The Salesforce Transit Center, originally conceived of and built by Maria Ayerdi Kaplan when she was executive director of the TransBay Joint Powers Authority (TJPA), reopened on July 1, 2019. Let’s look back at the news on the newly refurbished Salesforce Transit Center using the TransBay Joint Powers Authority (TJPA) press releases as a resource.
Maria Ayerdi Kaplan Built Salesforce Transit Center Reopens July 1, 2019 in San Francisco
San Francisco, CA – The Transbay Joint Powers Authority (TJPA) today announced that the Salesforce Transit Center and public rooftop park will reopen on July 1, 2019 at 6 a.m.
Maria Ayerdi Kaplan Salesforce Transit Center Speech
Muni and Golden Gate Transit will provide bus service from the street level bus plaza in early July. AC Transit’s 26 Transbay bus lines, Greyhound and Westcat Lynx anticipate service from the bus deck to resume in late summer 2019 following operator training and rider notice. Salesforce Park, the Grand Hall, Food Trucks and public art installations will be open and available on July 1st.
The transit center was temporarily closed last September as a precaution after fissures were found in two beams on the third level Bus Deck at Fremont Street. Since then, the TJPA has determined the cause of the fissures, repaired and reinforced the area, conducted an exhaustive review of the facility, completed a facility-wide fire and life safety re-inspection program with city and state oversight, and recommissioned the entire facility.
In October 2018, San Francisco Mayor London Breed and Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf also asked the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) to provide independent oversight and a review of the repairs, reinforcement and the structural steel at the transit center. After this eight month independent peer review, the MTC’s panel concluded that the issue was localized to the Fremont Street locationand the transit center may now reopen to the public.
“We are pleased to welcome the public back to the transit center and sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this temporary closure has caused,” said Mohammed Nuru, Chair of the Board of Directors, Transbay Joint Powers Authority. “I thank Mayor Breed and Mayor Schaaf for calling for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s independent review, which has now concluded. They provided thorough, proper and independent oversight. We can now reopen this critical piece of our transportation network and important source of open space to commuters, the neighborhood and the entire region.”The transit center replaced the seismically deficient Transbay Terminal with a modern, regional transportation hub connecting transit systems throughout the Bay Area. It includes a 5.4-acre rooftop public park with free year-round events and activities, a public art program and shopping and dining. At more than one million square feet, the center stretches four blocks with four stories above ground and two stories below.
The Salesforce Transit Center reopened, and Zennie62Media’s Richard Haick was there to give us a new vlog view of the facility:
And now, the latest reports are that retail is finally coming to Maria Ayerdi Kaplan’s Salesforce Transit Center.
San Francisco, CA – The Transbay Joint Powers Authority (TJPA) today announced that the TJPA Board of Directors unanimously approved three additional leases at the Salesforce Transit Center: Feve Chocolates, Dama (doing business as Acquolina) and Dim Baos.
The three new retailers will join 10 other businesses at the transit center leaving only 16 retail spaces remaining of the original 36. Tenants have now leased nearly 59,000 square feet out of the available 92,000 square feet and many are now conducting tenant improvements.
“Our goal is to provide a diverse mix of retail opportunities at all price points to ensure that the transit center is an accessible and appealing destination for people throughout the Bay Area and beyond,” said Mark Zabaneh, Executive Director of the Transbay Joint Powers Authority. “We are excited to see so much interest in doing business at the transit center and look forward to our tenants opening for business.”
Kaiser Permanente, Philz Coffee, Per Diem, Charleys, Venga, Tycoon Kitchen, Foundation Café, Eddie Rickenbacker’s and Onsite Dental have already leased space. Philz Coffee will open this Fall in two locations within the transit center.
Salesforce Transit Center And The Transit Center District
Feve Chocolates: Shawn Williams, Executive Chocolatier and Founder, has been hand crafting chocolate in San Francisco for ten years. Feve is a four-time winner of the Good Food Awards®, granted to American food producers who make the kind of food we all want to eat: tasty, authentic and responsibly produced. Their factory is located at 2222 Palou Avenue in San Francisco. Their distribution channels are specialty grocery, gift shops, airports, restaurants, hotels and online. The transit center location would be their first retail outlet.
About Acquolina: The planned use for this third location of Dama (doing business asAcquolina) in San Francisco is food service featuring Italian food. Their unique concept is cooking homemade pasta in two minutes in front of the customer. The menu will also feature pizza as well as traditional Italian recipes to allow people to enjoy a taste-full Italian meal in a modern and healthy way. A separate area with table service will be dedicated for customers who prefer to enjoy the experience in a more classic way. Menu prices range from $5 to $15. The current main location of Acquolina is at 1600 Stockton Street, and they also run a kiosk at Coit Tower.
About Dim Baos: Dim Baos is a unique twist on upscale fast food and food-to-go, featuring the finest ingredients in classic Hong Kong-style dim sum and Gua Bao. Targeted at the area’s on-the-go local workers, menu prices range from $1.25 to $15. Dim Baos is operated by renowned executive chefs Kam Chiu Leung and Zhong Sheng Huang, who offer a combined background and experience of more than 70 years of excellence.
So, now the Maria Ayerdi Kaplan Built Salesforce Transit Center has taken major steps toward the formation of a regional transit hub better than the one it replaced.
