Plans to empty and renovate the two brick-fronted garage buildings at 340 and 362 Fell Street, which are currently home to California Detailing, Fell Street Auto Service and Domport Auto Body, are in the works.
And as envisioned, Rivian Automotive, the makers of an all-electric pickup truck (which is slated to beat Tesla’s Cybertruck to market) and SUV would then take over the combined 19,457 square feet of space, 5,162 square feet of which would become a sales office and the remainder a repair and service facility for the brand.
We’ll keep you posted and…plugged-in.
UPDATE (2/23): The proposed flagship facility, as rendered by MBH Architecture:
This is great news.
I’ve had nothing but awesome things to say about the detailing shop above for some classic cars. But also love the facade of this building, I hope they keep it in tact.
Why is this great news? Rivian is backed by Amazon and Ford Motor Company, and this move into Hayes Valley will displace three businesses that have operated out of this location for 30 years…disgusting and predatory.
How is it predatory? They’re selling of their own volition, unless you know something we don’t.
To be clear, the three existing operators are tenants. And as far as we know, Rivian would be a (new) tenant, versus owner-occupier, as well as the buildings have yet to change hands (although an LOI, dependent upon the project’s approval, could have been signed).
Rivian owns the building. They are displacing the three tenants who have operated in the location for over 20 years. Probably putting them all out of business given increased rents and lack of available locations in SF.
While Rivian is the project sponsor, the property is still owned by a long-standing trust, at least according to the application signed last week. In addition, there doesn’t appear to be a recent transfer on record, at least not yet.
Your ignorance is disgusting.
“Juan Doe,” how is your comment constructive or furthering any sort of discussion about this issue? You seem better suited to be on Twitter if you just want to hurl insults.
This is incorrect. Those three businesses went out of business and filed for bankruptcy due to COVID, they were not displaced, and Rivian negotiated terms to allow them to shed the debt.
California Detailing, which is our business, has not gone bankrupt, nor have any of the other businesses in the building. We are still up and operating as we have for over 30 years! Where are you getting your information?
Fact Check: Ether Dummy is spreading false information. That comment is very suspicious.
Fact: 3 successful and long standing SF local businesses are being displaced during a pandemic.
Hello! California Detailing, which is our business, has not gone bankrupt, nor have any of the other businesses in the building. We are still up and operating as we have for over 30 years!
Very smart move by Rivian. I’m disappointed this isn’t going to become housing anytime soon. These two parcels could have made for an awesome residential project.
That detail shop is amazing; I hope they in particular find a home nearby. So much for the Auto Row on Van Ness, I guess?
Selling pickup trucks in San Francisco. That’s rich. Next snow cones in Siberia.
I feel like I see a lot of pick ups in SF. Don’t you?
You’re right. Trucks and SUVs are *by a wide margin* the best selling segments nationwide, and a large proportion of them — regardless of location — are never use to their full utility potential.
“Moscow is one of the rare places faced with an oversupply of its Covid-19 vaccine. With few takers for its Sputnik V shot, the city is luring people with free ice cream…”
They also sell SUVs, I have a deposit on one of theirs in fact.
Fascinating to watch the move from auto dealers to Tesla-style DTC. Aside from the legal battles with dealer interest groups, big land use implications here. Dealers hold a ton of inventory; hence they’re located in suburban locations with big parking lots. Seems like Rivian is going the Tesla route with direct sales – maybe they have a car or two on-site for test drives but you’re not buying a car off a lot. Hence urban and mall-based locations.
UPDATE: We’ve added a rendering of the proposed flagship facility above.
Hopefully they’ll be required – or at least “encouraged” – to continue the awnings (or something similar) The facade is a rather overwhelming mass of brick without them.
That’s not the plan nor would it be accurate, at least historically speaking. But it would be nice if the original bell tower ports were restored.
It would appear that unpainted brick isn’t “historically accurate either”…at least not for it’s entirety. I’m fine with the towers, but those types of things are usually a seismic headache (and yes, we know how to make things less dangerous, but it’s just another complication).
FALSE! All three businesses have been thriving in this location for 20+ year. Not one is bankrupt or even in jeopardy. Rivian has put them all in a bad situation by making them move! SocketSite do better when approving comments.
These businesses are closed and boarded up. Rivian is opening.