SFMTA Potrero Bus Yard Modernization Project

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority (SFMTA) Potrero Bus Yard Modernization Project involves the construction, renovation, improvement, equipping and furnishing of a state-of-the-art, four-story infrastructure facility that will serve as a modern operational hub and maintenance facility for the SFMTA bus fleet.

The new facility will improve efficiency and expand volume, thus greatly improving transit reliability. It will also provide for significantly updated working conditions, enhanced seismic performance, and consolidation of operator training and transit service support functions. This consolidation of transit uses will create public lands for housing where there was none before.

The housing will be enabled through a Lease Development & Disposition Agreement to build approximately 100 units of affordable housing along Bryant Street, through a subsequent Ground Lease that is contingent upon the affordable housing developer securing financing for the housing project.

Sustainability features

The Project is expected to achieve the following sustainability standard:

• LEED BD+C Gold

Design features

Since December 2017, Plenary Americas led an extensive, inclusive, and transparent stakeholder engagement process to develop and design the new Potrero Yard. Stakeholders provided significant feedback on the overall program for the design of the Project, including the look and feel of the new building, the streetscape on 17^th Street, landscaping, and location of public art.

The substructure includes 8” concrete mat foundation on engineered soils. The structure includes a cast-in-place concrete beam and slab system with concrete shear walls. The exterior enclosure generally incorporates metal wall panels and architectural precast concrete elements.

Innovations

Plenary analyzed ST and MT bank, tax-exempt Private Activity Bonds, taxable bonds, and TIFIA. Ultimately, Plenary developed a tax-exempt, non-AMT bond solution utilizing a 501(c)(3) non-profit structure. This approach allowed the project to benefit from the significant demand that exists for tax-exempt, municipal debt within the State of California.  The financing produced a meaningfully lower cost of funds than any other market would have.

Local economic impacts

The existing Potrero Yard serves nearly 100,000 riders on a daily basis. Operating and maintaining the transit fleet that makes this transit service possible from a facility that is functionally obsolete and at seismic risk was not a viable way to maintain quality and reliable transit service. A modern Potrero Yard will store and maintain 246 buses, which is a 68% increase in capacity compared to the existing Potrero Yard.

Community benefits

Major outreach activities to educate community about the Project and solicit feedback have included over 150 public outreach events, over 55 neighborhood working group meetings, and 60 listening sessions with community organization and leaders.

There is a Project Labor Agreement on this Project.

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