UPDATE: San Francisco's Better Market Street Project - Visual Mapping Survey This Sunday

UPDATE - November 12, 2015

This weekend, San Francisco Public Works and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency will be performing a truck-mounted Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) survey of Market Street. This visual mapping survey is the first step in detailing design work for the Better Market Street project. The Departments will gather accurate information on the exact locations of features and utilities on Market Street – curbs, BART portals, light poles, building facades, trees, fire hydrants, sidewalk and street elevations, and more -- that will enable them to move from conceptual to detailed designs and then on to construction.

The LiDAR survey will take place in the early morning hours of Sunday, Nov. 15, 2015. 

To ensure an accurate and complete survey, here is important information about traffic restrictions and the Better Market Street LiDAR survey: 

• The survey will take place between 3:00 a.m. – 5:00 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 15. 
• Stopping or parking on Market Street and the adjacent side streets is prohibited between 1:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. to ensure the street is clear for the survey. Tow-Away signs have been posted. 
• The survey truck will run along Market Street between Octavia Boulevard and Steuart Street four times in order to get an accurate representation of all the features. 
• The truck also will measure the street features along all the side streets in the project area.
• There are Temporary Tow-Away signs posted along Market Street and in zones along all the cross streets in the vicinity so that vehicles don’t block the view of the curb. PLEASE OBEY THE TEMPORARY TOW-AWAY SIGNS. 
• The LiDAR truck will be escorted by a police motorcade as it cannot stop along Market Street for any reason, since that will distort the data collection. 
• The center lanes of Market Street will remain open to all vehicle traffic including commercial and private vehicles, transit and taxis. The curb lanes will be closed due to the survey motorcade. 
• The LiDAR truck will run against the flow of traffic in two of its four runs, so PLEASE STAY ALERT AND DRIVE SLOWLY. 
• The SFMTA signal shop will place all 26 traffic signals on Market Street onto flashing red for everyone’s safety and the safety of the LiDAR truck and police motorcade. 
• Bicycle riders are encouraged to take alternate routes. 

The LiDAR survey method is a quick, efficient, non-invasive surveying technique that is used around the world. The LiDAR method was chosen to get accurate information while minimizing travel impacts on one of the City’s busiest corridors.

Stay tuned for more information on the status of the Better Market Street project and next steps on their project page here.

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UPDATE - September 15, 2014

BOMA SF-PAC Chair and Better Market Street BOMA member lead, Kathy Mattes 

On September 10, 2014, BOMA San Francisco's Government Affairs and Policy Advisory Committee (GAPAC) member (and BOMA SF-PAC Chair) Kathy Mattes led a discussion for BOMA San Francisco building owners and managers regarding the City and County of San Francisco's Better Market Street Project (BMS). As detailed in our previous blog posts, below, the BMS is a monumental effort to help make San Francisco's Market Street a more welcoming public space and effective transit corridor.

BMS Project Mangers Simon Bertrang and Britt Tanner

The scope this undertaking stretches from, primarily, Market and Mission Streets from the Embarcadero to Octavia Boulevard.  As such, numerous BOMA San Francisco building owners along or adjacent to the project area will be impacted.  This briefing was the first official BMS update to this BOMA member constituency.

The three primary elements to the BMS presentation were:

• Market Street Design
• Vehicular Restrictions
• Loading

Each of these aspects have proposed changes and require your review and feedback.  Please click here to review the BMS presentation and send your feedback to Kathy Mattes at kamattes@sbcglobal.net.

BMS Project Timeline

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Mechanics Monument Plaza gets an upgrade

UPDATE - June 17, 2014

Did you know that Kathy Mattes, BOMA San Francisco's Political Action Committee Chair and member of our Government Affairs Committee, is the BOMA representative for the Better Market Street Community Advisory Committee?

Kathy has offered her time to attend a series of meetings to be sure that our member interests - specifically those building owners along Market Street - have a voice in the planning process.  Any updates from Kathy will be delivered to you via future blog posts.

