A slew of contenders are considering a bid on Block 8, including a premiere California firm with 8,000-plus units under its belt. (We haven't been this excited about a number since the time we accidentally DVR'd Sesame Street.)

Related California is a powerhouse developer in the state that's behind The Century celeb-infused condos in LA. Transbay's Block 8 calls for a 550-foot residential tower, which would be the area's tallest. Related is especially hungry for a taste of Transbay, having narrowly lost out to Avant on Block 9 and Golub on Block 6/7 (above). A flurry of architects and developers showed up to the city's RFP meeting last month, including Crescent Heights, SOM, and ROEM Development. Bar Architects looked at a few teaming options but decided not to pursue.

Chicago developer Golub is going for the site, principal Mike Newman (above) told us last month. It's hoping to use its experience doing high-rise rentals in urban markets, and condos could be an option. RFPs are due in February. (Most Valentine's Day RFPs involve actual wedding proposals.) Golub just planted its first flag in S.F. with the groundbreaking of Block 6, a 32-story apartment tower next door to the Block 8 site. Architect SCB, which has offices in Chicago and S.F., is on Golub's team for the Block 8 bid, managing principal Chris Pemberton told us today.

HKS Architects' Brendan Dunnigan, also vying for the project, tells us one unique aspect of the 42k SF parcel on Folsom is it's asking for two design architects to break up the block and create more of a neighborhood scale, given the size of the superblocks. The site also calls for a residential townhouse development fronting a new extension of Clementina, two 65-foot to 85-foot podium buildings, and adjacent streetscape improvements.