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Pier 70 design-for-development reviewed by Planning Commission; Port and Forest City outline multi-acre mixed-use plan
Summary
Planning staff and the project team presented a D4D for Pier 70: roughly 28 acres of waterfront redevelopment, nine acres of public open space, historic-building rehabilitation, mixed-use phases, and design guidelines; commissioners asked for phasing and implementation detail and emphasized transportation and design-quality controls.
The Planning Commission heard an informational presentation on the Pier 70 Mixed Use Project, a multi-phase waterfront redevelopment led by the Port and the selected master developer. The design-for-development (D4D) document outlines land uses, open-space vision, pedestrian-priority streets, rehabilitation of historic structures, and a program of public benefits.
Forest City and its design team (SiteLab and others) presented the project's scale and intent: rehabilitation of several historic shipyard structures, approximately 28 acres of site development (with an additional adjacent acreage included in master planning), up to 9 acres of public open space, a mix of market-rate and affordable housing, arts and light-industrial uses, and transportation improvements to connect the southern waterfront. The D4D establishes detailed controls and a building-by-building approach to massing, materials, and ground-floor retail and arts uses.
Commissioners probed whether the D4D can ensure consistent quality if parcels are sold to different future developers, and requested more detail on phasing and how the project will integrate neighborhood-scale transportation, transit connections and infrastructure investments. Forest City said the D4D includes prescriptive controls, particularly because the site sits within the Union Iron Works Historic District, and staff said forthcoming documents (the EIR, Special Use District, development agreement and infrastructure plan) will return to the Commission for review.
The Commission acknowledged the project as a long-term, multi-agency effort and indicated interest in a follow-up session on phasing and transportation; staff scheduled a follow-up hearing for May and action steps for July per the calendar announced at the hearing.
