San Francisco is undergoing a radical transformation as new residential neighborhoods are born—often in unexpected places. Fresh-faced high-rises and historic renovations are breathing new life into downtown, Mission Bay, and up-and-coming neighborhoods like Dogpatch.

These projects are giving us cool modern architecture, plush amenities, exclusive partnerships between buildings and the city’s top chefs, the blending of luxe and eco-design—and, in the process, redrawing our mental maps of the city and its skyline. What’s more, they are changing what we expect from life in San Francisco.

Patrick Barber, senior vice president and managing broker of SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY, says that people are returning to urban living in San Francisco like never before. “Many families left the city to raise children in places like Ross, Piedmont, or Kentfield,” Barber explains. “As empty nesters, they’re flocking back to the city for a different kind of lifestyle.”

Not only empty nesters but second-home buyers, hipsters, young couples, and families are discovering the many pleasures of downtown life in projects like THE MONTGOMERY.

Architect brothers James and Merritt Reid (of Fairmont Hotel fame) built the Call newspaper’s headquarters at 74 New Montgomery Street in 1914. New Urban Properties—a specialist in renewing historic San Francisco buildings—is turning this city landmark into a residential oasis.

Maintaining the richly detailed classical facade, Huntsman Architectural Group transformed the interior with contemporary materials for a vintage, yet modern, feel. It created 104 elegant residences on eight floors—the building’s original seven, with four penthouses on a new eighth floor. Key historical features, like the massive, operable double-hung windows, were expertly restored using modern soundproofing technology. European-modern kitchens feature matte black tiles, Bosch stainless steel appliances, and Valli & Valli Italian hardware.

In addition to the private rooftop terrace and lobby attendant, residents enjoy amenities from the Palace Hotel next door— including deals on room rates for out-of-town guests, spa services, and dining. Oh, and the Palace’s in-house mixologist created a signature drink for the Montgomery, served only in their clubby Pied Piper Bar: the Tommy Montgomery.

Buyers are looking for “service, first and foremost,”

In 1889, architects Daniel Burnham and John Root designed the San Francisco Chronicle’s headquarters at the corner of Market and Kearny Streets. After the Chronicle relocated, the building underwent an unfortunate 1960s steel-paneled “modernization".

The Ritz reversed the damage, exposing the original brick-and-concrete facade. The new interior is equally stately. A wood-paneled, granite-floored lobby with fireside seating offers an elegant welcome.

The project is a mix of one- to four-bedroom Private Ownership units on the upper floor, and one- and two-bedroom fractionally owned Club Residences below. Club Residences are maintained in the owners’ absence and prepared for their arrival (for example, personal items are placed in the home and the kitchen is fully stocked), and serviced twice each day. All residents enjoy lush amenities ranging from valet parking to a full-service concierge, on call to arrange theater tickets or an in-home chef. The charming residents’ lounge, with its sunny, tree-lined terrace, offers such comforts as morning coffee, wine receptions, and private wine lockers.

Traditional and contemporary finish packages are offered—both are luxurious, with marble baths, opulent carpets, European fixtures, and soft color palettes. Floor plans are, as one might expect, larger than most. Embodying the best of old and new, all owners are given a reclaimed brick from the original building, polished and nestled in its own sumptuous leather box.

Joseph Moore of ALAIN PINEL REALTORS says there are two categories of new residential high-rises in San Francisco: luxurious and ultraluxurious.

Who are those buyers looking for an ultraluxury environment? “They generally have a house in Napa, or Hawaii, or Wyoming,” says Moore. “They’re looking for a pied-a-terre in San Francisco.” While pieds-a-terre were traditionally garden-level apartments, today’s second-home buyer is more likely to be soaring far above the ground.

The striking green-glass towers on the corner of Spear and Folsom Streets make a dramatic change to the city’s skyline. The sleek, undulating walls of THE INFINITY provide floor-to-ceiling views of the city, bay, and beyond. “It’s almost as if you were inside

One block from The Embarcadero waterfront in the burgeoning SoMa neighborhood, the Infinity’s signature windows illuminate sleek, refined kitchens with super contemporary white-laminated cabinets from Studio Becker, Bosch appliances, and granite countertops. Bathrooms have travertine floors, marble vanities, and Watermark fixtures. Walk-in closets are standard; and select residences
feature foyer entrances, balconies, and home offices. Amenities include a full-service concierge, a fitness facility, an extra-long pool, and a swank club lounge.

Some may call the Infinity a neighborhood in its own right. But what’s a neighborhood without a destination restaurant? Not to= worry—Nancy Oakes and her fellow Boulevard chefs are creating a new venue in the Infinity.

A few blocks away, another electric developer-and-restaurateur pairing is throwing sparks: Chef Michael Mina will open rn74, a unique restaurant and wine-bar concept, in MILLENNIUM TOWERS.

Named after France’s Burgundy region Route National 74, the restaurant will feature an expansive wine list created by Mina Group wine director Rajat Parr.

