherished neighborhoods. After the physical and psychological barrier of the Embarcadero Freeway (damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake
Loma Prieta earthquake
The Loma Prieta earthquake, also known as the Quake of '89 and the World Series Earthquake, was a major earthquake that struck the San Francisco Bay Area of California on October 17, 1989, at 5:04 p.m. local time...
) was removed in the early 1990s, the area within walking distance of downtown rocketed in attractiveness.
Attractions and characteristics
- Design guidelines emphasizing tall, slender and widely spaced towers, interspaces with mid-rise podiums with walk-up townhouses and retail
- A plan for narrowing the streets to provide more open space
- A system of development impact fees to pay for public improvements, affordable housing (all located off-site), and other community programs
Recent downtown residential development in Vancouver served as a model for this new plan. The tall, residential towers sprouting in this area stretch up to 60 stories tall like One Rincon Hill
One Rincon Hill
One Rincon Hill is a residential complex on the apex of Rincon Hill in San Francisco, California, United States. The complex, designed by Solomon, Cordwell, Buenz and Associates and developed by Urban West Associates, consists of two skyscrapers that share a common townhouse podium. One tower, One...
and will offer tremendous views of the entire Bay Area, for those fortunate enough to afford them. Many people hope that this massive highrise development will spruce up Rincon Hill and, through the thousands of dwelling units coming onto the market, put a damper on San Francisco's housing crunch.
Concerns abound that a significant portion of these new luxury units are being purchased by the regional and global elite for pied-à-terres and vacation homes. Unlike other San Francisco neighborhoods experiencing gentrification pains, Rincon Hill historically has had very little housing (save for a few homeless shelters), thus few are being displaced by new development. However, while developers are paying unprecedented mitigation fees for both community infrastructure (new parks, street narrowing) and human services (for the homeless who were displaced), so far all of the developers who have built in Rincon Hill to date have opted to build their required affordable housing off site (as is permitted for almost all new development citywide) in other portions of the South of Market.(The City's Inclusionary Housing ordinance currently requires that if developers opt to build their Below Market Rate units off-site that they must build them within 1 mile of the primary project site).
New concerns have developed in the midst of the economic recession and the collapse of the housing market of the late 2000s that fueled the construction boom in Rincon Hill. Many condominium projects have been indefinitely put on hold, or canceled all together, as the construction of the north tower of the Rincon Hill complex, a twin to the first tower has also been put on indefinite hold due to economic fears and low demand.
See also
- List of tallest buildings in San Francisco for more information about new Rincon Hill skyscrapers.
- List of San Francisco, California Hills
External links
- California Historic Landmark 84 plaque at Bryant and Rincon Streets
- One Rincon Hill Project on top of Rincon Hill
- Future Plan for Rincon Hill
- Possible future views of the hill
- Rincon Hill Blog community bulletin board maintained by Jamie Whitaker.
- Cumulative shadow and aesthetic simulations of Rincon Hill and Transbay towers
- Rincon Hill News on SF New Developments published in blog by real estate professional Mark Choey.
- News and Photos of One Rincon Hill part of Real estate Mortgage blog run by real estate professional Scott Osborne.