Pier 70 redevelopment

Pier 70 redevelopment
Name	Pier 70 redevelopment
Location	Potrero Point, San Francisco, California
Coordinates	37.7510°N 122.3875°W
Status	Ongoing
Area	28 acres
Developer	T. Yukio Miyamoto, Ortega Family, Forest City Enterprises, Wilson Meany Sullivan, The Related Companies
Architect	William F. Cody (architect), Fender Katsalidis, SOM (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill), HOK (firm)
Owner	City and County of San Francisco

Pier 70 redevelopment is a large-scale adaptive reuse and mixed‑use development project on the historic shipbuilding complex at Potrero Point in San Francisco, California. The project transforms a 28-acre industrial waterfront site that includes 19th- and 20th-century industrial buildings into offices, residences, cultural venues, and parks while preserving heavy-industrial heritage. Planning, public review, and phased construction involve municipal agencies, private developers, preservationists, labor unions, and community organizations.

History

The site originated in the mid-19th century as part of the industrial expansion of San Francisco tied to the California Gold Rush and maritime commerce; it later became the Union Iron Works and subsequently the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation yard that produced ships for the Spanish–American War, World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. Key structures include the 1880s-era Machine Shop and the 1917 Building 101 foundry, which hosted work by shipbuilders who supported naval contracts during the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression. Decline followed postwar deindustrialization, along with broader shifts seen in Bay Area waterfronts such as Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard and Pier 70 (San Francisco). Historic preservation efforts drew on precedents like the rehabilitation of Yerba Buena Island and adaptive reuse at Presidio of San Francisco, motivating designation actions by the San Francisco Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board and listings on the National Register of Historic Places.

Site and Infrastructure

The complex occupies contiguous waterfront parcels adjacent to Dogpatch, the Mission Bay neighborhood, and Potrero Hill. Existing infrastructure includes heavy timber trusses, riveted steel frames, and a system of rail spurs formerly connected to the Southern Pacific Transportation Company network and the Interstate 280. Utilities upgrades coordinate with San Francisco Public Utilities Commission initiatives and regional resilience efforts tied to the Bay Area Rapid Transit expansion debates and Caltrain electrification conversations. The site faces geotechnical issues similar to those at Embarcadero, requiring coordination with San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and Port of San Francisco waterfront policies.

Redevelopment Plan and Phasing

Master plans were prepared under entitlements overseen by the San Francisco Planning Commission and incorporated public review through the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Proposals from development teams including Forest City, Wilson Meany, and partners proposed phased delivery: initial stabilization and preservation of historic buildings, construction of mixed‑income housing, commercial office build‑outs, cultural facilities, and parkland. Phasing aligns with mitigation measures required by the California Environmental Quality Act and financing strategies informed by models used in projects such as Mission Rock (development) and Transbay Transit Center coordination. The schedule includes near-term infrastructure, mid-term developer buildout, and long-term community stewardship arrangements.

Architecture and Design

Design guidelines balance industrial heritage with contemporary urban design, drawing on preservation standards from the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties and contemporary examples like the Tate Modern conversion. Architects aim to retain monumental form and fabric of Machine Shop and foundry while inserting glazed volumes, loft residences, and adaptive cultural spaces for tenants including technology firms from SoMa (South of Market), arts organizations akin to Young Museum initiatives, and makerspaces inspired by The Crucible (Oakland). Landscape design connects restored piers to park systems similar to Crissy Field and Sue Bierman Park, integrating stormwater management approaches promoted by California Coastal Commission guidelines.

Environmental and Seismic Mitigation

Remediation addresses legacy contamination from heavy metals, hydrocarbons, and paint residues, with cleanup coordinated under California Department of Toxic Substances Control oversight and parallels to remediation programs at Hunter's Point Shipyard and Chelsea River adaptations. Seismic retrofit strategies apply base isolation, moment-resisting frames, and retrofit methods informed by research at UC Berkeley and US Geological Survey projects on liquefaction and seismic hazard mitigation in the San Francisco Bay Area. Sea level rise adaptation follows guidance from the Bay Conservation and Development Commission and California Coastal Commission with elevated plazas, tidal wetland restoration, and floodproofing measures consistent with California Climate Adaptation Strategy.

Economic Impact and Funding

Projected economic impacts cite job creation across construction trades represented by International Longshore and Warehouse Union, Sheet Metal Workers' International Association, and Operating Engineers. Funding mixes public and private capital, including tax increment mechanisms used in other municipal projects, equity from developers such as Forest City Enterprises and Wilson Meany, and potential federal grant programs administered by Economic Development Administration and infrastructure funds used in the development of Oakland Army Base. Affordable housing components reference linkage to Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development (San Francisco) programs and inclusionary housing obligations enforced by the San Francisco Planning Department.

Community Response and Legal Issues

Community advocacy groups from Dogpatch Neighborhood Association, Potrero Boosters, and arts collectives engaged in negotiations over housing affordability, historic preservation, and open space. Labor groups pushed for prevailing wage and local-hire commitments echoing agreements in projects like Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital construction. Legal challenges have included environmental review litigation citing California Environmental Quality Act claims, and preservation disputes brought to the San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission and state review bodies. Ongoing stakeholder processes involve mediation among developers, neighborhood groups, preservationists, and municipal agencies to finalize entitlements and implementation details.

Category:Redevelopment projects in California Category:Buildings and structures in San Francisco Category:Historic preservation in the United States