While a Principal at Nelson\Nygaard Consulting, Siegman & Associates founder Patrick Siegman led the Waterfront Parking and Transportation Demand Management Study for the Port of San Francisco. Our study included an analysis confirming the feasibility of replacing several Port-owned parking lots with a theater, hotel, and affordable housing, without providing new or replacement parking.

In a recent article, San Francisco Chronicle urban design critic John King celebrates the results:

“Architecture in cities, particularly those cities with backstories and scars, often is more about tying things together rather than unfurling a grand vision for all to see.

That multilayered reality is what makes a new housing complex below Telegraph Hill a welcome and overdue success, even if it lacks the physical presence of many of its neighbors.

The creation of 178 affordable apartments units that provide shelter to families, working adults and formerly homeless seniors? Check. Buildings that fit into their surroundings while adding pedestrian-friendly paths? Check. Healing an open wound that dates back to San Francisco’s demolition of the Embarcadero Freeway in 1991?

Believe it or not, check.…”

Our study's analysis showed that nearby private garages, combined with the site’s transit and bicycle-friendly location, could accommodate existing and future transportation needs. The analysis allowed the project to move forward, saving millions of dollars on costly replacement parking.

Continue reading at the SF Chronicle

Image courtesy of the Port of San Francisco