College - Author 1

College of Architecture and Environmental Design

Department - Author 1

City and Regional Planning Department

Degree Name - Author 1

BS in City and Regional Planning

Date

5-2021

Primary Advisor

Cornelius Nuworsoo, College of Architecture and Environmental Design, City and Regional Planning Department

Abstract/Summary

The South of Market and Mission Bay neighborhoods have seen an explosion in growth over the last decade because of the high cluster of technology company opportunities in the area and the Bay Area’s high housing cost. These two neighborhoods are home to a public transportation hub with two San Francisco Muni metro and bus lines, Caltrain service, and Amtrak intercity bus service to Oakland and other parts of California. The existing Caltrain Fourth and King Station and railyards have massive potential for prime real estate development. San Francisco has seen a 10% increase in population over the last ten years. With the median cost of rent in San Francisco being between $2,000 to $3,000 in 2020 depending on the number of bedrooms, new homes are needed to lower the cost of rent (McLean, 2020), Furthermore, Caltrain’s ridership has been on the rise since 2010 with San Francisco being the most used station in the network with 15,000 riders in 2019 (Caltrain, 2019). A new station is necessary as the original 1970s station building approaches 50 years of service.

With the high cost of living in the Bay Area, Caltrain ridership at its highest levels, and the need to build more housing and a new station, the Fourth and King Station can be a viable place for new development. This project addresses how a new Caltrain terminus station could be built while also accounting for Caltrain expansion, high-speed rail connectivity, new market-rate and affordable housing, and urban design of the South of Market and Mission Bay Neighborhoods.

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