One Rincon Hill: Hovering Around 90% Sold

Boy, if this thread ends anywhere nearly as interesting as the Infinity thread ended, this is going to be really, really interesting!
What started out as a hype thread over how Google will improve the neighborhood has ended up as a near riot as the residents have determined that the square footage figures were grossly wrong! And what a coincidence: the units are all smaller than advertised.
Hope things go better in this thread!
[Editor’s Note: As a “plugged in” reader notes, “Apparently the [Infinity] website designer made some mistakes and placed the wrong SqFt on the wrong units…The PDF file is the correct version per the Sales Office. They will try to correct the website asap. Terrible mistake on their part, but NO they are NOT taking away square footage.”]

Does anyone know when construction on the 2nd tower will begin? How about construction for The Californian, across the street? I saw on the website that it’ll begin in March, but they still need to tear town the abandoned homeless shelter, so who knows?

I believe the restriction is own, and live in (no renting) for two years before selling or renting. At least that’s what I heard. And yes, what BORING architecture. Have you seen the things they’re building all over Asia, and even in Chicago? Why oh why is SF so BORING??

I don’t get over to the East Bay much, but on a recent trip over and back that marked my first time passing by the One Rincon tower, I was weirded out by just how close this building is to the freeway. Architecturally significant or not, that’s just bizarre to me. Are the spaces on the floors that seems level to and that face the freeway residential?

“I don’t get over to the East Bay much, but on a recent trip over and back that marked my first time passing by the One Rincon tower, I was weirded out by just how close this building is to the freeway.”
I thought the same thing, but then I realized that it’s a lot closer to the building now because they redirected the West Approach of the bridge temporarily while they are retrofitting the old part that was torn down. Once that West Approach is finished, there will be a pretty good distance between the freeway and the building itself.
I agree though, unless you’re on one of the very top floors (say 45 and above), it’s much better to have unit on the other side of the building. Don’t really want a view of the freeway below.

I found it sort of interesting that there are comments for the first time on this blog about the look of 1Rincon not being very attractive.
The renderings of the entire project have been around for almost a year and this is the first I’ve seen anyone make that comment, which I really just chalk up to a lack of imagination given that the project is probably less than 25% complete at this point (i.e, the two towers, the townhouses, the outdoor amenities and landscaping).
If we’re going to get started on the whole unattractive building thing, let’s at least start where most people are in agreement, The Watermark.
And personally, even though I am a 1Rincon buyer, I think that the Infinity is a more beautiful building from the outside, but the interior just does not compare at all. I found the Infinity model to be wholly unappealing, which is why I chose to go with 1Rincon and not Infinity, even though I would also agree with anyone who says that the Infinity has the superior location (no one with half a brain is going argue with that statement).
Also, I love the fact that 1Rincon will be able to be seen from as far away as El Cerrito. Even now, it’s only about 25-30 stories complete, and the building looks absolutely enormous when you are walking near Mission and 1st (which is located at about sea level or 120 feet lower than the base of the tower).
Bottom line….the neighborhood is going to be amazing when finished and 1Rincon, the Infinity and the Millennium Tower are going to be the “jewels” of the neighborhood. Therefore, I say, anyone who can join the party at any of these developments should do so. The more, the merrier.

I have had the same reaction as a previous post regarding being shocked how close this really is to the freeway when driving by. Are the floors at the same elevation to the traffic going to be for parking or are these going to be residential units? How would you be able to block out the noise and vibrations even with the windows closed? I also think the design of most of these new “jewels” is not very creative compared to Asia, Europe or even Chicago.

“Also, I love the fact that 1Rincon will be able to be seen from as far away as El Cerrito.”
Wow, I can’t believe this compelling fact was omitted from One Rincon’s marketing materials. I guess if you have friends in El Cerrito, you can call them and ask, “Can you see me?”

Several years from now when more highrises go up with it’s superstar architects and designers, ask yourself this – would you rather live in a creepy office building near the freeway with it’s dark windows or a stunning landmark building in a better downtown location?
I would hate to be a 1Rincon owner when all these fantastic new buildings go up…

This is the first I ever have heard of codes being changed regarding floor to ceiling glass in high rises? Can the person who posted at 11:27am provide any more information about where they found this code change?

