OCII approves amendments to Candlestick Point and Hunters Point Shipyard Phase 2, advancing housing, parks and a new makerspace

The Commission on Community Investment and Infrastructure on April 17 approved a package of amendments to the Candlestick Point and Hunters Point Shipyard Phase 2 project, including CEQA findings, redevelopment-plan changes and amendments to the disposition and development agreement with the master developer.

OCI staff told the commission the package would increase the project’s total housing units by 172—raising the entitlement from 10,500 to 10,672—by transferring unused Phase 1 entitlements to Phase 2 and Candlestick Point. Staff said the plan continues a substantial below‑market-rate (BMR) program (about 32% of units, roughly 3,345 units overall) and preserves OCII’s funding for the lowest-income tier (0–60% AMI), which staff said accounts for 1,644 units.

Why it matters: Staff and the developer framed the revisions as a re‑balancing of land uses to respond to market changes since the 2010 approvals, including the removal of a stadium option, and as a way to accelerate housing and new public amenities. The amendments also include a new Design for Development (D4D) by Sir David Adjaye, a reconfigured street grid intended to retain and adapt historic shipyard buildings, and roughly +10.7 acres of parks and open space (including an approximately 8‑acre privately owned public “Green Room” and a reworked “Water Room” at Dry Dock 4).

Key details and commitments: OCI staff summarized numerous technical changes that would govern future development: a new D4D with building envelopes and a menu of architectural controls; a transportation plan that extends four Muni routes and adds bus rapid transit and express service; and sustainability features described as an “eco grid,” including a district geothermal heating/cooling system, a district solar system and a recycled‑water treatment plant the staff said would have capacity to treat nearly 1,000,000 gallons per day at full build‑out. Staff also said sea‑level rise design elevations were increased for the development perimeter (from 36 inches to a design that accommodates 66 inches) and for shoreline parks (from 16 inches to 24 inches).

Community benefits and makerspace: The commission approved changes to the community benefits program that require the developer to set aside 75,000 square feet of makerspace (described as cold‑shell spaces for light production, repair or small‑scale manufacturing to be marketed with CAC input). Staff said those spaces would be offered at market rent but subject to a marketing and tenant‑selection plan with protections and recorded restrictions intended to preserve maker uses; temporary relief periods would be allowed for up to five years to avoid vacancies and marketing/tenanting requirements would resume afterward.

What staff and commissioners emphasized: Staff said the amendments do not change the project’s overall commitment to affordable housing and community benefits but rather shift how and where some entitlements are delivered to better respond to market conditions and to accelerate certain housing types, including a proposed 104‑unit standalone senior inclusionary project that would house seniors at 60% AMI or below. Commissioners pressed staff on implementation details—how parking priorities will be allocated (including for Certificate of Preference holders), contractor participation goals and the job‑training pipeline—and asked for continued CAC engagement on tenanting plans.

Public concerns and environmental oversight: Public comment included both support and scrutiny. Supporters cited job creation, new parks and housing; several longtime neighborhood residents urged that native and long‑term Bayview Hunters Point residents receive hiring and contracting priority. Opponents and concerned residents pressed for higher BMR requirements (Jason Fried urged the commission “Do not accept these changes without an increase in BMR units”) and raised environmental worries about the Navy cleanup. Sheridan Noilani Enomoto of Green Action for Health and Environmental Justice said media reports and whistleblower claims had alleged sampling falsification by a contractor and asked for comprehensive retesting of parcels; in response, Amy Brownell of the San Francisco Department of Public Health said the Health Department’s review “has no evidence to contradict the Navy’s assurance that the safety and health of the residents, tenants, workers or visitors at or near the shipyard remains protected,” and that Navy land transfers would not proceed until the agencies resolve outstanding sampling concerns.

Votes and next steps: The commission voted separately on the related resolutions (items 5b–5g) and adopted each by unanimous vote (4–0). Staff said, assuming commission approval, the next steps include hearings at the Planning Commission, SFMTA and introduction to the Board of Supervisors in May, oversight board consideration in June and submission of required amendments to the California Department of Finance; staff projected final documents by fall 2018. The commission’s approval includes a staff recommendation allowing the executive director to make conforming changes requested by the State Lands Commission.

The commission closed the item after public comment and Q&A and moved on to other agenda business.