Design Approved For Sparkly Revamp of Powell Street

"The first schematic designs were released in June, and designers from Field Operations the landscape design firm behind the Tunnel Tops park and New York's High Line and Site Lab have imagined a revived foot of Powell Street with plenty of new illumination, including a striking, almost pixelated globe of suspended LEDs hanging over the cable-car turnaround."

"The new streetscaping will also include white globe lights strung up the length of the tree blocks, new sparkling charcoal concrete running along the red brick under the central cable car tracks with the brick extending up to Union Square new plantings, new leaning rails for those in line for the cable car, and new gold bench seating. Sidewalks on the three-block stretch would all be widened to 21 feet, the same width as the parklet segments between Geary and Ellis streets."

Designers Field Operations and Site Lab propose revamping three Powell Street blocks between the cable-car turnaround and Union Square with lighting, widened sidewalks, seating, plantings, and new paving. The plan includes a suspended, pixelated globe of LEDs over the turnaround, white globe lights along tree blocks, sparkling charcoal concrete alongside existing red brick under the central cable car tracks, leaning rails for cable-car queues, and gold bench seating. Sidewalks would be widened to 21 feet, matching nearby parklet segments. The project carries an estimated $40 million price tag and is currently about half funded, with remaining funds likely sought through a civic improvement bond on the November ballot.

Read at sfist.com