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Port staff begins sole-source process for Teatro Zinzani relocation; neighbors press design and process concerns
Summary
Port staff proposed relocating Teatro Zinzani to Lot 324 on the Embarcadero under a potential sole-source lease; staff said the move would replace about 88 parking stalls and requires historic-preservation review and community outreach. Neighbors voiced design and outreach concerns; staff said it would return with formal sole-source authorization and lease terms.
Port leasing staff presented an informational briefing on a potential sole-source relocation of Teatro Zinzani—a long-running dinner-theatre tenant—to Sewell Lot 324 on the Embarcadero and Broadway.
Jeffrey Bauer, the port's leasing manager, said Teatro has been a waterfront attraction since 1999 and that the proposed new site would consist of modular temporary structures and a historic Spiegel tent on about 25,000 square feet of port-controlled property. The move would require a certificate of appropriateness from the Planning Commission's Historic Preservation body and design review by the Waterfront Design Committee. The staff presentation described the relocation as a hybrid retail-retention/relocation action and said Teatro asked for sole-source consideration because it is a displaced incumbent tenant.
Community commenters and neighborhood groups praised Teatro's cultural and economic contributions but raised procedural and design objections: Recreation Open Space for the Waterfront and nearby residents said outreach had been limited, the proposed corrugated-metal modular design was inappropriate for a Northeast Waterfront Historic District site, and the Historic Preservation committee had expressed preliminary reservations. Teatro representatives and cultural supporters responded that Teatro intends to invest about $4 million in the new site, would work with local vendors and carry outreach forward, and that the organization had a track record of tourism and community benefits.
Commissioners discussed the appropriate process for sole-source negotiation and asked staff for additional community consultation, an architectural review and a negotiating ground rule to return to the commission. Staff said it would not yet seek a formal sole-source vote and will come back with a full term sheet and community vetting at a later date.
