Bayfront Terminus
— by Jeffrey Wisniewski — 17 June 2009 — 4 comments below »
Another big addition to AndersonPacific’s revised Hercules Bayfront plan is the signature building placed at the western end of Bayfront Boulevard. The building may become a boutique hotel, which would compete with draft plans for a boutique hotel in the Sycamore Crossing development, but a hotel closer to the ferry and rail station (and within walking distance of the BioRad facility, which has lobbied for a hotel in the city), as well as a hotel that offers a view, will probably win out. The building will also include a ramp to the pedestrian crossing to Hercules Point (and will also connect to the Bay Trail).
A view from Bayfront Boulevard looking west…
A view from Railroad Avenue looking north…
And a view from the rail platform looking west…
Oh man, what dreamy visions of our future. What a magical, charming place to spend the rest of your life residing in. This looks so cool, it’s almost like we could charge admission just for the privilege of hanging out amongst the sidewalks, balconies, and terraces of this proposal. This turns our waterfront truly into a destination worth seeking out. It only begs the question, where is the handsome renderings of a beautiful, elegant, and evocative mixed-use transit station (and I’m certainly NOT looking for this talented illustrator to do his take on Safeway Station)?
Thank you Anderson Pacific for having such vision regarding the parts of the waterfront you are designing…
Other than one major ugly point (the current station design) we’re going to have a very, very bright future.
This is what we original owners had been sold.
MUCH better than some of the more recent attempts at shoving an old, outdated approach that nobody wants down our throats.
It is a real curiosity to me why the city seemingly refuses to take the public opinion into account when it clearly is in opposition to the ‘Safeway’ design. Don’t the city officials work for US? Our taxes pay their salaries and our votes allow them to sit in their lofty seats. They should remember that when thwarting our wishes in favor of what appears to be a personal agreement to support a bad design that few, if any want.
I guess the only way to get them to listen will be an outright effort to oust the elected officials when the time comes. If this pattern of not listening continues, I will be glad to participate in a significant effort to unseat the city council and mayor in the next election cycle.
This is yet again another set of drawings and just that. No progress towards one of many nice plans. I am even more convienced that the waterfront “vision” is just that., a “vision”. With the city running interference at evey turn and the developer stuck with property that can’t get improved because of all sorts of issues (creek straightening, temporary railroad tracks reguire to be built over the bay to make room for track alignment, parking deck issues, soil compacting problems, bay water contamination issues, ferry funding and support issues, plus all of the typical zoning and building issues) there seems to be no real action to make anything real happen, just more drawings hoping for some sort of change that never comes.
My best guess is that when the funding for expanding water treatment final gets released the city will need a place to expand. The land next to the Pinole facility can’t be used as it is protected wetlands. So, that leave only one area that I can see that is available and that area is bayfront by Rufugio Creek. That may seem far fetched from our “Waterfront” persceptive but …………………………………….
Phil is right–between the costs and bureaucracy and environmental extreme regulations, it’s very, very unlikely.