“..would you rather live in a creepy office building near the freeway with it’s dark windows or a stunning landmark building in a better downtown location?”
Loaded question or not, I certainly would choose location and design first. That’s a no brainer…

About 10 years ago SF Moma did an exhibit called Unbuilt San Francisco. One of the most engaging projects was from the 40’s for a two gateway towers at the foot of where the Oakland Bridge skyway emptied onto San Francisco city streets. There was a tower on each side of the road and the deco design had imagination and took a position much more decisive than trying to build another office tower or Trump West.

I don’t think that its universally agreed that the exterior is suboptimal. There are some on here that like it and all you have to have are some buyers interested to get the ball rolling. That’s the beauty of SF…if you don’t like one building’s design/location, you can go for another one, as a ton are going up in the next few years.

“I don’t think that its universally agreed that the exterior is suboptimal. There are some on here that like it and all you have to have are some buyers interested to get the ball rolling. That’s the beauty of SF…if you don’t like one building’s design/location, you can go for another one, as a ton are going up in the next few years.”
This is the only credible statement on this issue because it points out why these back and forth debates are great…everyone knows the old saying,
“Opinions are like a$$$#$….everybody has one.”
The only opinion that counts is the opinion of the person who buys your condo if, and when you ever sell it, and pays more for it than you paid when you bought it.
Everything else is just conversation.

I would categorize One Rincon’s design as “safe”, which is probably a smart route for a developer to take (although not necessarily a beneficial approach for the city’s architectural mix). Ultimately, the building’s exterior design has to appeal to a wide audience of buyers–and not alienate any prospects–which pretty much guarantees it will have neutral appearance. At the risk of a sound verbal lashing from a defensive One Rincon deposit-holder, I will assert that the building does look dated. But, modern design is particularly vulnerable to that. So perhaps it’s better just to start out with something unobjectionable that doesn’t stand out rather than something more cutting-edge that might end up looking even more representative of a particular time period.

Hey Socketheads,
I’ve got new pics from 28th and 29th floors posted at:
http://www.skyboxrealty.com/one_rincon_hill_views.html
Paul

Any guesses as to how many 1Rincon buyers are looking to flip when their one year is up?

I don’t think this is about glass building not looking too great. Infinity is shaping up pretty nice and it’s all glass. I think people have issues with the dark glass, white trim, and square shape. Like many said, it’s a dated 70’s look.
When 1Rincon first started selling, folks were awed by the height and had the mindset of “I’m gonna buy into the tallest building in SF” kind of thinking.
Certainly, the marketing team did a steller job and selling the height and lure of highrise living. They did an unbelievable job of creating excitement, sensation, and curiousity.
Now the building is going up and folks see the skin of the building, I wonder how many are saying “uh oh…”, or “what the $*#&$”

“Now the building is going up and folks see the skin of the building, I wonder how many are saying “uh oh…”, or “what the $*#&$””
None, if they actually cared at all about looking at the building before they bought.
It’s fairly interesting to see how people who probably could never afford to live in this building in the first place presume to know what the thought process is of a person who actually went through the condo research and buying process, thought about all of the the angles (both financial, architectural and design) and then made good sound decision about where they would like to live.
I personally would be going “uh oh…”, or “what the $*#&$” if I were living in this city and had to rent for the rest of my life because I couldn’t actually afford to live in it.
That would be a much scarier proposition than whether or not a completely subjective issue like how the building looks to the SF/Bay Area residents at large.
Can’t we get back to more important stuff like, what’s planned for the neighborhood, what units at 1Rincon are still available, pricing for those units and maybe even toss in a little discussion about ventless dryers again.
Unfortunately, these Transbay/Rincon Hill/South Beach threads have recently degraded way down into the realm of being highly “sub-optimal” and that’s a shame.

“I personally would be going “uh oh…”, or “what the $*#&$” if I were living in this city and had to rent for the rest of my life because I couldn’t actually afford to live in it.”
“Renting from the owner as opposed to renting from the mortgage lender” is what you mean to say I suppose. I would love to see the typical financing of condo purchases in SF these days. 10% down, Interest Only, 3-5 years fixes. Pretty scary thought. “Uh oh..”

