A Look Ahead: Transbay Demolition and Construction Activities

BOMA San Francisco Members:

Weekend Work (2/26/11 – 2/27/11): This weekend, underground utility work will continue on Howard Street between Main and Beale Streets (in front of the Temporary Terminal) on Saturday, February 26, 2011 and Sunday, February 27, 2011 between the hours of 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM.

Underground utility work will continue on First Street between Howard and Natoma Streets on Saturday, February 26, 2011 between the hours of 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM.

Demolition work will continue Saturday on the parcel between Howard and Tehama Streets on Saturday, February 26, 2011 between the hours of 7:00 AM and 8:00 PM.

Weekday Work: Weekday work will take place between Monday, February 28, 2011 and Friday, March 4, 2011. All contractors will work between the hours of 7:00 AM and 9:00 PM.

East Terminal Demolition activities will finish by March 4, 2011. Installation of Geotech Instrumentation will begin at the East Terminal lot, now known as Zone 4, between Beale and Fremont Streets.

Demolition activities will continue with the Crusher/Conveyors operation which has now moved to the West Terminal lot.

Demolition activities will continue throughout March at both the Center Terminal building and the West Terminal building.

Underground utilities work will continue and include: 

Continued underground utilities work on First Street from Mission to Howard Streets.
Continued underground utilities work on Beale Street from Mission to Howard Streets.
Continued underground utilities work on Howard Street from Main to Beale Streets.
Continued underground utilities work on Howard Street from Beale to Fremont Streets.
Continued underground utilities work on Minna Street from First to Second Streets.
Continued underground utilities work on Natoma Street from First to Second Streets.
New: Underground utilities work on Natoma Street from Fremont to First Streets.
Continued underground utilities work on Second Street from Mission to Howard Streets.

Detours, Street and Sidewalk Closure:

Detours: Minna Street will be closed to through traffic at First Street. Local access will be granted from Second Street.

Detours and lane restrictions on Minna Street will continue through March. There will be an SFPD Officer flagging access at Second Street.

All affected buildings will be granted full access to their parking garages and loading docks.

Detours: 500 Block Natoma Street will be closed to through traffic at First Street. Local access will be granted from Second Street.

Detours and lane restrictions on Natoma Street will continue through March. There will be an SFPD Officer flagging access at Second Street.

All affected buildings will be granted full access to their parking garages and loading docks.

Detours: Tehama Street will be closed to through traffic at First Street. Local access will be granted from Second Street.

Detours and lane restrictions on Tehama Street will continue March 1, 2011 through March 4, 2011. There will be an SFPD Officer flagging access at Second Street.

All affected buildings will be granted full access to their parking garages and loading docks.

Lane restrictions will remain on Fremont Street between Mission and Howard Streets between the hours of 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM.

Lane restrictions will remain on First Street between Mission and Howard Streets between the hours of 7:00 AM and 3:00 PM.

Lane restrictions will be in effect on Howard Street between Beale to Fremont and First Streets between the hours of 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM.

Lane restrictions will be in effect on Beale Street between Mission and Howard Streets between the hours of 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM.

Sidewalks: The sidewalk on the east side of Fremont Street will remain closed. Pedestrians must use the west side of Fremont Street until further notice.

What to Expect Next Weekend (3/5/11-3/6/11): Underground utility work may begin to take place on Natoma Street on Saturday, March 5, 2011 between the hours of 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM.

Underground utility work will continue on First and Minna Streets on Saturday, March 5, 2011 between the hours of 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM.

The Crusher/Conveyors operation will be in effect in the West Terminal lot on Saturday, March 5, 2011 between the hours of 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM.

Should you have any general questions about the Transbay Transit Center Project, please call Courtney Lodato or Adam Alberti, Transbay Outreach Team, at: (415) 227-9700 or via e-mail at: info@transbaycenter.org

If you have any urgent questions regarding site-specific demolition or construction activities, please call our construction activity number: (415) 409-TJPA (8572).

Please continue to check our website for the most up to date schedule of activities at: www.transbaycenter.org/demolition

UPDATE: Standards for Bird-Safe Buildings Announcement

BOMA San Francisco Members:

UPDATE - February 25, 2011

The San Francisco Planning Department will accept comments regarding the draft document 'Standards for Bird-Safe Buildings' until February 28, 2011.  

If you have any comments or questions , please feel free to contact Erika Lovejoy with the Planning Department at erika.lovejoy@sfgov.org. 

