Project team presents slimmer, greener design for Pier 30–32 arena and public open space

Project architects and the Warriors’ development team presented a major design revision for the proposed Pier 30–32 event center and surrounding open space, emphasizing reduced building mass, increased public open space and improved access.

The redesign, described as "version 3," lowers the arena parapet to about 110 feet (with a higher point of 125 feet in the center), reduces the event‑center gross program by roughly 33,000 square feet and removes approximately 1.3 million cubic feet of bulk compared with prior iterations. The team said the changes increase open sky area to roughly 60% of the site (about 7.5 acres), add about an acre of planted green space, and carve pier edges to increase water access.

Key changes also include relocating vehicular access mid‑block to reduce pedestrian‑vehicle conflict, breaking retail into smaller, more porous modules with a north–south ramp to meet accessibility requirements, lowering practice‑court heights, and consolidating loading and service functions beneath the event plaza to keep the surface public and park‑like. The team said ferry or water‑taxi docks and a fireboat facility are being discussed with regional agencies and that they are working on pier stabilization engineering.

Commissioners thanked the team for responsiveness to prior comments and asked for further detail on circulation, loading operations and how the Pier design will mesh with the Seawall Lot development on the opposite side of The Embarcadero. MTA and other agencies described ongoing coordination on a waterfront transportation assessment to inform mitigation measures and timing for environmental review.

The presentation was informational; the commission did not take a land‑use vote on the project at this meeting.