“Renting from the owner as opposed to renting from the mortgage lender” is what you mean to say I suppose. I would love to see the typical financing of condo purchases in SF these days. 10% down, Interest Only, 3-5 years fixes. Pretty scary thought. “Uh oh..”
I would agree, but that gets back to my original point about whether or not you can really afford to live in this city. That type of mortgage product is scary for sure and if you are forced to go to that product, it probably means you are living beyond your means.
Also, on the renting money verus renting from the owner. Don’t forget a little thing called the mortgage interest deduction on your tax return. Since almost 100% of your payments in the first few years are interest and not principal, that’s a serious legal tax shelter you got yourself there.
If you figure that after-taxes you are paying about the same as renting, it makes buying versus renting pretty much a no-brainer. The beauty of buying into one of these pre-construction deals is that if you “reserve” at a time when interest rates are high, prices will typically be a little lower, but by the time you are actually required to close on the place, which could be anywhere from 12-18-24 months, interest rates could have moved down substantially and then you’re looking at the best of both worlds.
I’m guessing that I’ll probably pick up a point to a point and half interest rate benefit between the time that I locked my condo price and the time that I close on the condo. That’s what you call arbitrage, buying in a low price environment and financing the purchase in a low-interest rate environment.

I don’t think one is correct to call comments that feel the exterior design is similar to a 70’s office tower in Irvine , “Bitter”, because they ,”Could not afford”, to purchase one of these units. I think many of us are either looking to purchase or already own in the neighborhood and are just concerned at what is being built and how the area will develope over time. For better or worse, these towers are going to be landmarks and I feel a real opportunity was lost to build something extraordinary for the entire city. Paul, the views look incredible btw.

“1. When it comes time to actually purchase, you no longer qualify for financing because you experience a change in financial standing (income drops, debt/income ratio increases, credit has score has deteriorated) or interest rates go up to the degree they affect your buying power?”
Not sure about the first part, but if you are even somewhat savvy you should have a rate locked in with a float-down in case interest rates decline further.
“2. The price at which you originally went into contract is no longer in line with market values? For example, you’re in contract for a $900k 1000 sq/ft unit and comparable properties are selling for much less.”
If you reserved a 900k unit for 3% (the most they can keep) it would be 27k. If real estate prices were lower than your purchase price minus the deposit, then you could walk away and re-buy or if you really loved the building and wanted to live there for a long time you could still move in. It will most likely recover in the long run.
If you actually moved in now and the prices dropped you could lose substantially more money than the 27k. For the buyers of One Rincon their losses would be capped at 3% plus whatever costs of the transaction and tied up capital. Although the deposit should be sitting in an interest bearing account.

Thanks for the thoughtful responses about deposits. Much appreciated!

Take any two buildings on Russian Hill, Nob Hill, the Marina etc.
One building that you may think is ugly, another building that you think is beautiful. Granted the quality is the same, I challenge anyone to show that there would be any substantial difference in the values per square foot. Put you your money where your mouth is. Is anybody up to the challenge?
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It is an opinion.

Wow, ugly looking building in a terrible freeway hugging location. 1Rincon may eventually turn out nice, but to me that’s a bad recipe when investing in real estate…

“Now if the outside was stunning and beautiful and the inside wasn’t as upgraded I could still go in, spend a few thousand to remodel the inside. It’s a simple solution when the inside is ‘sub-optimal’
But there’s no way to change the outside…”
I think this was in response to someone saying the infinity layouts were sub-optimal not necessarily the finishes.
Why would anybody buy say in the infinity only to remodel the interior? If the layout sucks, it would be hugely costly to change the layout if you can change the layout at all.
You would never recuperate your costs since your unit would probably still sell at a comparable price to your neighbors.
Personally, I would rather live in a good interior layout in what some may think is an ugly building than live in a bad layout in what some would think is a beautiful building.
But that is my opinion.

Seems like this whole “opinion” thing is starting to catch-on.
I agree 100% with Anon @ 3:46. Let’s think about this? Where do you spend 99.99% of your time when you are at home, sitting on the curb across the street admiring the “look” of the building or kicking back on your designer couch in your tastefully designed floor plan, enjoying a glass of fine wine, maybe some cheeses (both domestic and imported), and saying thinking to yourself, “ahhh…this is so wonderful to be INSIDE my apt.”
The things that people try and latch onto to criticize are so ridiculous.
But that is not the view of “many of” the posters here, that is just my personal OPINION.

Why is anyone worried about rates going up or losing their deposit here? I recently read that pets.com is opening a new office nearby with like 12 people. That will fuel the local economy, plus those 12 milionaires will snap up the remaining units at like $5,000/sq. ft. It’s a new paradigm.

