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Waxxy

@laura-waxmann

Business reporter for San Francisco Chronicle: Real estate, development, downtown, San Francisco things. Formerly with SF Business Times; SF Examiner; Mission Local; El Tecolote. 💌 laura.waxmann@sfchronicle.com

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18.11.2024
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Latest posts by Waxxy @laura-waxmann

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Transamerica Pyramid sale could be turning point for S.F. real estate The iconic building’s sale to a Cyprus firm could be a sign of renewed international investor appetite in San Francisco real estate.

While details of the pending deal to sell the Transamerica Pyramid remain unclear, its European buyer's entrance into the market could be a quiet but potent bet that the building, and San Francisco’s office market, still have another chapter to write.
@sfchronicle.com

25.02.2026 02:00 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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S.F.’s iconic Transamerica Pyramid to be sold — for the second time in six years, report says The Pyramid, which is nearly 50 years old, recently went through a $400 million renovation.

For the second time in half a decade, #SanFrancisco’s iconic Transamerica Pyramid will be sold.
@sfchronicle.com

25.02.2026 02:00 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Luxury housing was planned for this S.F. campus. The city’s ‘Family Zoning’ plan scrapped it A developer had a deal to build 100 upscale homes in this wealthy San Francisco enclave. But the developer said the city's recent rezoning plan made the project too expensive to build.

#SanFrancisco's new zoning plan requires a minimum # of homes to be built on select sites. The rule seems to be working as intended: A plan for ≈100 luxury homes in an upscale area has been scrapped.

But is it now too expensive to build denser housing there instead? @sfchronicle.com

20.02.2026 17:13 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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S.F.’s pension fund’s planned exit from Mid-Market delayed over neighborhood vacancy concerns A supervisor is asking if city workers should leave a neighborhood that has been hit by waves of businesses leaving.

NEW: #SanFrancisco's retirement system, SFERS, is ready to flee troubled Mid Market, setting sights on the Financial District. Could a last min intervention by downtown Supervisor Matt Dorsey keep 100+ office workers in an area that desperately needs them?

@sfchronicle.com

17.02.2026 21:45 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Mayor Lurie’s signature housing plan is now under attack from both sides of S.F.’s housing wars San Francisco’s “Family Zoning” plan — the centerpiece of Mayor Daniel Lurie’s housing agenda — is facing its second lawsuit in two months. Here’s what pro-housing advocates are...

Read @laura-waxmann.bsky.social's @sfchronicle.com article about our lawsuit against SF!
www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/l...

13.02.2026 18:16 👍 8 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 0
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Mayor Lurie’s signature housing plan is now under attack from both sides of S.F.’s housing wars San Francisco’s Family Zoning plan — the centerpiece of Mayor Daniel Lurie’s housing agenda — is facing its second lawsuit in two months. Here’s what pro-housing advocates are alleging.

Mayor Lurie’s signature housing plan is now under attack from both sides of S.F.’s housing wars—The dueling attacks underscore the political tightrope Lurie is walking… www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/l... @laura-waxmann.bsky.social @sfchronicle.com

13.02.2026 07:25 👍 0 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0
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Trump administration demands citizenship checks for S.F. public housing tenants The request comes as part of a new directive from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The Trump administration has given the #SanFrancisco Housing Authority 30 days to verify the citizenship status of an unspecified list of tenants who are receiving rental assistance from the agency, which began reaching out to households last week.
@sfchronicle.com

09.02.2026 15:04 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Exclusive: S.F.’s shuttered mall could be sold for a deep discount. Here’s who might buy it Weeks after the San Francisco Centre mall closed the book on four decades in the city’s downtown, the property could be on the verge of selling to new owners — probably at a deep discount.

Exclusive: Weeks after the San Francisco Centre mall closed the book on four decades in the city’s downtown, the property at Fifth and Market streets is on the verge of selling to new owners — probably at a deep discount.
@sfchronicle.com

06.02.2026 16:03 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
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Emerging tech titan Anthropic to take over an entire office building in downtown S.F. It's the latest lease by the San Francisco company that is a leader in artificial intelligence, and one of the largest office deals since the pandemic.

Anthropic has landed as expected.

One of the artificial intelligence sector’s marquee companies closed a deal Friday to occupy all of 300 Howard, in what is expected to be one of largest single-tenant office leases signed in downtown #SanFrancisco since the pandemic.
@sfchronicle.com

30.01.2026 18:38 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Tech firms move toward significant office leases in S.F.’s Showplace Square The arrival of two AI companies signals a broader transformation of San Francisco’s Showplace Square from an industrial and arts enclave into a hub for education, technology and innovation.

Scoop: San Francisco’s office recovery is increasingly being written by artificial intelligence, with two AI companies moving toward significant leases in Showplace Square — a neighborhood that previously symbolized the city’s tech-era pullback.

@sfchronicle.com

30.01.2026 00:43 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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He’s been the public face of S.F.’s Transamerica Pyramid. Do his investors want him out? San Francisco’s iconic Transamerica Pyramid has been renovated and seen success in attracting leases, yet there are questions about its ownership and who will operate it in the future.

