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Port outlines Pier 70 redevelopment plan; Orton, Forest City and OEWD to advance historic core and waterfront site
Summary
Port staff updated commissioners on Pier 70 planning: five subareas including ship repair, Crane Cove Park and a Twentieth Street historic core; Orton Development and Forest City are active developers and OEWD will lead waterfront negotiations and implementation.
Port Planning and Development staff briefed the commission on progress at Pier 70, a 69-acre waterfront area south of Mission Bay with opportunities for historic preservation, ship-repair operations, parks and new development. Byron Arett (Deputy Director, Planning and Development) described the planning history, subarea approach and steps toward implementation.
Why it matters: Pier 70 combines industrial ship-repair operations, historic buildings and large vacant waterfront parcels. Staff said the project could create a significant employment center while preserving and adaptively reusing the historic Twentieth Street core.
What staff presented
- Planning history and subareas: Arett said the 1997 land-use plan and subsequent work produced five subareas: ship repair, waterfront site (25 acres), The Hill, Crane Cove/park, and the Twentieth Street historic core. Prior RFPs and developer interest were reviewed as background.
- Crane Cove Park and Twentieth Street core: Staff described community outreach and two alternative designs for Crane Cove Park (community review to continue with a preferred alternative planned for construction in 2014). Kathleen (project lead) said the Twentieth Street core buildings require urgent rehabilitation and that Orton Development has been selected to pursue adaptive reuse aimed at bringing 400–500 jobs to the core.
- Implementation and OEWD role: The Office of Economic and Workforce Development was designated lead negotiator for the waterfront site; staff named co-project managers and said Forest City is completing due diligence on the waterfront 25-acre site. Staff expect term-sheet negotiations with Orton and a Forest City concept presentation to return to the commission in the coming months.
Next steps and public comment
James Madsen of Orton Development thanked staff and affirmed his firm's commitment to restoring the core buildings and coordinating with OEWD. Staff said they will return with term sheets and preferred park alternatives; they also flagged necessary coordination with historic-preservation authorities and potential infrastructure financing mechanisms.