“Strange why you would mention Infinity and it’s layout when no one else does. Infinity has it’s own blog. Go post there…”
Hmmm, I am sorry but you could not be more wrong. Why don’t you do a search for Infinity on this blog? It is under the edit menu in your explorer.
There are quite a few mentions of the infinity and the post I was referring to is below. And yes, it was taken from this blog.
“And personally, even though I am a 1Rincon buyer, I think that the Infinity is a more beautiful building from the outside, but the interior just does not compare at all. I found the Infinity model to be wholly unappealing, which is why I chose to go with 1Rincon and not Infinity, even though I would also agree with anyone who says that the Infinity has the superior location (no one with half a brain is going argue with that statement).”

“they have like 50 different floorplans so are you saying that those 50 floorplans suck?”
I should have been more clear. I am in the market for a one bedroom possible with a den.
The infinity has no one bedrooms with balconies and in many of the plans the dens/offices have no windows. In my opinion this makes them large walk-in closets but that is my opinion so no one can argue that with me.

“I’m actually glad now I’m not gonna be neighbors with this Anon!”
It was joke you dolt. Heaven forbid that I try to spice up one of the posts on this topic with some over embellished color.
I will keep it strictly business for now on per Anon @ 4:14’s request.

“Imagine what the Homeowners Association Meetings will be like? I hope they spread around the “Fine wine and cheese (both foreign and domestic” to soothe the strong opinions of this group.”
Well said 4:29. If I am lucky enough to be elected HOA President, that will be my first order of business.
RESOLVED
“Each meeting of One Rincon Hill Home Owner’s Association will begin with a serving of fine wine and cheeses (both domestic and imported).”

“One thing I love about 1Rincon blogs is that these 1Rincon buyers sure get emotional and riled up easily. I remember other folks mentioning the same thing.
Dangle a carrot and they’ll jump at it! Every single time… :-)”
I think your thought is not quite broad enough. I would say, “these [blank] buyers sure get emotional and riled up easily.”
You could easily fill in Watermark or Infinity in that sentence and it would be true. I’ve seen buyers from all of these projects jump on here and go crazy whenever the quality of their project is questioned or criticized.
And you’re right, some of these people take the bait every time. I’m a 1Rincon buyer, but i just sit back and enjoy the show. It’s fantastic.

“Who’s crazier? People defending their buildings against endless critism? Or the people posting endless critism when they don’t even own in the building?”
That one’s WAAY too close to call. I say we just head over to Costco buy them all straight jackets in bulk to get the discount.

These last few posts remind me (to a much lesser degree) of some of the energy around the Yerba Buena Lofts when they were first sold. I was among those first buyers, but I was moving over from the East Bay and missed out on some of the local hype about what was then a high-profile project. I found myself living among a group of extremely fragile, mean-spirited egomaniacs. They needed a lot of attention and accolades for their decision to purchase at YBL but were affronted and defensive when someone didn’t share their refined appreciation for the building. It was a creepy, creepy place to live. I turned my unit over and moved on. In the end, you just have to be happy with the place you have chosen to purchase, know that only you need to understand the factors behind your decision, and don’t let the criticism get you down.

“I am loving the use of this new word here! Like when the cat pukes, is he being “Sub-Optimal”?”
Great line, redseca2. I tried earlier to bring up the whole history of the use of “sub-optimal” but i got dinged by the administrator so I sort of backed off on its use.
I would love to see piece in the future that actually incorporated the use of that term. It’s almost taken on a life of its own at this point.
[Editor’s Note: Okay, if you insist on calling us out…you got “dinged” for quoting from one of your own comments and then playing it off as a different “Anonymous” reader (a particular pet peeve of ours).]

I was at a party at Terra SF (next door to One Rincon) over the weekend and was pleased with how the glass looked at dusk, when the remaining light of the western sun hits it. I’ve been critical on this blog in the past about the cliche bowed glass front and the darkness of the glass, but at least it is full-bleed glass and not some succo patchwork. One Rincon will not likely win any AIA or other design awards but it is clean and, except for that bowed front with its cut-in balconies, pretty purely modern. It will be interesting to look back in 20 years and see which high rise has aged the most gracefully. But I don’t see that those buyers who like, or at least don’t dislike One Rincon’s exterior, will regret (or not) their purchase based on the exterior design any more than other new tower buyers will. The location and maintenance and timelessness of the interiors (both plans and finishes) will be the drivers I think.

“It will be even more interesting from a seismological point of view.”
Given its location at the top of solid rock and the fact that the developer was required to conduct seismic integrity tests on the structure at like an 8.5 Richter earthquake, your implication is not credible. The building and its design are solid.
There is more risk that a 2 story Marina condo would be leveled in a major earthquake than this 60 story building coming down.