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Original Post - October 7, 2010

The San Francisco Planning Commission will hold an informational hearing on October 14, 2010 (click here for more information) to announce the public release of a draft document titled 'Standards for Bird-Safe Buildings.' This document is intended to promote bird-safe design and to reduce bird collisions into buildings.  The draft document proposes a three-pronged approach to this issue:

• Establishment of requirements for the most hazardous conditions;
• Use of an educational checklist to educate project sponsors and their future tenants on potential hazards; and
• Creation and expansion of voluntary programs to encourage more bird-safe practices including acknowledging those who pursue certification through a proposed new program for “bird-safe building” recognition.

The draft document discusses potential negative impacts on resident and migratory birds, suggested remedies to lessen the hazard through treatments for glazing, lighting, and other building design elements and building operations.

Preliminary Recommendation: The Department recommends that the Commission instruct the Department to:

• Collect public comment through the end of 2010; 
• Consider revisions to the document based upon comments received; and
• Prepare a draft Ordinance for the Commission’s consideration in 2011 that would implement proposed controls and adopt a final 'Bird-Safe Building Standards' document; and 
• Adopt the draft resolution to that effect.

If you have any questions, please call (415) 558-6395.  Comments can be sent to the Planning Commission c/o Linda Avery, San Francisco Planning Commission, 1650 Mission Street, Suite #400, SF, CA 94103.

Emergency Preparedness Committee Workshop - San Francisco Fire Department Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (NERT)

Misa Gidding-Chatfield, Chair, BOMA San Francisco Emergency Preparedness Committee (EPC); SFFD Lt. Erica Arteseros; Jackson Talbot, Vice Chair, BOMA SF EPC

BOMA San Francisco Members:

BOMA's Emergency Preparedness Committee held a workshop on February 24, 2011 for BOMA members to discuss the San Francisco Fire Department Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (NERT) program.  The workshop educated BOMA San Francisco building owners and property managers about the required skills and resources to be prepared for emergencies large or small:

• Risk Awareness
• Disaster supplies
• Personal/Family Disaster Planning
• NERT Overview
• Disaster Pre-Planning

Thank you to SFFD Lt. Erica Arteseros, NERT Program Coordinator, for presenting this valuable information to BOMA members.

About NERT

NERT is a free training program for individuals, neighborhood groups and community-based organizations in San Francisco.  Through this program, individuals will learn the basics of personal preparedness and prevention.  The training also includes hands-on disaster skills that will help individuals respond to a personal emergency as well as act as members of a neighborhood response team.

President’s Budget Reignites Carried Interest Debate

BOMA San Francisco Members:

President Obama’s budget for FY2012 once again includes a tax increase on carried interest in its revenue estimates. The House was able to pass legislation in the 111th Congress that recharacterized the share of the profits realized by the general partner at the end of a real estate deal as ordinary income, rather than at as a capital gain; however, the Senate failed three times to do the same. With a Republican–controlled House and an even slimmer Democratic majority in the Senate, it appears as though it will prove even more difficult, if not unlikely, for such a tax increase to be considered in the 112th. That being said, BOMA International will continue to be vigilant on this important industry issue.

Small Business Panel: Best Practices on Accessing Credit - February 24th

BOMA San Francisco Members:


Join the Office of Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi on Thursday, February 24th to learn and hear from industry experts to help small business owners and prospective entrepreneurs obtain affordable credit and find ways to raise capital. Panelists will include representatives from the Small Business Administration, the San Francisco Small Business Center, a microfinance organization, a local bank, and a credit union.

Expert speakers will give a basic overview of what you can do to survive, thrive, and succeed in sustaining your small business during times of limited credit resources, discuss ideas of what do to make sure that your small business is positioned to weather the current economic situation, and ways to take advantage of the opportunities provided by recent federal legislation.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

3:00 p.m., Thursday, February 24th, 2011

San Francisco Federal Building

90 7th Street, Suite B-040

Between Market St. & Mission St. 

San Francisco, CA 94103 

UPDATE: SFDPW Mobile Food Facilities Town Hall - February 25th

Image retrieved here

BOMA San Francisco Members:

UPDATE - February 23, 2011

The Mobile Food Town Hall will be held on February 25, 2011 at 1 South Van Ness Avenue, Atrium Conference Room, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.  Click here or see our previous blog post, below, for more information.

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Original Post - February 16, 2011

The Board of Supervisors recently passed legislation that streamlines the rules and regulations for mobile food vending - the Mobile Food Facilities Ordinance.  Please click here to read the measure.

The San Francisco Department of Public Works (SFDPW) is currently creating a program that will implement the new legislation to address the use of Mobile Food Facilities including mobile caterers and pushcart peddlers.  They anticipate changes will be implementated in March, 2011.  If you would like to be notified when the new legislation is implemented, submit your contact information here.

