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Commentary:

Of the several luxury high rise condo's under construction in San Francisco, The Infinity rose to the top. Two other buildings, the St. Regis and the Four Seasons achieved the same overall ratings but those two properties are complete with resales only. The property is located 1 block from San Francisco Bay waterfront and Embarcadero. A few blocks away (easy walking since this area is not hilly) are the trendy eateries of the remodeled Ferry Building and popular Farmer's Market. A few blocks in the other direction is AT&T Ballpark with a number of nightlife venues and restaurants in the area. San Francisco's financial district starts about 6-10 blocks away with shopping in the Union Square area about a mile to the West. The Infinity features two eye-catching curving square towers plus townhouse-style units on the first few floors. Views of the Bay are visible from three directions (except due west) with north and west facing units viewing San Francisco's downtown skyline while south facing units look toward South Beach, the ballpark, and the Oakland Bay Bridge. Amenities include an indoor pool, full fitness facilities, concierge, and business center. Retail space is planned for the first floor so additional conveniences may be coming as construction finishes. The Infinity fell just slightly due to its current location being set away from the major shopping district around Union Square. The Infinity is destined to become an icon on the south side of San Francisco's skyline with only One Rincon Hill achieving a bit more visibility in that area. Construction of the first tower is complete while the second tower is now underway.

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Commentary:

The St. Regis is a completed building (2005) that replicated the success of the Four Seasons residences with Starwood's St. Regis brand. Located within blocks of the Union Square shopping area, the financial district, and several museums (including the Museum of the Africa Diaspora, located in the building). Resales (when available) are the only way to buy into this building now. Views are excellent, especially to the south and west. This building has all the amenities (full service spa, restaurants, room service, etc.) of a 5 star hotel. Residents truly have the opportunities to own a home in one of the finest luxury high rise buildings in the world class city of San Francisco.

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Commentary:

The Four Seasons arguably kicked of the recent spate of luxury high rise condo towers in San Francisco. Opened in 2001 as a mixed use development including the Four Seasons Hotel, this building was the most luxurious new high rise the city had seen. Instead of the tony neighborhoods of Nob Hill or Pacific Heights, the builders put this tower near the heart of Union Square shopping and the financial district. Although a few mid-tier high rise condo buildings existed in the nearby South Beach area, this was the first residential option affiliated with a 5 star hotel. Four Seasons sold out rapidly even during the dotcom slowdown of 2001 with only rarely available resale units. But, this building sets the standard for the newer towers underway.

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Commentary:

Millennium Tower is under construction. It promises to be one of the top condo buildings when completed for several reasons. First, it will be one of the tallest towers in the city at 60 stories. Second, its location in the SOMA district puts it just a few blocks from Union Square shopping, the financial district, museums and the Moscone Convention Center. The location is a fairly vibrant area today and promises to get even more densely urban with several new office towers under consideration in association with the new Transbay Terminal development (which includes a Caltrain station with service to Silicon Valley, San Francisco's planned high speed rail terminal, and plans for the tallest office tower on the West Coast). Views in most directions should be spectacular from the upper floors, although lower floors may not be as great. Amenities include an athletic center managed by Sports Club/LA, a private dining room serviced by the public restaurant, a screening room with 100 inch HD screen, wine cellar with storage lockers for residents and a tasting room, as well as lounge, pool, and outdoor garden. All in all, over 20,000 square feet of pleasure. There are three categories of condos: "City Residences" on the low-rise building next to the tower, the "Residences" in the lower half of the tower, and the "Grand Residences" on the upper half of the tower. When completed, the Millennium will quite likely rival not only the best condo towers in San Francisco but anywhere in the world.

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Commentary:

Completed a couple years ago, The Watermark is a luxury high-rise that is about as close to the waterfront as you can live and still be downtown. In the popular and trendy area of San Francisco known as South Beach, the building is right across the street from the Bay. The Watermark was built in association with the Port of San Francisco and is the first phase in a development which will eventually include the new Cruise Ship Terminal (still a few years off, though). Anyone wanting to sit in their living room observing cruise ships arriving or departing will appreciate this building. Downside of the location is proximity to the Oakland Bay Bridge approach ramps. Although the bridge can be beautiful, The Watermark is almost literally right next to it. Units facing due north on the first 10 floors or so will have a view of the bridge supports and concrete walls. Views to the east, however, feature unobstructed site lines across the Bay all the way to Oakland. South facing units will likely see AT&T ballpark a few blocks away. There are a number of newer condo and apartment buildings in the area which support a variety of neighborhood shops, restaurants, and conveniences. The restored Muni streetcar line is right outside the door providing quick access to much of downtown. The Watermark also scored well for its variety of floor plans. Typical amenities include an outdoor pool deck and fitness center. The Watermark is a great choice for those looking for a luxury building next to the waterfront and in a vibrant urban residential community within easy proximity of downtown

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Commentary:

Of the newest condo towers, One Rincon Hill comes up second place overall (after The Infinity which mainly benefits from a better location) and will appeal to anyone looking for contemporary design and spectacular views wrapped in the usual luxury amenties one would expect. One Rincon Hill is on a hill at the edge of the approach to the Oakland Bay Bridge at the south edge of the SOMA neighborhood. The project includes two towers, one of which, at 55 stories, is one of the tallest residential towers on the west coast. Because of its location to the south of downtown and right on the edge of the Bay Bridge, this development is one of the most highly visible towers in San Francisco. Because of this, it's generated considerable buzz in the local media. Likely because of this high profile, the first tower's units are nearly all sold out. The building includes a few townhouses at the lower levels but nearly all the units in the towers enjoy unobstructed views in every direction. Because of the height, top floor units will actually be able to see beyond the downtown toward the north bay, Alcatraz, and Marin County--a view that no one else in SOMA will have since the downtown skyline blocks any sitelines from units lower than the 40th floor. There was really only one major drawback for One Rincon Hill and that is its location. Although the general neighborhood is undergoing a renaissance with a number of new condo towers underway or planned, those plans are still a few years from fruition. Early residents here will find they need to hike 6+ blocks to find basic shops and restaurants and farther to get to downtown, Market Street/Union Square, and the Embarcadero/waterfront. Nevertheless, that may be a worthwhile trade-off since One Rincon Hill will likely provide buyers with great upside potential value--it is destined to be an icon of high rise living in the coming years. Few other residential towers in the world will generate as much visibility as these towers. With the completion of the first tower, the second tower was scheduled to start construction in Fall, 2008, however, the economic conditions have put those plans on hold for the time being.