SAN FRANCISCO—Walk south from Mission Bay and one can easily find ongoing construction on every other street—but while to some it’s a “success,” others are saying the development is moving “too fast.”
Sizable development plans have been in the city’s pipeline for years, but many had stalled due to economic downfall. But now “San Francisco is back,” according to Mayor Ed Lee in his State of the City Address delivered last month, and as evidence of this, he sites the numerous development projects that are finally seeing action.
The market—housing in particular—looks very attractive to developers and it’s no surprise the Mission Bay area will be seeing 4,300 housing units in the next two years.
Mission Bay is far from the half-constructed ghost town it was a few years ago, and by 2015 it will be booming, according to Catherine Reilly, acting project manager for the Mission Bay North and South Redevelopment Project.
“At the time, it was the first master plan for an area in the city of this size, and it continues to be one of the leading areas of development,” Reilly said.
Mission Bay was identified as a Priority Development Area in 1998 with plans for 6,000 housing units for various income levels; 4.4 million square feet of office, life science, and biotechnology commercial space; a new UCSF research campus and hospital complex; 500,000 square feet of retail space; a 500-room hotel; 41 acres of public open space; and other community facilities.
Blocked Off
“There’s a little frustration in the neighborhood,” said Tony Kelly, president of the Potrero Boosters Neighborhood Association. Potrero Hill looks over the water, and many of the new buildings will be “too tall,” the residents say.
Another reason for the surge of development is the Eastern Neighborhoods’ new zoning plans that have allowed for building exceptions in various areas.
One group is already petitioning against the 84-foot-tall, 700,000-square-foot Kaiser Permanente building that would add an estimated 7,700 additional visitors daily and look largely out of place at the bottom of Potrero Hill, according to some. In addition, Mission Rock’s tallest tower could be 380 feet, the two buildings at 801 Brannan and 1 Henry Adams would have a 68-foot height limit, and Mission Bay Block 40 buildings could be 180 feet tall.
