Muni: Lack of Skilled Elevator Technicians Delaying Repairs

San Francisco’s construction boom has resulted in so much work for elevator technicians that there are not enough to handle an estimated US$71 million in elevator and escalator repairs needed by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (Muni), the San Francisco Examiner reported. Muni approved the funds in August as part of a multibillion-dollar, 20-year capital-improvement plan. Muni operates 52 units, including 44 in stations. Repair and expansion of vertical-transportation systems at various stations, including Powell, Van Ness and Forest Hill, are needed, as units are frequently out of service. As of August, at least one elevator was out of service for 50 out of the last 61 days, according to Muni data.

Vibrant Project with 34-Story Tower for Downtown San Diego

Park & Market, a mixed-use development described by World Architecture News as vibrant, is coming to downtown San Diego. Designed by Carrier Johnson + CULTURE, it will bring together a 34-story apartment tower, a satellite campus for the University of California San Diego known as the Innovative Cultural and Education Hub, street-level retail and below-grade parking for 560 cars. Eighty-five of the residential units will be “affordable.” Oregon’s Holland Partner Group is the developer of the property, slated for completion by 2021, according to The San Diego Union Tribune, on the block bounded by Park Boulevard, 11th Avenue and G Market streets