Opening in spring of 2009, this ultraluxe project by Millennium Partners (of Metreon and Four Seasons fame) will be the tallest residential property in San Francisco. Architect Glenn Rescalvo of Handel Architects, inspired by the faceted structure of a crystal, designed a 10-sided blue-glass structure that makes every residence— from one-bedrooms to penthouses as large as 6,000 square feet—a light-filled corner unit. Three distinct living environments ome with their own separate lobbies and concierge staff, as well as unique finish packages: City Residences, in the 11-story midrise, are open and spacious Tribeca-style lofts; Residences, on floors 3 hrough 25 of the 60-story tower, have clean lines and contemporary finishes; Grand Residences, on the top tower floors, are elegant and luxurious with traditional finishes.

Residents are granted exclusive access to a 20,000-square foot amenity complex including a lounge, a tasting room and cellar, private wine lockers, a private dining room (serviced by rn74), a screening room, a children’s playroom, an outdoor terrace, and a landscaped garden. The private 5,500-square foot fitness center, operated by Sports Club/LA,

Situated between SoMa, Potrero Hill, and the bay, Mission Bay as once a hub for commercial shipping. It’s since been reclaimed from its industrial past by pioneering urbanites hungry for green space and water views.

More than a neighborhood, this futuristic city-within-a-city will soon have 49 acres of master-planned parks, as well as new shopping, transit, hotels, and its own branch library, firehouse, and police station. Cafes, fine dining, and gourmet grocery shopping abound.

On the corner of Berry and Fifth Streets, PARK TERRACE, a new collection of 110 flats and townhomes by Opus West, is a perfect example of the new Mission Bay.

A short walk from AT&T Park, Park Terrace overlooks Mission Creek and its quaint houseboat marina, offering “a more resort-like feel,” according to Park Terrace’s sales manager Aaron Cortez. With vast parks planned next door, Park Terrace appeals to urbanites and nature enthusiasts alike. And at seven stories, Cortez says, “it’s a great alternative to the soaring high-rises.” What’s more, Park Terrace is right by Interstate 280 and Caltrain, so residents are calling it a “commuter’s paradise.”

Although among the more affordable of the city’s luxury developments, Park Terrace packs in the amenities, including a cardiovascular fitness center, a landscaped courtyard with BBQ area, a business center, and spacious, creek- and bay-view terraces. Options include one- and two-bedroom flats and light-filled two-bedroom townhomes. Kitchens come with granite counters, a glass tile backsplash, and GE Profile stainless

Nearby on the southern waterfront, between Third Street and Terry Francois Boulevard, China Basin Street and Mission Bay Boulevard, RADIANCE AT MISSION BAY, opening in June, will offer 416 units in two towers and two midrise buildings. Designed to maximize water views, the only thing separating Radiance from the bay is parkland.

The lobby will feature traditional colors and finishes such as rich walnut paneling, limestone floors, and bronze glass accent tiles. The one- and two-bedroom units and two-bedroom-plus-den townhomes will be hip and contemporary. Kitchens and bathrooms will feature CaeserStone countertops, stainless steel KitchenAid appliances, and Kohler bathroom fixtures. The units will come standard with hardwood floors, expansive windows, large balconies and patios, and fiber-optic cabling—no need to upgrade.

A rooftop deck with a fire pit and BBQ offers ample opportunities for socializing; a fitness room and a community room with a kitchen round out the amenities. Radiance is designed to offer great value for the square footage—and a chance to get in early in one of San Francisco’s most exciting new neighborhoods. A straight shot south along Third Street finds buyers in Dogpatch: the funky, sunny, nine-square-block historic district adjacent to Potrero Hill. Over the past few years, Dogpatch has been quietly growing its own hip cultural, art, and dining scene. With the HOMES ON ESPRIT PARK, developer Build Inc. has taken the former Esprit headquarters (originally built as Schilling Wine Cellars in 1906), salvaged the historic brick structure and massive Douglas fir timbers, and integrated them into a vibrant collection of 142 eco-friendly, stylishly-appointed lofts, flats, penthouses, and twolevel townhomes.

“Our buyers are those looking for a more unique, creative, community-centered environment,” says Rob Levy of MCGUIRE REAL ESTATE, Build Inc.’s exclusive marketing partner. Each unit opens onto one of two huge central courtyards featuring a reflecting pool and mature redwood, aspen, and bottlebrush trees; most units have private patios, terraces, or rooftop decks.

The project’s many environmentally sensitive features appeal to both the eco-savvy and the design-savvy. Luscious materials and features—like reclaimed whiskey-barrel oak flooring, warm-to-the touch radiant heating, wool Berber carpet, and solid limestone tub surrounds—play warm counterpoint to the cool of sleek, ultra-efficient Liebherr refrigerators, Bosch dishwashers, and Italian Bertazzoni stoves—all of which are standard in every unit.

Nate Appleman, executive chef of A16, will be opening a 130-seat restaurant and a café with outdoor seating within the development, adding a new center of community—and definition—to this up-and-coming neighborhood.

Whether you choose downtown or bayside living, high-rise or midrise, traditional or eco-chic, San Francisco’s new luxury urban lifestyle has something for everyone.