The SFDPW will hold a Mobile Food Town Hall to address any concerns regarding the measure on February 25, 2011 at 1 South Van Ness Avenue, Atrium Conference Room, time TBA.

BOMA San Francisco's Government and Public Affairs Committee (GAPAC) will also have a representative from the SFDPW to talk with BOMA members about the program implementation guidelines on March 9, 2011 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the BOMA San Francisco office, 233 Sansome Street., 8th Floor.   Please email Ken Cleaveland at kenc@boma.com and John Bozeman at johnb@boma.com if you'd like to attend.

California Commercial Real Estate Industry Leaders Gather in Sacramento

BOMA San Francisco Members:

Over fifty leaders from the commercial, industrial, and retail real estate sectors gathered in Sacramento this week to chart the legislative and regulatory course for the coming year at the first California Business Properties Association (CBPA) meeting of 2011.  Issues ranging from the Governor’s proposal to eliminate Redevelopment Agencies and Enterprise Zones and the proposed tax extensions, to a review of legislation introduced so far were discussed.

Several members of the BOMA California Board of Directors were present including BOMA California President Ray Magnussen (BOMA San Diego) and BOMA California Vice President Sandra Boyle (BOMA San Francisco).

As one of the major professional associations affiliated with CBPA, BOMA California has three voting members on the governing board.  Having a seat at the table of California’s largest real estate coalition reflects BOMA California’s growing activity, expertise, and influence in statewide policy issues, and assures that our members’ input is reflected in statewide industry positions on legislation, regulation, and political issues as they are being debated in the Capitol.

After a morning of policy debate, fourteen newly elected members of the Assembly and Senate joined the group of real estate leaders for a lunchtime discussion and opportunity to learn more about our industry.

The CBPA Board consists of leaders from all facets of our industry.  They meet quarterly to discuss issues, provide input, and assure the strategic direction of policy positions in Sacramento reflect the priorities of member companies.

UPDATE: Mayor Lee Signs Existing Commercial Buildings Energy Performance Ordinance

BOMA San Francisco Members:

UPDATE - February 18, 2011

Mayor Edwin M. Lee signed the Existing Commercial Building Energy Performance Ordinance on February 18, 2011. 

BOMA San Francisco would like to thank Mayor Ed Lee, Board of Supervisors President David Chiu, the San Francisco Department of Environment, and BOMA members who helped to craft the ordinance's language.  

Please review the updates, below for more information on the new law.  

Please send any feedback you man have to Ken Cleaveland at kenc@boma.com and John Bozeman at johnb@boma.com.

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UPDATE - February 10, 2011

Please click here to view an overview flowchart and implementation timeline for this ordinance.

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UPDATE - February 9, 2011

The Existing Commercial Buildings Energy Performance Ordinance unanimously passed it's second reading at the Board of Supervisors meeting on February 8, 2011.  The measure is expected to be signed by Mayor Ed Lee.  

Please click here for the final version of the ordinance and here for a press release from the San Francisco Department of the Environment.

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UPDATE - February 2, 2011

The Existing Commercial Buildings Energy Performance Ordinance was considered by the Board of Supervisors at their weekly meeting on February 1, 2011 and passed on its first reading; final passage of the measure is expected at their next Board meeting on February 8, 2011.

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UPDATE - January 24, 2011

The members of the Board of Supervisors' Land Use & Economic Development Committee voted unanimously to send the Existing Commercial Buildings Energy Performance Ordinance - as amended on December 13, 2010 (see our previous post, below) - to the full Board of Supervisors for their consideration. 

Your BOMA San Francisco Advocacy Team will monitor the progress of the legislation and report any updates on the blog.

Please send any feedback you man have to Ken Cleaveland at kenc@boma.com and John Bozeman at johnb@boma.com.

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UPDATE - December 15, 2010

The Board of Supervisors' Land Use Committee met for the second time this month on Monday, December 13, 2010 to discuss the details of the Existing Commercial Buildings Energy Performance ordinance.

Please click here to read the Ordinance and here for the Legislative Digest.

This ordinance, the most comprehensive of any city in the nation, will require all commercial buildings in San Francisco to be benchmarked and audited within THREE years, and to report that information to the San Francisco Department of the Environment. We had originally worked out a compromise of 5 years for both the initial benchmarking/audit and a 5 years recertification requirement for same. That was changed to three years for the initial audit, with the recertification/audit update requirement staying at 5 years. The 18 months to begin compliance was also reduced to 12 months. Both of these amendments were suggested by Board of Supervisors President, David Chiu. Chiu has now added his name to the Mayor's as a co-sponsor of the legislation.

