4th and King Railyards Plan

The San Francisco Planning Department is conducting a feasibility study on building on top of the Caltrain railyards on 4th and King (not too much unlike putting the Olympic Stadium on top of the Hudson Railyards in New York’s west side and New York City’s Park Ave where Amtrak runs under).

The Planning Department has received funding from the San Francisco County Transportation Authority to produce a study and concept plan for air-rights development of the 4th/King railyards, including explorations of how increased development value can help fund public improvements, including additional funding for completing the Caltrain Extension to downtown.

In early 2006, a Mayor’s Interagency Working Group which was organized to review the Transit Center Project (Transit Center and Downtown Caltrain Extension “DTX”), including its funding program and development assumptions, recommended not only that a plan be developed for the area around the Transit Center and also identified the need to study air-rights development at the 4th/King rail station and yard.

The study will produce policies, conceptual site plans, and implementation mechanisms for air-rights development of the 4th/King Street station and railyards, particularly given the need to reconfigure the facilities to accommodate the Caltrain Downtown Extension and California High-Speed Rail. This study will also examine the possibility for development on these facilities to supplement funding sources for construction of the Caltrain Extension and other public improvements to the railyards and existing station and immediate area.