Lincoln Property Company and McCourt Partners Advance 47-Story Office Tower

• Lincoln Property Company and McCourt Partners are advancing a 47-story office tower at 536 Mission Street in San Francisco.
• The proposed building would include 1.22 million square feet of office space, 9,410 square feet of retail, and parking for 62 cars.
• The estimated construction cost is $350 million, with a March 2028 deadline to begin construction under the current approval.

What Lincoln Property Company and McCourt Partners Plan to Build

The project site sits along Mission Street between First and Second streets, next to 50 First Street and across from 555 Mission Street. The proposed office variant would deliver 1.22 million square feet of office space, 9,410 square feet of retail, and a 39,730-square-foot garage with 62 vehicle spaces. Plans also call for 270 bicycle parking spaces. At a planned rooftop height of approximately 752 feet, the tower would rank among the Bay Area’s tallest buildings if completed. The project is designed by SOM, with a 47-story concept replacing the existing seven-story Golden Gate University campus.

 

 

What SOM’s Updated Renderings Reveal

SOM’s design features rounded corners and a patterned glass curtain wall with vertical recessed panels, drawing visual cues from nearby Transbay Terminal-area buildings. The recessed sections could include fully shielded LED light strips, allowing the tower to be subtly illuminated at night. The latest renderings include views from near Salesforce Tower, a street-level perspective of the entrance lobby, and illustrations showing the building’s context within the downtown skyline. Demolition would be required for the existing campus, including its Brutalist-era complex designed by William D. Podesto & Associates with consulting engineer T.Y. Lin.

 

 

What San Francisco’s Office Market Means for the Project

The proposal arrives as San Francisco’s office market shows signs of recovery. Cushman & Wakefield reported that citywide office vacancy declined to 29.3% in Q3 2026, down from 33.8% a year earlier. New leasing topped 9 million square feet year-to-date, exceeding the total for all of 2025. Artificial intelligence companies have become a major source of demand, particularly for high-quality office space. However, while speculation has connected major AI firms to the city’s development pipeline, no tenant has been publicly confirmed for 536 Mission Street. Lincoln Executive Vice President Brendan Wong has said the all-office concept is the team’s focus and that developers are in discussions with prospective tenants. The residential alternative was reportedly not financially feasible.

 

 

What the Approval and Construction Timeline Require

Golden Gate University sold the property in early September 2026 for $31.6 million. The project received approval in mid-September, with a condition requiring construction to begin within 18 months, by March 2028, or the entitlement could be revoked. Extensions would be subject to the Zoning Administrator’s discretion. Construction is estimated to take approximately four years from groundbreaking to completion. The current schedule anticipates foundation work beginning a year after demolition, with vertical construction starting 18 months after demolition. The estimated $350 million construction cost does not include all development expenses.

 

 

What 536 Mission Street Signals for Downtown Landlords

The tower is being pursued alongside other proposed San Francisco office projects at 50 Main Street, 77 Beale Street, 50 First Street, and 530 Sansome Street. The renewed pipeline reflects developers’ growing confidence in demand for premium office buildings, though execution still depends on tenant commitments and financing. For investors and landlords, 536 Mission Street is a significant bet on San Francis

co’s office recovery. The next critical step is converting prospective tenant interest into signed leases and moving the project toward construction.