Port outlines Pier 70 master plan that preserves ship repair, adds parks and new development

The Port of San Francisco on Thursday presented a preferred master plan for Pier 70 that seeks to balance preservation of a historic ship-repair operation with large-scale new development and public open space.

"Pier 70 is 68 acres," Port Executive Director Monique Moyer told the Planning Commission, adding that about 15 acres would be retained for ship repair. Port staff said the plan calls for roughly 700,000 square feet of rehabilitated historic buildings, two major shoreline parks and up to 3,000,000 square feet of new development intended to support as many as 8,000 jobs.

Port project staff described a preservation-first strategy that would nominate Pier 70 as a National Register historic district, stabilize the most deteriorated resources first and direct new infill into vacant or noncontributing parts of the site. "All of those buildings would be retained as part of the plan," said Mark Paez, the departments historic preservation planner.

The plan also lays out transportation connections and sustainability measures: the existing T-line stop at 20th Street is within a seven-minute walk of the site, staff said, and proposals include a ferry terminal, connections to Caltrain and circulation improvements that would rely heavily on public transit.

On finances, Port project manager Kathleen Dihepp told commissioners the program is not fully feasible under current assumptions. The project model assumes a 20-year buildout and a 30-year cash flow; early costs, particularly for historic building rehabilitation, are front-loaded. "We're not quite at a feasible project," she said, estimating a roughly $50 million gap on an approximately $570 million project and describing potential remedies that include capturing incremental tax growth from Proposition D, additional public funding and private-sector cost reductions.

The Port repeatedly asked the commission and the public for feedback rather than action. "We're here today to hear your comments or questions," project staff said. The Port opened its public comment period through Oct. 13.

Public speakers and some commissioners pressed for refinements. A neighborhood speaker said heights along Illinois Street (some illustrated at 85 feet in the Ports concept diagrams) could harm visual connections between neighborhoods and the waterfront. An artist who has studio space at Pier 70 for years urged the Port to plan for artist workspace. Commissioner Moore praised the presentation and the renderings as persuasive and clear, while others suggested examining higher densities near transit and exploring entertainment or institutional uses that could help finance restoration of Building 113, the Union Iron Works machine shop.

Port staff stressed the long list of public approvals and partners required to move the plan into zoning and procurement steps and said significant environmental investigation and remediation work is already under way, supported by a Department of Defense grant for site investigations.

The Ports presentation, and the commission discussion, centered on three trade-offs: preserving and stabilizing heritage buildings; delivering substantial public open space; and finding the revenue or public financing to close the upfront financing gap. The Port staff said they would return with a market and procurement approach later in the year and invited commissioners to a site tour.

The commission did not vote on the Pier 70 plan; the Port requested feedback and public comment remains open until Oct. 13.