OCII approves UCSF Mission Bay Block 33 design, with conditions for future Block 34 review

The Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure on Dec. 20 voted to approve a resolution finding that the University of California San Francisco—s design for Phase 1 of its Mission Bay East Campus (Block 33) conforms with OCII—s required design standards. The motion passed on a 4–0 roll call with one commissioner absent.

The approved package covers a roughly 343,000-square-foot building at Third and Sixteenth streets that will combine a Center for Vision Neurosciences (relocating ophthalmology services) with academic offices and dry research. Mark Slutskin, Mission Bay project manager, told the commission UCSF has satisfied key MOU commitments, including an upfront affordable housing payment of $10,200,000 and an infrastructure payment of $21,900,000, both of which he said have been paid.

Why it matters: the design approval clears a key local review step under the 2014 memorandum of understanding between OCII and UCSF, enabling a subsequent executive director—s secondary-use determination and a UC Board of Regents design review. Construction is scheduled to begin in June 2017, with completion targeted in mid-2019.

Design and public-realm features: Don Rudy, UCSF deputy campus architect, described a patient-centered drop-off on Illinois Street and a design-build delivery that aims for LEED Gold certification. Mark Roddy of SmithGroup JJR summarized massing decisions that step down the building to relate to the Dogpatch neighborhood, create a mid-block Paseo and an entry plaza at Third and Sixteenth, and locate active ground-floor uses such as a café, bike storage and an auditorium. Materials shown to the commission include precast concrete for the academic tower and anodized metal panels for the clinical building.

Commission concerns and staff responses: several commissioners asked about the next phase, Block 34, which is currently a surface parking lot. Staff noted Blocks 33 and 34 are entitled for up to 500,000 square feet combined and a garage of up to roughly 500 stalls, but said the design and programming for Block 34 are not complete. OCII staff and UCSF committed to return to the commission with Block 34 plans when they are developed. Commissioners and members of the Mission Bay Citizens Advisory Committee had earlier raised that a future garage could block views of the Block 33 design; staff said that potential view impacts will be part of the Block 34 review.

Local hire and coordination: UCSF—s Damon Lou described the university—s voluntary community construction outreach program and said UCSF will aim for a 30 percent local-hire goal on construction hours for this project, similar to recent Mission Bay efforts. Commissioners pressed UCSF on plans to prioritize long-standing local professional firms, and UCSF said its prime design and construction teams are primarily local.

Parking and program questions: staff and UCSF clarified that Phase 1 will provide a surface lot for about 200 cars with an estimated Phase 1 parking demand of roughly 470 spaces; UCSF will rely on existing campus parking and future Phase 2 facilities to meet the balance. Commissioners asked about conference-room capacity and public access to the proposed café; UCSF said the cafe will be open to the public while conference facilities primarily will support internal campus needs.

Next steps: with the commission—s finding of substantial conformance, OCII staff will issue a secondary use determination and UCSF will seek Regents design approval in January, after which construction is expected to begin in June 2017.