The Department of the Environment presented a scenario for ramping up the benchmarking/audit requirement on existing buildings within a three year period, although they insisted that they needed to select buildings via a lottery rather than start with the largest properties and work downward. Department representatives also stated that there were approximately 630 commercial buildings in SF over 50,000 square feet, and over 2,500 between 10,000 - 50,000 square feet in size. This legislation will not cover buildings smaller than 10,000 square feet.

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UPDATE - November 30, 2010

BOMA San Francisco Members:

On  November 23, 2010, Mayor Newsom introduced the substitute Existing Commercial Buildings Energy Performance Ordinance, which is scheduled to be heard at the Board of Supervisors Land Use & Economic Development Committee on December 6, 2010 at 1:00 p.m.:

Revisions from the prior version from July/August include: 

• Increased the minimum square footage of buildings required to comply from 5,000 to 10,000 sq. ft. (Section 2002, line 8);
• As described in Section 2004(a), for buildings submitting their benchmarking data for the first time, a window of time was added between when they are required to submit their data and when the data is made public.  This will allow some time for the facility to review and ensure the accuracy of the data before it is posted;
• Section 2006 was added to clarify compliance requirements for municipal buildings;
• The benchmarking requirements are much the same as those for commercial buildings, the primary exception being allowing the City to use a benchmarking tool other than Energy Star Portfolio Manager if it deems another tool to be more relevant for municipal buildings, as long as it provides the same type of data (Portfolio Manager is currently quite limited in the types of buildings it has categories for, and does not include many municipal building types, ie fire stations, etc.).
• However, because the City owns over 1,000 buildings and it would be impractical to expect the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) to conduct energy audits in all of those buildings in the timeline required in Section 2004(b), this section allows the SFPUC to elect to develop a compliance plan, to be submitted by July 1, 2011, to develop protocols and a compliance timeline for conducting energy audits in municipal buildings.  The expectation is that the SFPUC will perform 20-30 municipal energy audits per year.
• An exception was added for unoccupied buildings (Section 2008(c)(2));
• Administrative fines were revised as described in Section 2009(b).

Thank you to Johanna Partin, Director of Climate Protection Initiatives - Office of Mayor Gavin Newsom, for this information.

Please review legislation as soon as you can.  Please send any feedback to Ken Cleaveland at kenc@boma.com and John Bozeman at johnb@boma.com, and what positives/negatives aspects you see emanating from passage/implementation of this ordinance. 

Most importantly, if you would like to attend the December 6th meeting of the Land Use Committee to testify in support of this legislation and/or add any specific comments.  Please email us.   

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Original Post - August 12, 2010

BOMA San Francisco members have been working with the San Francisco Department of the Environment to craft the Existing Commercial Buildings Energy Performance Ordinance. Click here to review the ordinance.

The proposal would require owners of nonresidential buildings in San Francisco to obtain energy efficiency audits, as well as to annually measure and disclose energy performance. It would also requires the Department of Environment to collect summary statistics about the energy performance of nonresidential buildings and make those statistics available to the public.

The proposal would require the owner of any nonresidential building in San Francisco with a gross area of 5,000 square feet or greater to conduct a comprehensive energy efficiency audit for each such building not less than once every 5 years. The audits would have to meet specified industry standards and be conducted by a qualified energy professional in accordance with rules promulgated by the Director of the Department of the Environment. The size of the building would determine the scope of the audit.

The energy professional would prepare a signed report of the energy efficiency audit meeting industry standards. The report would include, among other things: a list of capital and non-capital measures that would improve the building's energy efficiency; an estimate of the approximate energy savings, avoided energy cost, and costs to implement those measures; and an estimate of the economic value of the corrective measures. The ordinance would require the building owner to file with the Department of the Environment a report confirming that the energy efficiency audit had been completed.

Building owners would also be required to use the "ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager"— the Environmental Protection Agency’s online tool for managing building data—to track the total energy use of each non-residential building and obtain an "ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager Energy Performance Rating" for each entire nonresidential building. The owner would then file an Annual Energy Benchmark Summary report ("AEBS") for each covered building with the Department of the Environment. The AEBS would be based on an assessment of the entire non-residential building and related facilities made using Portfolio Manager.

No energy efficiency audit would be required for: (a) a building newly constructed less than five years prior to the date an AEBS was due; (b) a building that received the ENERGY STAR® label from the EPA for at least three of the last five years; or, (c) a building that was certified under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system for Existing Buildings Operation and Maintenance, within the past five years. Owners of financially distressed buildings could apply for extensions of the deadlines for completion of an energy efficiency audit or for submittal of an AEBS.