I confined my comment to non-seismic aging because this and other new towers will be a lot more robust than the majority of older local built structures in the face of the inevitible big one. Not to say anyone can prove that they’ll survive intact but really, it is close to junk science to imply that the height of these modern, more-carefully-analyzed-than-anything-prior structures somehow implies unknown risk (if that is a correct interpretation of Anonymous at 6:10pm’s post; apologies if it is not). Agree completely with Anonymous at 6:21pm that the Marina 2-3 story buildings with open first-level garages (“soft-stories”) are at much higher risk of being red-tagged or burning down after collapsing on their gas lines after the big one. Along with older bridges, streets on fill, and lots and lots of older tall (and maybe even not-so-tall, depending how bad the quake is) buildings.

“And personally, even though I am a 1Rincon buyer, I think that the Infinity is a more beautiful building from the outside, but the interior just does not compare at all. I found the Infinity model to be wholly unappealing, which is why I chose to go with 1Rincon and not Infinity, even though I would also agree with anyone who says that the Infinity has the superior location (no one with half a brain is going argue with that statement).”
Location, location, location. I work on Folsom near the Infinity and would pick location and exterior any day before interior. Interior is the one thing you could change more.
Like the other posts, I was on the BB the other day and was suprised how close I was to the Rincon.

My understanding is that the second tower will begin construction in 2008, after the first tower is substantially complete but likely not fully occupied yet.

great reading….
curmudgeon must be out of towm…he/she has not yet posted comments (always pointed and informational) on this particular thread.

“I’m kinda with the crowd who think it’s an eighties Irvine office building on growth hormone. And why stress the horizontal rather than the vertical? It’s a skyscraper gosh darn it.
I just do not feel the passion about this building. And so many on this list have so much more to say, ad nauseum, that I’m for the most part staying out of the debate.”
curmudgeon has spoken so you can all go home. Guys, can we try and avoid pandering to particular bloggers to this site just because they happen use a distinctive handle (case in point, Sexy and Sassy in SF, although I have enjoyed some of her “over the top” comments).
I think there are plenty “Anons” on this topic that have given some great feedback so let’s not cut them out of the loop.

The white trim really does stand out much more than on the renderings. I am curious what the material is also, and it could present long term problems in how it could be kept clean. We have also not heard back from the anon who claimed this would be one of the last projects built in the city with floor to ceiling glass windows. I doubt THAT information is correct.

I cannot imagine residents paying $700-$1000 per month for their HOA and not ensuring that the windows and exterior facade are not kept impeccably clean, to prevent soot build-up.

The Portside building is what 5-10 stories high? Given 1Rincon’s height, cleaning the windows and all the white trim is easier said than done. I’m sure the HOA will have it cleaned, but really it’ll need to be cleaned often to avoid soot buildup. And don’t think it’s as easy as wiping windows. Soot cleaning often requires the use of special chemicals and equipment.
Again, I’d like to know the genius that decided on putting white trim near a freeway. A major mistake that may really affect the look of the building in the years to come…

Both myself and some other posts had asked about what was located within the levels that are immediatly adjacent to the freeway in elevation. It looks like those are going to be residential units also!? Does anyone know if that is parking or condos? It will make for some interesting viewing for drivers sitting in traffic as you can really see right into the building.

I love the characterization of the residents to 1Rincon as “wealthy.”
For SF standards, the cost of the “Tower Level” condos does not require that one be wealthy, again, at least by SF standards.
I also find it interesting that the people that ignorantly try to characterize the residents as snooty rich folks have no idea that virtually the entire sales team at 1Rincon has purchased a unit in the building and, while their deposit terms are clearly an employee perk (it’s something like $5000 as opposed to 3%), they still have to pay relative market value for the units themselves. My point is, the only units that are being purchased by the so-called “rich and famous” are the super high end units on 28-31 and 51-60, which are not that many compared to the tower level units.

This discussion about how the towers look is so completely absurd at this point given where this project is in its life.
It’s like watching a breast augmentation procedure where the surgeon is literally sitting there with the implants in his hand before they’ve even been implanted implanted into the woman and having some idiot that’s watching going, “Gosh, I think that breast job is really ugly.”
At least before when when people were trash talking the building’s location, that at least made sense since its location was then fixed and wasn’t going to change between the time that the project broke ground and the time that the last piece of glass is installed on the second tower.
I don’t have any problem with people completely bashing the building’s exterior experience when it’s fully completed. I totally respect a difference of opinion. But right now? How stupid.

