OCII approves Candlestick Point amendments; commission splits as community presses for artist roof repairs

The Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure voted Sept. 3 to approve eight related amendments to the Candlestick Point and Hunters Point Shipyard redevelopment agreements, clearing the way for phased infrastructure work and new housing construction in Bayview Hunters Point.

The commission approved resolutions 4a–4h — covering CEQA findings, reports to the Board of Supervisors, redevelopment plan amendments, a Fourth Amendment to the disposition and development agreement (DDA), design-for-development changes and a first amendment to a tax-allocation pledge — by a 4–1 vote on each item. Commissioners Aquino, Drew, Lim and Vice Chair Scott voted in favor; Chair Babette Brackett voted no in each case.

OCII Executive Director Thor Kozlovsky and staff presenter Laila Hussain described the amendments as a pragmatic retooling to restart a long-delayed project. Kozlovsky said the Candlestick Point program includes “over 7,200 new homes” and noted the project’s stated affordability target of roughly 32 percent below-market-rate units. Hussain described a phased approach intended to accelerate infrastructure: a near-term phase with roughly 675 new homes and about 1.2–1.7 million square feet of commercial space in the innovation district (she said about 41 percent of that commercial space would be offered at below-market rates); OCII staff also said the first two phases include about 1,500 units with more than 300 deeply affordable units.

The amendments include time‑limit extensions for redevelopment plan financing so tax-increment revenue can reimburse public infrastructure; changes to land-use designations to shift some office/R&D and commercial entitlement from the Hunters Point Shipyard to Candlestick Center; an increase in an early-phase parking ratio from 1.3 to 2 spaces per 1,000 square feet for the first 1.7 million square feet; and procedural updates to accelerate schematic‑to‑construction review. Kozlovsky and staff framed the package as necessary to capture a federal $20 million infrastructure grant and to put blocks of shovel‑ready approvals into a buildable sequence. Staff also cited sustainability goals including LEED targets and planting of 10,000 trees.

Public testimony at City Hall and on the phone was extensive and mixed. Dozens of construction trades representatives and local contractors urged approval, stressing job creation and local‑hire commitments — speakers cited construction‑phase job estimates ranging up to 12,000 with a 50 percent local‑hire goal. Supporters argued the project is needed to address San Francisco’s housing shortage and to revive Bayview Hunters Point’s economy.

At the same time, a large contingent of artists and tenants from Hunters Point Shipyard’s Parcel B — particularly Building 116 — urged immediate action to repair leaking roofs that they said have caused years of damage to studios and threatened businesses. Multiple witnesses described long‑running water intrusion, lost inventory, health and safety concerns and disputed responsibility across the Navy, the developer and property managers. An attorney who spoke said Lennar (now 5 Point) assumed certain maintenance duties under an interim lease and urged the commission to ensure repairs are made. OCII staff responded that the Navy delegated roof‑maintenance responsibility in the 2008 lease, that OCII transferred some of that responsibility under an interim lease to Lennar/5 Point, and that OCII has been pursuing rent relief and coordination with the Navy and 5 Point to assess conditions. Staff said 5 Point agreed to fund an assessment of Parcel B buildings and that the first inspection was scheduled the following day.

The meeting included a pointed exchange about whether the amendments go far enough to maximize affordable housing. Chair Brackett, who voted no on the package, argued the commission had previously discussed seeking additional affordable units and that the current documents should better preserve OCII’s ability to add deeper affordability without requiring future concessions from the developer. Staff and the appointed counsel explained that increasing the DDA or the enforceable obligation to add more units would require negotiated amendments with 5 Point, additional environmental review and signoff from the Department of Finance and the Oversight Board, and that those steps could be pursued in parallel but would delay near‑term approvals.

Votes at a glance: each of the eight Candlestick‑related resolutions (4a–4h) passed on a 4–1 roll call (Aquino, Drew, Lim, Vice Chair Scott: yes; Chair Brackett: no). Staff will transmit the redevelopment plan amendments to the Board of Supervisors and take the required transmittals to the Planning Commission and Department of Finance as described in the staff recommendations.

What happens next: OCII staff said the amendments allow the developer to file infrastructure permits within 12 months and to advance major‑phase permitting and schematic design. The timeline for construction depends on permit approvals, financing (including the federal grant) and coordination with the Navy for Shipyard work. Staff also committed to provide the commission with a written update on the Parcel B roof assessment and other short‑term interventions to protect artists’ studios.

By the end of the meeting, commissioners had voted to move the amendments forward while public speakers left a clear record of dual priorities: a broad local coalition eager to see jobs and housing delivered, and urgent demands from arts tenants for immediate repairs and more enforceable accountability to guarantee community benefits.