The Department of the Environment would annually report to the public summary statistics on Citywide energy use in nonresidential buildings and on overall compliance with the Chapter. For individual buildings covered by the ordinance, the department would report whether the building was in compliance with the Chapter, what level of energy audit was required for the building, the date of the most recent audit, and whole-building information on energy use and efficiency.

The ordinance would require building owners to make the Annual Energy Benchmark Summary report available to all tenants occupying the building in order to engage tenants in efforts to save energy.

The ordinance would set a staggered, 3-year schedule for compliance with these new requirements, beginning April 1, 2011.

Violations would be enforced through a system of administrative penalties, after written warning to the building owner.

Spring 2011 Lights Out for Birds

Image from the Golden Gate Audubon Society

BOMA San Francisco Members:

From dusk and until dawn, for the duration of the spring bird migration, building owners, managers and tenants in San Francisco are being asked to turn off unnecessary lights or close drapes, draw blinds or pull shades to help reduce the incidences of collisions that kill approximately 1 billion birds in North America each year.

In 2008, San Francisco partnered with Pacific Gas and Electric Company and Golden Gate Audubon Society to become one of the first cities to implement a Lights Out program.  The program, which kicks off this week, focuses on voluntary guidelines and recommendations for building owners and operators to turn off lights or draw window coverings during the migration period from February 15 – April 30 of each year and again from August 15 through October 31 for the fall migration. Participants conserve energy, reduce carbon emissions, and save birds.

 “Lights Out for Birds” is a simple, sensible way for people to help birds just by turning off lights or drawing shades,” said Michael Lynes, Conservation Director of the Golden Gate Audubon Society. “Collisions with windows, lit buildings and towers, and other manmade structures kill nearly 1 billion birds each year, including many migratory birds whose populations are already suffering significant declines. The program is a way for people living and working in San Francisco to make a positive contribution to bird conservation while saving energy and money.”

This spring over 250 species of birds will migrate through the Bay Area, some of which fly from South and Central America all the way to the Arctic tundra. Most migrate at night and use the stars and moon to navigate, which leaves them prone to being attracted by bright lights on tall buildings and communication towers. Some birds are compelled to fly toward the lights, resulting in confusion, exhaustion, injury and sometimes death.

Anyone can participate merely be turning off unnecessary lights and drawing shades for lit rooms. Buildings owners and operators are encouraged to contact the San Francisco Department of the Environment for Energy Watch incentives and retrofits and their PG&E representatives for more information.

About Golden Gate Audubon

Golden Gate Audubon has been dedicated to protecting Bay Area birds, other wildlife, and their natural habitat since 1917. We conserve and restore wildlife habitat, connect people of all ages and backgrounds with the natural world, and educate and engage Bay Area residents in the protection of our shared, local environment. Golden Gate Audubon is sustained by contributions from 10,000 members and supporters throughout San Francisco and the East Bay.

Contact and for more information:

• Mike Lynes – Golden Gate Audubon, (510) 843-6551, mlynes@goldengateaudubon.org 
• Mark Westlund – S.F. Dept. of the Environment, (415) 355-3714, mark.westlund@sfgov.org 
• Joe Molica – Pacific Gas & Electric Company, (415) 973-5930, jkmm@pge.com

SFDPW Mobile Food Facilities Town Hall - February 25th - Time TBA

Image retrieved here

BOMA San Francisco Members:

The Board of Supervisors recently passed legislation that streamlines the rules and regulations for mobile food vending - the Mobile Food Facilities Ordinance.  Please click here to read the measure.

The San Francisco Department of Public Works (SFDPW) is currently creating a program that will implement the new legislation to address the use of Mobile Food Facilities including mobile caterers and pushcart peddlers.  They anticipate changes will be implementated in March, 2011.  If you would like to be notified when the new legislation is implemented, submit your contact information here.

The SFDPW will hold a Mobile Food Town Hall to address any concerns regarding the measure on February 25, 2011 at 1 South Van Ness Avenue, Atrium Conference Room, time TBA.

BOMA San Francisco's Government and Public Affairs Committee (GAPAC) will also have a representative from the SFDPW to talk with BOMA members about the program implementation guidelines on March 9, 2011 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the BOMA San Francisco office, 233 Sansome Street., 8th Floor.   Please email Ken Cleaveland at kenc@boma.com and John Bozeman at johnb@boma.com if you'd like to attend.

