Office Building for Macromedia OK'd by Planning Commission

SAN FRANCISCO-The city planning commission approved construction of a new 312,000-sf building to serve as offices for Macromedia. The company will tear down an existing structure at 450 Rhode Island St. in Potrero Hill to make room for its new headquarters. In addition, a 546-space parking structure will be constructed underneath the new building.

Despite the commission’s controversial classification of the construction as “multimedia/business services” the proposal was approved without debate by the commission 6-0 with one commissioner absent.

While the proposal breezed through last night, there is considerable concern on the part of neighborhood residents. Members of the Potrero Boosters Neighborhood Association seem to be the most vocal opponents, calling the commission’s classification of the building a thinly veiled maneuver to work around caps on office construction.

Macromedia, on the other hand, is being careful to position the company as a good neighbor, hoping to distance themselves from other dot-coms, which have come under fire recently when opening new offices in the city’s Mission and SOMA neighbohoods.