Port and city staff outline waterfront land‑use plan and seawall resiliency work

Port planners and preservation staff briefed the Historic Preservation Commission on the Waterfront Land Use Plan update, describing efforts to reconcile historic‑preservation goals with resiliency needs posed by seawall seismic vulnerability and sea level rise.

Mark Paez (Port preservation staff) said the plan builds on the 1997 waterfront plan and the Embarcadero Historic District, and that historic tax credits and other tools have supported long‑running rehabilitation projects. He and Diane Oshima (Port deputy director for planning and environment) described seven guiding principles developed by a working group to define public values and inform subcommittee recommendations on land use, resiliency and transportation.

Diane Oshima said engineers have identified the seawall’s seismic risk and that a consultant team will help prioritize initial seismic retrofit investments; she said the work is likely to involve geotechnical complexity and could require geo‑bond funding voters must approve. Staff emphasized the need to balance preservation of character‑defining features with necessary infrastructure upgrades and to consider unintended consequences of large resiliency projects on historic fabric and access.

Commissioners asked detailed questions about the seawall timeline, financing, and how seismic upgrades would be reconciled with preservation goals. Staff said the effort is at an early stage of data collection and alternative development and that public outreach and cross‑agency coordination will continue as the plan proceeds.