Exclusive: Major shakeup at iconic Transamerica Pyramid is underway, leaving in doubt the future the NY real estate entrepreneur whose management of the $1B project has been celebrated as one of few recent successes in downtown #SanFrancisco.

30.01.2026 00:42 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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What the Closure of California College of the Arts and Vanderbilt Expansion Mean for the Bay Area | KQED We’ll dig into the deal and talk about what the demise of the 120 year-old CCA and expansion of a new university means for the Bay Area,  arts in our region, and higher education overall.

🎙️ON AIR:

We're talking to @laura-waxmann.bsky.social, @sahotchkiss.bsky.social and author Jeff Selingo about what Vanderbilt's purchase of the California College of the Arts means for the Bay Area, arts in our region, and higher education overall.

❓What are your Qs about the deal?

📻 Listen:

21.01.2026 17:00 👍 4 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 1
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What the Closure of California College of the Arts and Vanderbilt Expansion Mean for the Bay Area | KQED We’ll dig into the deal and talk about what the demise of the 120 year-old CCA and expansion of a new university means for the Bay Area,  arts in our region, and higher education overall.

I’ll be on KQED Forum this morning discussing the closure of the California College of the Arts, Vanderbilt University‘s takeover, and what it means for #SanFrancisco‘s cultural and economic future. Tune in at 9am 📡
@kqedforum.bsky.social

21.01.2026 16:13 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Downtown S.F. towers project, stalled for years, auctioned off as planned reboot takes shape On Thursday, the project’s developer was officially cut loose from the failed development plan, potentially opening the way for a new buyer to acquire the property at a heavily discounted price.

Movement on #SanFrancisco's notoriously stalled Oceanwide Center.

Control of the project was just transferred at auction from its troubled developer to a lender.

This is a big moment for downtown's office market. The foreclosure clears path for new developer/investor to step in. @sfchronicle.com

15.01.2026 23:52 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Rent hikes up to 10% hit S.F. neighborhood exempt from city tenant protections Frustrations are “through the roof” in a San Francisco neighborhood where city rent control doesn’t apply.

Long cast as a scenic, quiet alternative to the rest of #SanFrancisco & its frenzied rental market, the Presidio has delivered its tenants a massive jolt. On this national park land—exempt from local rent-control—hundreds of residents are confronting steep rent hikes of up to 10%.
@sfchronicle.com

15.01.2026 15:48 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Exclusive: Vanderbilt deal includes second property — an upscale East Bay site slated for housing Vanderbilt University’s expansion into the Bay Area reaches beyond the school’s purchase of the California College of the Arts campus in San Francisco and includes a prominent campus in Oakland.

EXCLUSIVE:

Vanderbilt University's expansion into the #BayArea reaches beyond the school’s purchase of the California College of the Arts campus in #SanFrancisco: It includes a prominent campus in an upscale Oakland area that's long been slated for a major housing development.
@sfchronicle.com

14.01.2026 15:31 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Booming S.F. neighborhood will be home to new college campus — a blow for downtown Though San Francisco’s mayor urged major academic institutions to open a campus in the city’s faltering downtown, Vanderbilt University chose instead a fast-growing pocket of the city.

NEW: Though #SanFrancisco Mayor Daniel Lurie urged major academic institutions to open a campus in city’s faltering downtown, Vanderbilt University chose instead a fast-growing pocket of the city—dashing hope for a much-needed boost to city's core.
@sfchronicle.com

14.01.2026 14:41 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Exclusive: Lawsuit challenges S.F. mayor’s housing plan, sending ‘Family Zoning’ to court The fight over San Francisco’s need to add more housing could spill into the courts as the first lawsuit to challenge Mayor Daniel Lurie’s “Family Zoning” plan is expected to be filed.

Exclusive: Lawsuit challenges S.F. mayor’s housing plan, sending ‘Family Zoning’ to court—The lawsuit underscores that, despite years of work on the plan, the fight over the future of San Francisco development… www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/f... @laura-waxmann.bsky.social @sfchronicle.com

09.01.2026 14:24 👍 0 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0
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Saks to sell Neiman Marcus property in S.F.’s Union Square as bankruptcy fears mount Faced with bankruptcy as a result of its acquisition of Neiman Marcus, Saks Global has sold a major property in San Francisco’s Union Square that was acquired as a result of the merger.

Scoop: Faced with bankruptcy as a result of its acquisition of
Neiman Marcus, Saks Global is selling a major property in #SanFrancisco's Union Square that it acquired in 2024 as part of the merger. The deal comes amid news of
Saks CEO stepping down.
@sfchronicle.com

02.01.2026 23:53 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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California law turned a four-story site into a 25-story tower. S.F. is scrambling to catch up The Marina Safeway project now stands as an interesting case study of what’s to come in San Francisco’s rapidly evolving housing landscape.