Controller's Office Report: December 2010 Economic Barometer

BOMA San Francisco Members:

The following includes a discussion of the December 2010 Economic Barometer highlights: 

• The December unemployment rate in San Francisco was 9.2%, up 0.3% on a seasonally adjusted basis from the prior month, and down from 9.4% a year ago. While the number of unemployed in San Francisco decreased by 1,000 since last December, this figure remains above 40,000, as it has since mid-2009. 
• Total employment in the 3-County Metro Division remains weak, decreasing 1.4% in the last year, and declining in each of the past two months, on a seasonally adjusted basis. 
• Housing prices in San Francisco have been inconsistent in 2010, fluctuating month-to-month depending on the number and type of transactions (i.e., foreclosure and short-sales vs. “normal” sales). Although December marked a decline from the prior month, the annual average price in 2010 of about $650,000 was up slightly from the 2009 annual average of $635,000 
• Apartment market conditions improved steadily in 2010, with average asking rents increasing 14% compared to a year ago. However, rental rates are still about 10% below their peak in September, 2008 
• Domestic and international airport traffic at SFO remains steady with both indicators showing healthy annual increases in December, while declining slightly from the prior month, on a seasonally adjusted basis. 
• The hotel sector showed signs of improvement in December with both the average daily room and occupancy rates increasing on a seasonally adjusted basis from the prior month. Revenue per available room night showed consistent annual growth for most of 2010, with December’s RevPAR 24% higher than it was a year ago. 
• San Francisco’s office market is showing signs of recovery nearly three years after the market last peaked at the start of 2008. Increased tenant demand has resulted in two consecutive quarters of positive net absorption beginning in Q3 2010, after nearly two years of tenants putting more space on the market than they were leasing. Increased tenant demand has lead to modest declines in the vacancy rate and a 7% increase in Class A asking rents compared to a year ago. While vacancy remains high at 17.1%, the rate declined steadily in 2010.

Please click here for the full report.  Thank you to Ted Egan, San Francisco's Chief Economist for producing this report. 

SFMTA Introduces Spring Cable Car System Improvement Project Shutdowns and Substitute Muni Bus Shuttles

BOMA San Francisco Members:

As part of the continuing rehabilitation and maintenance of San Francisco’s iconic cable cars, the two Powell lines will be shut down this spring. The California Line, which was shut down in January for major rehabilitation and associated street improvements, will reopen in late summer when construction is completed.  Please see below for the dates.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), which operates Muni, will perform upgrades on the Powell-Mason and Powell-Hyde cable car lines as well as additional work on the California Line which has been shut down since January. The current system has been in continuous service for almost 27 years and needs to be refurbished.

The Cable Car Improvement Project will provide a critical system upgrade as part of the SFMTA’s ongoing Capital Reinvestment Program. It is a significant investment in renewing your system to ensure that it is safer, more reliable and easier to maintain.

Three separate shutdowns of five days each are planned:

• Shutdown 1 
• Powell-Mason Line 
• 3/28-4/1/11
• Shutdown 2 
• Powell-Hyde Line from Jackson and Powell to the end of the line on Beach and Hyde 
• 4/25 – 4/29/11
• Shutdown 3 
• California, Powell-Mason and Powell-Hyde lines 
• 6/1-6/5/11

Please note that the construction schedule may change due to weather or unexpected conditions.

Community Meetings are currently being planned for early 2011.

NOTE:

During the three periods of service shutdowns, cable car service will be impacted. Muni bus shuttles will substitute for cable car service. Customers can get on and off the shuttle bus at all regular stops except the stops around the construction sites.

Local access will be provided most of the time; however, access may be delayed by construction work or equipment in the construction zones. Police officers will be on site directing traffic.
Some street parking will be temporarily unavailable in or near the construction sites.

For additional project information and updates please check back on this page, contact the Project Manager, Kenny Ngan via e-mail at kenny.ngan@sfmta.com or call 311 which also provides information in other languages. For inquiries, complaints and comments, contact us via e-mail at cablecarupgrade@sfmta.com

A Look Ahead: Transbay Demolition and Construction Activities

BOMA San Francisco Members:

Weekday Work: Weekday work will take place between Monday, February 14, 2011 and Friday, February 18, 2011. All contractors will work between the hours of 7:00 AM and 9:00 PM. Demolition activities will continue into late February in order to remove the basement slab of the East Terminal building.

Demolition activity will continue through February at both the Center Terminal building and the West Terminal building.

Underground utilities work will continue and include:
Continued underground utilities work on First Street from Mission to Howard Streets.
Continued underground utilities work on Howard Street from Main to Beale Streets.
Continued underground utilities work on Howard Street from Beale to Fremont Streets.
Continued underground utilities work on Howard Street from Fremont to First Streets.
Continued underground utilities work on Minna Street from First to Second Streets.
Continued underground utilities work on Natoma Street from Fremont to First Streets.
Continued underground utilities work on Natoma Street from First to Second Streets.