“I think the point is that the reality versus the slick sales images is sometimes shocking for some people. When driving by the tower now that it is going up you really see how close it is to the freeway, and seeing the dark glass vs. the glazing shown on the website and in brochures finally begins to show what we are ALL going to be living with. Have you ever started to paint a wall and realized that the color in the can is not exactly what was printed on the color chart?”
I still think my earlier point was missed. Your premise, while totally valid, is still, in my opinion, totally premature.
Again….let’s have this chat in late ’07, early ’08 when at least the first tower will be complete.
I still disagree with the conclusion, but I do respect the difference of opinion nonetheless.

Isn’t the building over 25 stories high with it’s skin up to 15 stories? It’s clearly easy to see how the building will look when complete. It’s not like the top 30 floors will look any different than the first 25.
When I first saw the renditions of the building and all the slick marketing material I thought the building would like stunning.
Look at the sales brochure or the main page of the website. See how there’s barely any traffic on the street and on the freeway. The only time it’s like that is 11pm on a Monday night. Otherwise there’s contant traffic.
And what about the pictures of the building. In reality, the glass is so much darker and the white trim so much brighter. And doesn’t the building look so much closer to the freeway than the brochure?
Again, chalk it up to a very very slick marketing campaign…

Everyone is talking about The Freeway, soot, shorter life spans, etc., but it’s really an architectural gem – The Bay Bridge!
What do you think the next few decades will be like? Aren’t we on the verge of cleaner and quieter vehicle technology that will make the noisy exhaust-spewing cars & trucks of today seem sooooo last century? Call me over optimistic, but I think this liability will not be so bad over time and will allow for more density in our cities and fewer ‘bad’ locations.

“The problem is that these new buildings (which includes the Infinity) look like they belong on the water in Miami Beach so naturally they are going to draw criticism given that they will, I admit, look somewhat out of place in SF.”
THIS is the problem! San Francisco does not have the climate or the architectural vocabulary of Miami. Whenever anyone writes about San Francisco architecture however, they get jumped on because many people think that means “Victorians” or Edwardians” when in fact neithor of those styles were developed here (We can claim to be one of the founding regions of arts and crafts architecture however). It is unfortunate that people are not aware of an existing group of Bay Area regional modernists who adapted to the climate and available materials. Check out the NorCal Modern book. Those houses are beautiful and yet are fit into our landscape. There is no point in going back to the “San Francisco Identity” topic, but what many newcomers do not understand, is that this was a very unique city with its own style , food, music and architecture. I fear those days are now almost gone. We now look to Miami, San Diego and Los Angeles where as 100 years ago Daniel Burnham wanted this to be “Paris on the Pacific”.

In regard to soot, take a look at the walls of almost every building in SF that is not cleaned regularly. In the Marina, North Beach, Financial District, SOMA, Rincon Hill, it does not matter they all get dirty from the thing we call a city and all have to be cleaned.
One Rincon’s white trim is probably much easier to clean than concrete or stucco since it looks like a non-porous surface.

“I don’t know why people think it cost so much to redo a small condo. Ever heard of do it yourself? I remodeled my own condo by buying the material at a discounted contractor’s price, then slowly remodeling the unit with a couple buddies. Ask any person and they can’t tell the difference between a contractor’s work and a ‘do it yourself-er’. It’s not that difficult once you put your head and heart into it.”
Yeah, people buying a one bedroom with a brand new interior for $1MM are really the do it yourself people. Come’on.

“”One would certainly hope, but unfortunately your refreshing optimism is not conducive to bashing 1Rincon so that’s probably why it was overlooked or ignored.”
This statement could not be more true. Just about every statement that gets a response is negative. Whether it is someone who has a valid question or is making a positive point, they just get ignored.”
So true. There seems to be WAY to much negative going on with 1Rincon to plop down a large deposit.
Whether it’s the location, traffic, pollution, noise, soot, freeway, onramp, no deeded or self parking option, isolation, lack of amenities, and now it’s sucky, dated design, there’s just too much for the average SF condo buyer/investor to digest at this point and probably better options out there….

“Every large building should have to pass a “is this going to look really sucky in the city 25, 50 or 100 years from now.”
Do I agree with this comment. This is what is being missed by some of the defenders of this project. For those of us who are not interested in purchasing one of these units, we will still be stuck with having to look at this tower as it is going to be a large part of the urban skyline. I think San Francisco deserves better design.