The 25-story tower pitched to replace a Safeway zoned for 4 stories in #SanFrancisco's affluent Marina District is an interesting case study for what’s to come in city's rapidly evolving housing landscape—along with the understanding that the building could have been much taller. @sfchronicle.com

09.12.2025 17:54 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Here are the wealthy donors behind downtown S.F.’s revitalization fund The roster includes tech giants like Amazon and Google as well as private foundations tied to wealthy families.

NEW: The #SanFrancisco group seeking to shape downtown’s post-pandemic rebuild has secured $60M+ in early commitments from list of corporate/philanthropic heavyweights, including OpenAI, Amazon and Laurene Powell Jobs's Emerson Collective.
@sfchronicle.com

09.12.2025 17:46 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Exclusive: Eye-catching 25-story complex planned for waterfront site in wealthy S.F. neighborhood A developer has filed plans to develop a unique 25-story apartment complex where a Safeway grocery store sits in a wealthy neighborhood in San Francisco.

EXCLUSIVE: A developer's recent push to transform 3
Safeway sites across #SanFrancisco into housing is not the full story: Align Real Estate filed plans to develop a 25-story apartment complex where a Safeway sits in the wealthy Marina District. @sfchronicle.com

05.12.2025 00:38 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Exclusive: S.F. ‘sleeping pods’ startup buys downtown building for 400-bed megadorm The new Market Street building features more than 10 times the capacity of the Mint Plaza building that features dormitory-style housing for adults in San Francisco.

When Brownstone Shared Housing’s $700/month sleeping pods in #SanFrancisco were slapped with an eviction notice, most expected that might be the end of the co-living experiment.

Instead, the startup bought a building for a 400-bed megadorm. @sfchronicle.com

03.12.2025 16:20 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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$1B S.F. shipyard lawsuit may end with just $1,200 payout for each resident After previous attempts to settle a lawsuit over the shipyard cleanup collapsed, a judge must now decide if a slightly better offer is enough for a community that’s waited years for restitution.

NEW: $1B lawsuit over troubled #SanFrancisco Shipyard cleanup may end with just $1,200 payout for each resident.
@sfchronicle.com

#sanfrancisco #realestate #housing #navy #tetratech

25.11.2025 19:20 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Tech titan Anthropic in discussions to take over entire building in downtown S.F. Anthropic’s real estate moves suggest the company is creating a corporate campus near San Francisco’s Salesforce Park.

JUST IN: Anthropic is in talks for decade+ lease for a vacant building near Salesforce Park.

Most new leases by nascent AI startups have been short-term, so Anthropic's pending deal would be a big sign of confidence for AI & SF's struggling office market.
@sfchronicle.com

20.11.2025 22:16 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Exclusive: Affluent S.F. neighborhood targeted as developer plans to turn Safeways into housing A developer’s ongoing plan to build housing at San Francisco Safeway sites now includes adding 370 homes and a new enlarged grocery store in an affluent district where property values have soared.

Exclusive: Known for steep narrow streets & storybook cottages, Bernal Heights has resisted change for decades.

Now, a plan for 370 homes at a #Safeway site on the flats below Bernal’s western slope could usher in major transformation.
#sanfrancisco #realestate @sfchronicle.com

19.11.2025 19:03 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 1
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Exclusive: Safeway near S.F.’s Ocean Beach faces short term closure, developer plans housing complex The Safeway would temporarily close so the project could bring a total of 526 new homes spread across two, eight-story buildings to a neighborhood that has seen little new housing in recent...

Exclusive: Safeway is slated to shutter its store near #SanFrancisco's Ocean Beach temporarily as developers plan to build a major housing complex anchored by the grocer in its place. @sfchronicle.com

18.11.2025 19:44 👍 7 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 2
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Navy apologizes for delaying disclosure of radioactive material at S.F.’s Hunters Point Shipyard Community members who have asked for transparency in a Shipyard cleanup already marked by distrust said the Navy had failed them again.

For weeks, San Francisco residents and officials have been slamming the Navy for waiting nearly a year to disclose that a radioactive heavy metal was found the former Shipyard.

On Monday evening, Navy officials took a rare step during a heated community meeting: They apologized.
@sfchronicle.com

18.11.2025 16:49 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Transamerica Pyramid owners hit with RICO allegations for funding ‘lavish’ lifestyles via investments A legal dispute between the ownership group of San Francisco’s Transamerica Pyramid and a members-only club that was supposed to fill the building’s first three floors has reached new heights.

A legal dispute between the ownership group of San Francisco’s Transamerica Pyramid & a private club that was supposed to fill the iconic building’s first floors reached new heights, with claims that investments into group’s holdings were used to fund their “lavish” lifestyles.
@sfchronicle.com

13.11.2025 17:14 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
S.F.’s struggling downtown mall has new owners. Here’s what we know San Francisco’s largest shopping mall is now under bank ownership after years of financial turmoil and a retail exodus, with lenders now moving to sell it through a newly hired real estate...

San Francisco’s largest shopping mall is now under bank ownership after years of financial turmoil and a retail exodus, with lenders now moving to sell the struggling downtown property through a newly hired real estate brokerage.
@sfchronicle.com

13.11.2025 17:11 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0