Detours, Street and Sidewalk Closure: Detours and lane restrictions will continue on Minna Street between First and Second Streets. There will be SFPD flagging access at Second Street. All affected buildings will be granted full access to their parking garages and loading docks.

Detours and lane restrictions will continue on Natoma Street between First and Second Streets. There will be SFPD flagging access at Second Street. All affected buildings will be granted full access to their parking garages and loading docks.

Lane restrictions will remain on Fremont Street between Mission and Howard Streets between the hours of 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM.

Lane restrictions will remain on First Street between Mission and Howard Streets between the hours of 7:00 AM and 3:00 PM.

Lane restrictions will be in effect on Howard Street between Fremont and First Streets between the hours of 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM.

The sidewalk on the east side of Fremont Street will remain closed. Pedestrians must use the west side of Fremont Street until further notice.

What to Expect Next Weekend (2/18/11 – 2/20/11): Next weekend there will be no underground utility work on Saturday 2/19/11 due to the Chinese New Year’s parade and surrounding events.

Underground utility work will continue on Howard Street between Main and Beale Streets (in front of the Temporary Terminal) on Sunday 2/20/11 between the hours of 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM.

Did you know? Over 75,000 tons of concrete debris will be recycled and used as back fill to create the new Transbay Transit Center. By the end of the project, TJPA’s contractors will have crushed enough material to fill 14 Olympic sized swimming pools!

Should you have any general questions about the Transbay Transit Center Project, please call Courtney Lodato or Adam Alberti, Transbay Outreach Team, at: (415) 227-9700 or e-mail: info@transbaycenter.org

If you have any urgent questions regarding site-specific demolition or construction activities, please call our construction activity number: (415) 409-TJPA (8572). Please continue to check our website for the most up to date schedule of activities at: www.transbaycenter.org/demolition

UPDATE: Existing Commercial Buildings Energy Performance Ordinance

BOMA San Francisco Members:

UPDATE - February 10, 2011

Please click here to view an overview flowchart and implementation timeline for this ordinance.

--------------------

UPDATE - February 9, 2011

The Existing Commercial Buildings Energy Performance Ordinance unanimously passed it's second reading at the Board of Supervisors meeting on February 8, 2011.  The measure is expected to be signed by Mayor Ed Lee.  

Please click here for the final version of the ordinance and here for a press release from the San Francisco Department of the Environment.

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UPDATE - February 2, 2011

The Existing Commercial Buildings Energy Performance Ordinance was considered by the Board of Supervisors at their weekly meeting on February 1, 2011 and passed on its first reading; final passage of the measure is expected at their next Board meeting on February 8, 2011.

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UPDATE - January 24, 2011

The members of the Board of Supervisors' Land Use & Economic Development Committee voted unanimously to send the Existing Commercial Buildings Energy Performance Ordinance - as amended on December 13, 2010 (see our previous post, below) - to the full Board of Supervisors for their consideration. 

Your BOMA San Francisco Advocacy Team will monitor the progress of the legislation and report any updates on the blog.

Please send any feedback you man have to Ken Cleaveland at kenc@boma.com and John Bozeman at johnb@boma.com.

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UPDATE - December 15, 2010

The Board of Supervisors' Land Use Committee met for the second time this month on Monday, December 13, 2010 to discuss the details of the Existing Commercial Buildings Energy Performance ordinance.

Please click here to read the Ordinance and here for the Legislative Digest.

This ordinance, the most comprehensive of any city in the nation, will require all commercial buildings in San Francisco to be benchmarked and audited within THREE years, and to report that information to the San Francisco Department of the Environment. We had originally worked out a compromise of 5 years for both the initial benchmarking/audit and a 5 years recertification requirement for same. That was changed to three years for the initial audit, with the recertification/audit update requirement staying at 5 years. The 18 months to begin compliance was also reduced to 12 months. Both of these amendments were suggested by Board of Supervisors President, David Chiu. Chiu has now added his name to the Mayor's as a co-sponsor of the legislation.

The Department of the Environment presented a scenario for ramping up the benchmarking/audit requirement on existing buildings within a three year period, although they insisted that they needed to select buildings via a lottery rather than start with the largest properties and work downward. Department representatives also stated that there were approximately 630 commercial buildings in SF over 50,000 square feet, and over 2,500 between 10,000 - 50,000 square feet in size. This legislation will not cover buildings smaller than 10,000 square feet.