I think the building looks pretty damn close to the renderings shown on the website. Having a background in 3-D rendering, this is about as close as you get. The white trim is also shown in the rendering. Yes, it does not look as dramatic since the image is only 3 inches tall but I do not think the rendering is inaccurate.

Nonsense. I think some of the information posted here is extremely helpful regarding 1rincon eg. Washer/Dryer hook-ups, parking, auto exhaust concerns from freeway, upcoming projects that will surround towers such as this, etc. More interesting and helpful still is to find out on this site that towers such as this could be dwarfed by upcoming projects so if one is spending top dollar to have one of the highest units in the city, you may be in for suprise. I even think it is helpful to hear how other people feel about the design of the building. Projects such as this are selling a “product”, therefore the design needs to be attractive or you could be in real trouble.

“More interesting and helpful still is to find out on this site that towers such as this could be dwarfed by upcoming projects so if one is spending top dollar to have one of the highest units in the city, you may be in for suprise.”
But you can make this comment with respect to virtually any new project. The grass is ALWAYS greener. However, I think the price points at 1Rincon are more than worth the investment. $800/sqft is no cause for alarm.

Nooooo waaayyy, I say the location itself is too big of a factor to place a bet on 1Rincon at this point.
$850/SQFT better get me something on the 40th floor with Bay views cuz that’s what the building is worth now given all the negatives (location, pollution, traffic, onramp, exterior design, etc…)

“$850/SQFT better get me something on the 40th floor with Bay views cuz that’s what the building is worth now given all the negatives (location, pollution, traffic, onramp, exterior design, etc…)”
You have got to be kidding me. Have you even taken a look at any of the selling prices for condos in the area? The only buildings that are at that price are older units and I doubt they have anywhere close to a 40th floor view. The fact of the matter is that many people are willing to pay a lot more than that for both view and location (I’m not referring to being next to the freeway, but to the proximity to the Embarcadero, Ferry Building, downtown, etc).

“Given all the negative surrounding this building, I’d say 850-900/sqft is a fair price. The market’s not as strong as it used to be and given all the inventory and upcoming inventory any sound real estate buyers probably wouldn’t pay more than that right now… at least for 1Rincon.”
Do you know the demographic of the buyers that already put down 30k+ for 90% of the units to be making such a statement or do you really have nothing to back it up?

“To say what you said makes you a bigot and/or racist. I sure hope other Rincon buyers/fans are not like you (actually I know they are not).
Shame on you!”
On behalf of the future residents at 1Rincon, I would like to say, “No, we are not” and I agree with you as well.
The comment, was cheap, petty and shameful. As much as I hate to say it, maybe the Editor should think about taking a break from “The Great 1Rincon Debate” to let things cool down a bit.
When I decided to purchase one of these units a little over 6 months ago, I never imagined that this project would become such a source of hostility, vitriol and just plain old mean-spiritedness among people who really have no stake whatsoever in it.

Okay…my comment was taken the wrong way. It was a joke. It was in bad taste but for one, the word that the person used was “cuz.” This is American slang. It has nothing to do with race or nationality or someone’s ability to not speak english well.
It is a word used by a lot of teenagers. That was my orginal thought process.
“To say what you said makes you a bigot and/or racist.”
That is a stretch. I do apoligize since I see how it could be taken the wrong way, but the word I used is by no means racist.

“Okay…my comment was taken the wrong way. It was a joke. It was in bad taste but for one, the word that the person used was “cuz.” This is American slang. It has nothing to do with race or nationality or someone’s ability to not speak english well.”
No, I believe what you said was that person’s grammer or English was not up to par so they couldn’t afford to live at 1Rincon.
The word “cuz” is a slang but also used by a lot of folks just to shorten the word “because”. I know I use it all the time in emails and online chats and I’m certainly not a teenager, but more like the mid 30’s….
But let’s take Anon at 10:24 AM’s advice –
“Don’t take the bait.” There’s nothing but downside. Just live and let live.”
Amen

I have not been following the whole insult thing but I am curious why some feel that if you are not a “buyer” (Has anyone even opened escrows yet?) in 1rincon, that you can therefore not have an opinion about the project. Two Tall landmark towers such as this project invite opinions as they will be part of the future look and identity of the city. One Rincon takes a strong position on design and location and this creates strong opinions both pro and con. If it were not next to the freeway and bridge acting as an urban gateway, I wonder if anyone would really care about these towers? The towers actually look rather ordinary on the outside to me.