If you happen to work near Mechanics Monument Plaza, take a look at the improvements (see image above) to the public amenities - including a charging station for your electronic gadgets!

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UPDATE - December 6, 2013

The BOMA members from the Government and Public Affairs Committee (GAPAC) met recently with Simon Bertrang, Project Manager for the Better Market Street (BMS) project; Kelli Rudnick, BMS Assistant Project Manager; and, Marlo Issac, Market Street Project Manager with the San Francisco Planning Department.

The presentation included the following BMS updates:

• Schedule
• Environmental review 2013-2015 
• Design 2015-2017
• Construction 2017
• Design Concepts
• There are three options that will be going into the environmental review process.
• All options include substantial improvements to pedestrian conditions, cycling facility, transit service and stops, invitations for street life, various levels of private car restrictions.
• Project Area Limits

• Market Streets from the Embarcadero to Octavia Street.
• Also includes Mission Street from Van Ness to the Embarcadero.
• Pedestrian Improvements
• Transit & Bicycling Improvements
• The Six Market Street Districts
• Click on the image at right to enlarge.
• Next Steps
• CEQA and NEPA Process formal start in January 2014
• Analyze potential environmental impacts 
• Disclose impacts for public review 
• Support policy decision 
• Proposed Project will include all 3 Options:
• Boost Transit Travel Speeds and Reliability 
• This includes studying the option of loading zone time of day restrictions
• Transportation Task Force Funding
• Federal Transportation Funding 
• Improve Pedestrian Safety 
• Add Bicycle Capacity 
• Build Civic Destination 
• Activate Streetlife Zones and Plazas.
• Make Your Market Street

• Goal: Open Market Street to new use by the public by bringing new activity, energy and people to Market Street’s sidewalks.
• The City wants to partner with Community Benefit Districts (CBD)to support creative/ innovative/commercial/public use of the sidewalks.
• The new Make Your Market Street team is now working with a number of CBDs that border Market Street to help with the development of the BMS endeavor, specifically the major plazas along the thoroughfare.

The information exchange at this meeting was invaluable.  BOMA San Francisco members will be involved in the BMS project via the Better Market Street Community Advisory Committee and Make Your Market Street effort representing the Financial District section of Market Street.  If you're interested in participating in the Community Advisory Committee, please click here to submit your application by January 8, 2014.  

Click here to review the full presentation and email johnb@boma.com with any questions.

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Original Post - October 30, 2012

The BOMA San Francisco Government and Public Affairs Committee (GAPAC) met recently with Kris Opbroek, Project Manager for the Better Market Street project. Note that multiple San Francisco City Departments are a part of this update to Market Street.

BOMA members would like to be continue to be a partner with the Better Market Street team in helping to identify the best practices to improving Market Street and help find solutions to issues of concern going forward. Special thanks to GAPAC Department/Commission Outreach Subcommittee Chair, Warren Mead for organizing this meeting.

Discussion Points

This a long-term project (breaking ground in 2016, at the earliest), and BOMA members discussed near-term concerns for the various department staff to consider as they move forward in the information gathering phase of this effort:

• The homeless population. How can you improve Market Street (adding parklets, nodes and general public gathering spaces) without considering the existing homeless population? 
• Impact of future design and construction on the ground-floor businesses that line and/or are immediately adjacent to Market Street. 
• Maintenance costs after build out – who pays? 
• All forms of conveyance should be considered when improving Market Street.  North/south travel across Market should be carefully reviewed. 
• Continuous outreach to the business community and other stakeholder groups to be sure that the City understands the issues of concern before final design consideration and construction. 

BOMA San Francisco members live and/or work in the City and County of San Francisco and they care deeply about improving the social and economic prospects for all San Franciscans. To help Market Street should not only benefit our members; the improvements should be a boon to all who work, live and visit this great city.

We look forward to working with Kris as this project moves forward. If you have any comments, please send them to wmead@lucasfilm.com and johnb@boma.com.