Port, Giants outline Mission Rock master plan emphasizing housing, parks and sea‑level resilience

San Francisco planning staff and representatives of the San Francisco Giants laid out the Mission Rock master plan, a long‑planned redevelopment of Port of San Francisco land south of AT&T Park that would transform a mostly surface parking lot and Pier 48 into a mixed‑use neighborhood.

Joshua Suitsky of the planning department told the commission the site offers an opportunity to add housing, jobs and public open space on underused port property while coordinating design and implementation across city agencies and the Port. Jack Baer, executive vice president and general counsel of the San Francisco Giants, said the port chose the Giants’ team as the master developer in 2010 and voters subsequently approved the land‑use plan with more than 74% support. He said the team expects to work with the Port and city to refine project details and release a draft environmental impact report early next year.

The Giants’ presentation showed about 1,500 residential units, roughly 1,300,000 square feet of office space and about 250,000 square feet of retail. Baer said the project aims to create “a real cherished new San Francisco neighborhood” with roughly 7,000 on‑site jobs and about 10,000 construction jobs during build‑out. Fran Weld, vice president of development for the Giants, detailed design controls intended to create small‑scale, walkable blocks with retail on ground floors, mid‑block pedestrian passages and parks that knit the site to adjacent Mission Bay and the waterfront.

Weld also highlighted sustainability and resiliency priorities: the team is studying shared energy and water systems and plans to raise the center of the site so it can withstand roughly 66 inches of sea‑level rise, a protection the presenters said would be aimed at the end of this century. The proposal includes China Basin Park at the northern edge and a smaller central “Mission Rock Square” designed to be an animated public plaza.

Commissioners questioned retail demand, garage design and transit connections. Commissioner Richards asked whether 250,000 square feet of retail could be supported; Weld said Mission Bay and the surrounding quarter‑mile walking radius currently lack neighborhood retail and small storefronts such as groceries and childcare. Commissioners pressed staff and the Giants on the project’s entitlement path; Phil Williamson of the Port said the draft EIR was expected in February and transactional documents such as a development agreement could be brought forward in the fall contingent on environmental review and other approvals.

The presentation was informational; the planning commission did not take a final vote on entitlements. Staff said the project would return with environmental documentation and formal actions as the schedule advances.