“I am curious why some feel that if you are not a “buyer” (Has anyone even opened escrows yet?) in 1rincon, that you can therefore not have an opinion about the project.”
Yes, we have opened escrows, quite awhile ago. And just to be clear, who ever said or remotely implied that if a person is not a 1Rincon buyer, they could not have an opinion about the project? That would be absurd and you know it.
The comment made above was made to refer only to completely gratuitous, mean-spirited comments which are meant to do nothing more than get emotions running high and also make those who, for some reason have some kind of an inferiority complex (which makes no sense), feel better about themselves.
I’ve seen plenty of great comments with great insight and food for thought from lots of posters who clearly are only casual observers and not buyers or even prospective buyers. And yes, I am referring to negative, positive and neutral comments as to the appeal of 1Rincon.

Further to Anon @ 12:54’s insightful point. It is funny how just name recognition alone can make certain properties more desirable, separate and apart from the question of whether the property itself is appealing as an actual home.
The above poster does make a good point. There are plenty of beautiful properties in this city that most certainly are superior to 1Rincon or the Infinity, etc, pricing aside and not counting those very distinctive properties in Pac Heights, etc. where the home itself has a very well known history, but you almost never would hear someone say, “Where do you live? Oh I live at 990 Green Unit #6. Oh really, wow, that’s a really nice place.”
Why do you think Trump stamps his name on everything he builds? Residential buildings, casinos, golf courses, etc.
True, plenty of people would reject a “name” building just because they are not impressed by the status of a name. But plenty of people go the other way as well.
Speaking of, I was told by someone at the sales office that they have even applied with the U.S. Post Office for a formal address name change from “425 1st Street” to “One Rincon Hill.” What do you think that’s all about?

“I am no fan of “the Donald”, but he does create buzz and his 90 story project in Chicago is almost sold out and is selling at 1,000 a sq. ft. and up (which is very high for Chicago).”
Is that the project that Bill from The Apprentice was supposedly going to work on? Yes, if there’s anyone that knows how to create a buzz so as to heighten the status of his brand name, it is the Donald.
Maybe Kriozere of Urban West Associates (the 1Rincon developer) can get into some kind of verbal tussle with Rosie so that my condo can increase in value.

“Frankly, I think a new building is superior to an old building. This is due to the fact that I don’t feel like dealing with the maintainence no matter how beautiful it might be.”
Oh my goodness, the surprises that may be in store for you! The first owners in new buildings are the ones who have to deal with potential construction defects (and the resulting litigation), the discovery of system deficiencies, and sudden increases in HOA dues when it becomes clear that fees weren’t accurately estimated to cover operating expenses and still fund reserves. The first few years are also the ones during which the association argues about keeping or ditching features and services the developers put in place as marketing devices (high-maintenance landscaping and concierge service, for example).
With an older building, you have the first advantage of taking ownership after these initial “surprises” have been rectified. You also have the second benefit of seeing the building’s history of maintenance issues, HOAs dues increases, and other factors that might impact your decision to buy (or at least give you a heads-up of what you may encounter), as all of this is documented in HOA meeting minutes and other reports.
I’ve lived in new-construction condos, a condo in a 1920’s-era building, and condos built during several decades in between. The older buildings have always presented the fewest surprises with regard to maintenance problems and the associated financial consequences, and they’ve always had the best, most seasoned management and maintenance teams in place to handle whatever arose.

HOA dues are usually set at too low an amount in the initial phase of almost any project including mine. My experience is more like SeeHsee in that we had numerous lawsuits with the developer over everything from landscaping (trees died) , leaks and cracking in parking garage, cracking of wall plaster from building settlement (still ongoing lawsuits on this), pipes incorrectly installed for laundry drainage in about 36 of the units (huge mess to replace those), and elevators that never should have been installed for the amount of activity my building gives them, (these were upgraded to better units, which involved ANOTHER lawsuit). Almost the entire Homeowners Association Board resigned after first year because of the amount of time involved in battling with the developer and owners over the numerous problems. I will not even get into all of the new rules that had to be ammended into the bylaws during the first year as THAT would be a whole website blog unto itself.

Anonymous at 6:52 pm…Of course a number of things can go wrong with an older building, and I’m not trying to argue anyone out of new construction. My point was simply that new construction doesn’t protect one from having to face maintenance issues as Anonymous at 4:17 pm suggested. And with older buildings, you’re likely to have a documented history of maintenance concerns and therefore a better idea about what might be on the horizon. One good thing about new construction, though, is that I believe the developer/builder has to warranty the construction for 10 years.