While still trying to feed their families back home. Soledad im soledad obrien. Welcome to matter of fact. The number of coronavirus cases in the United States spiked, quickly topping 3 million, but this isnt a new wave. Dr. Anthony fauci warned this surge is still part of our first battle with virus. So what happens if the country does not get covid19 under control . Historians urged us to take the long view. Reminding us of another time, and another pandemic. In which warnings that were of death. Special contributor joy chan on those lessons from history. Joie the year was 1918. The world was at war. Joie a silent threat loomed at home. And yet the band played on. America entered the great war a year earlier. With patriotism at a fever pitch. Everbody was supposed to contribute to the cause. Thats right. We have to remember that america, in 1917, was really a nation going to war. And they were going to war with a very profound propaganda campaign. Joie Kenneth C Davis wrote the dont
Retailers, local and big box and just about everybody and nobody could make it work. Even using the global reach of our company, we couldnt make it happen. Nowhere in this country is there a shopping sent we are as many floors as westfield San Francisco center. Not in chicago, not in new york. The retail is why they succeed which is why the body amended the planning code to eliminate the need for a cup for the seventh and eighth floors and above. So we believe this investment is good for San Francisco center and mixed use buildings are inherently complementary with the office use supporting the retail and retail an amenity for the office. And we are going to do a full renovation and that includes improved lighting at the street level and the largest nordstrom in the portfolio and will remain one of the largest in the country. Letters of support including one from nordstrom and they couldnt make it br are supportive of this project. We believe they must continue to be the Retail Destina
And i want to tell you that what were seeing right now is not a cycle change. Its a structural change, and i am sure you are aware and seen the retailers and the retailers are shrinking the footprint and it is not the Large Department stores but even tenants that used to be 5,000 feet are shrinking to 1,000 feet and trying to deal with how to market the goods online and cross market both aspects. It has had a very structural change and quite frankly t vacancy rate at union square is the lowest that i have seen in 25 excuse me t highest in 25 years of business in union square. This there is, as we all know, a lot of vacancies that are happening. Barneys is going to close, forever 21 is closing, Williams Sonoma and the multifloor retailers are going out of business and those are the only ones that can occupy the upper floors. They are just not there. We have been marketing 146 geary for four years and talking to tenants initially to take the entire building because that works the best fo
From 220 post. The likelihood that a Retail Business would want a stand alone third Floor Office Space that is accessible from an alley that provides minimal foot traffic, marginal street visibility and has some Security Issues is in our opinion simply less than minuscule. On the overhead, i want to post one more image which is looking at the alley from grant street and if you see the orange box, that is where the third floor business is. Pretty tough to see. Pretty unvisible. So with all that said, nothing prevents the third floor and the upper floors being turned back into retail if at some future point that becomes viable. Project does not include any physical changes that would preclude that, so i am going to let the project sponsor speak about the actual efforts to lease this building, but before i go, in your packet, you have support letters that collectively include 41 signatures in support of the project including a leter from members of the Street Building at 210 post which in
In concord, 90 in fremont, mid80s in oakland and upper 70s in San Francisco. For the travel times, the good news is in the green including the Altamont Pass, still in the green and thats lucky for those headed out of the tracy triangle at 4 31, easy breezy and Everything Else is, as well with no problems on any of those routes. We are seeing stack ups and the cash lanes at the bay bridge but if you are a fast tracker, no problems. The eastshore freeway is moving right along with no problems. The san mateo bridge, not so busy and that will change through the morning with the westbound commute and eastbound, no problem and super easy and same thing at the an rafael bridge. Im anne makovec at the news desk and we are going to hong kong where the airport is still shut down for the second straight day with protesters taking over the terminal. All departing flights right now are canceled but we are seeing some sign of movement with the airport taking and arriving flights including those leav