Developing Daly City

Report:

DALY CITY — Mission Street's transformation into the city's central downtown is inching along.

Recently, city officials, architects and residents brainstormed to make the area pedestrian-friendly and vibrant with new retail and office space.

Conceptual drawings from last week's 13-hour charrette, or design workshop, zeroed in on four busy intersections at the Top of the Hill neighborhood.

"It was an exploration to get people to think very far into the future," said city Senior Planner Michael Van Lonkhuysen on Thursday, who looked at Redwood City's downtown as a model.

He said the areas "ripe for development" in Daly City include: East Market and Mission streets; Westlake Avenue and Mission Street; John Daly Boulevard and Mission Street; and the Muni turn-around at San Jose Avenue, Flournoy and Mission streets.

Some of the buildings at those intersections aren't vacant, and future development would depend on the property owners.

Currently, buses coming from San Francisco on Mission Street have to make a right turn onto Flournoy Street, and then a left on San Jose Avenue before doing a 180 degree turn onto the main road.