Tishman Speyer's plans to build a 400-foot-tall Bay Tower at Folsom Street and Spear (160 Folsom) may be met with opposition as it goes before San Francisco's Planning Commission.

The change in height from the existing 300-foot limit requires an amendment to the Transbay Redevelopment Plan, and recent election changes add a level of uncertainty to whether that change will be approved. Opposition has arisen to two projects, including Bay Tower, a 480k SF tower with a twisting shape created by offset bay windows designed by Jeanne Gang.

The tower is part of a larger mixed-use development that is proposed to hold about 10k SF of ground-level retail, 258 market rate condominiums and 141 below-market rate condos (35% of the overall project's housing). The project includes the tower, an eight-story building beside it and adjacent townhomes.

Opponents say those projects could "overwhelm the waterfront" and cast large shadows on nearby parks. Work is scheduled to begin in February if the height change is approved. [SS, SFBT]