The new Transit Center will replace the outdated Transbay bus terminal on First and Mission streets in Downtown San Francisco and connect the Bay Area and the rest of the state by serving eight transit systems including: AC Transit, BART, Caltrain, MUNI, Golden Gate Transit, Greyhound, SamTrans and future High-Speed Rail from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Surrounding the transit center and tower will be a new transit-friendly neighborhood including 3,400 new homes, widened sidewalks, outdoor space, cafes, offices and retail locations. The next deadline for the competition is Jan. 11, when registrants must detail their design and development teams as part of their formal response to the RFQ.

Word of some partnerships is already emerging. Locally based Skidmore Owings & Merrill is reportedly partnering with the Rockefeller Group of New York City; Cleveland-based Forest City Enterprise is said to be joining forces with London-based "starchitect" Richard Rogers and locally based SMWM; Boston Properties is allegedly holding hands with Zurich-based Santiago Calatrava and locally based Kenwood Investments; and locally based developer TMG Partners is said to be working with New York City-based Related Cos., London-based Foster & Partners and locally based Heller/Manus Architects. Other well-known firms who had representatives at the pre-bid conferences include Bovis Lend Lease, Babcock & Brown, MacFarlane Partners, Beacon Capital Partners, Shorenstein Cos., Hines, Turner Construction and Zimmer Gunsul Frasca.

Responses to the RFQ will be reviewed by a jury of seven design, development and transit professionals. The jury will name finalists on Feb. 15. The finalists will submit full proposals by Aug. 10 and the jury will recommend a winner by Aug. 25, when the Transbay Joint Powers Authority Board will make a final determination. Construction is expected to begin in 2009.