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UPDATE - November 30, 2010

BOMA San Francisco Members:

On  November 23, 2010, Mayor Newsom introduced the substitute Existing Commercial Buildings Energy Performance Ordinance, which is scheduled to be heard at the Board of Supervisors Land Use & Economic Development Committee on December 6, 2010 at 1:00 p.m.:

Revisions from the prior version from July/August include: 

• Increased the minimum square footage of buildings required to comply from 5,000 to 10,000 sq. ft. (Section 2002, line 8);
• As described in Section 2004(a), for buildings submitting their benchmarking data for the first time, a window of time was added between when they are required to submit their data and when the data is made public.  This will allow some time for the facility to review and ensure the accuracy of the data before it is posted;
• Section 2006 was added to clarify compliance requirements for municipal buildings;
• The benchmarking requirements are much the same as those for commercial buildings, the primary exception being allowing the City to use a benchmarking tool other than Energy Star Portfolio Manager if it deems another tool to be more relevant for municipal buildings, as long as it provides the same type of data (Portfolio Manager is currently quite limited in the types of buildings it has categories for, and does not include many municipal building types, ie fire stations, etc.).
• However, because the City owns over 1,000 buildings and it would be impractical to expect the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) to conduct energy audits in all of those buildings in the timeline required in Section 2004(b), this section allows the SFPUC to elect to develop a compliance plan, to be submitted by July 1, 2011, to develop protocols and a compliance timeline for conducting energy audits in municipal buildings.  The expectation is that the SFPUC will perform 20-30 municipal energy audits per year.
• An exception was added for unoccupied buildings (Section 2008(c)(2));
• Administrative fines were revised as described in Section 2009(b).

Thank you to Johanna Partin, Director of Climate Protection Initiatives - Office of Mayor Gavin Newsom, for this information.

Please review legislation as soon as you can.  Please send any feedback to Ken Cleaveland at kenc@boma.com and John Bozeman at johnb@boma.com, and what positives/negatives aspects you see emanating from passage/implementation of this ordinance. 

Most importantly, if you would like to attend the December 6th meeting of the Land Use Committee to testify in support of this legislation and/or add any specific comments.  Please email us.   

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Original Post - August 12, 2010

BOMA San Francisco members have been working with the San Francisco Department of the Environment to craft the Existing Commercial Buildings Energy Performance Ordinance. Click here to review the ordinance.

The proposal would require owners of nonresidential buildings in San Francisco to obtain energy efficiency audits, as well as to annually measure and disclose energy performance. It would also requires the Department of Environment to collect summary statistics about the energy performance of nonresidential buildings and make those statistics available to the public.

The proposal would require the owner of any nonresidential building in San Francisco with a gross area of 5,000 square feet or greater to conduct a comprehensive energy efficiency audit for each such building not less than once every 5 years. The audits would have to meet specified industry standards and be conducted by a qualified energy professional in accordance with rules promulgated by the Director of the Department of the Environment. The size of the building would determine the scope of the audit.

The energy professional would prepare a signed report of the energy efficiency audit meeting industry standards. The report would include, among other things: a list of capital and non-capital measures that would improve the building's energy efficiency; an estimate of the approximate energy savings, avoided energy cost, and costs to implement those measures; and an estimate of the economic value of the corrective measures. The ordinance would require the building owner to file with the Department of the Environment a report confirming that the energy efficiency audit had been completed.

Building owners would also be required to use the "ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager"— the Environmental Protection Agency’s online tool for managing building data—to track the total energy use of each non-residential building and obtain an "ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager Energy Performance Rating" for each entire nonresidential building. The owner would then file an Annual Energy Benchmark Summary report ("AEBS") for each covered building with the Department of the Environment. The AEBS would be based on an assessment of the entire non-residential building and related facilities made using Portfolio Manager.

No energy efficiency audit would be required for: (a) a building newly constructed less than five years prior to the date an AEBS was due; (b) a building that received the ENERGY STAR® label from the EPA for at least three of the last five years; or, (c) a building that was certified under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system for Existing Buildings Operation and Maintenance, within the past five years. Owners of financially distressed buildings could apply for extensions of the deadlines for completion of an energy efficiency audit or for submittal of an AEBS.

The Department of the Environment would annually report to the public summary statistics on Citywide energy use in nonresidential buildings and on overall compliance with the Chapter. For individual buildings covered by the ordinance, the department would report whether the building was in compliance with the Chapter, what level of energy audit was required for the building, the date of the most recent audit, and whole-building information on energy use and efficiency.

The ordinance would require building owners to make the Annual Energy Benchmark Summary report available to all tenants occupying the building in order to engage tenants in efforts to save energy.

The ordinance would set a staggered, 3-year schedule for compliance with these new requirements, beginning April 1, 2011.

Violations would be enforced through a system of administrative penalties, after written warning to the building owner.