Committee advances $150,000 contract increase to finish Bayview Opera House design

A committee chaired by Leah Cohen moved forward a contract amendment on unanimous consent to increase as-needed architectural services funding for the Bayview Opera House by $150,000, from $1,125,000 to $1,275,000, to complete design and engineering work.

The item, read into the record by Mr. Clark, requests a waiver of the as-needed contract modification limit under Administrative Code Section 6.64 and authorizes the Director of Public Works to execute the increase for the Bayview Opera House project covering the period noted in the agenda packet.

Judy Nimzoff, presenting on behalf of project partners, said the Opera House is one of the city's four owned cultural centers overseen by the San Francisco Arts Commission and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. She described priorities for the work as restoring and upgrading the historic facade, making the building and stage accessible, and activating an outdoor plaza with a flexible amphitheater and greening where there is now a concrete parking area.

"This project is $4,500,000 that is coming through 11 city sources," Nimzoff said, adding the Arts Commission hopes to raise an additional $500,000 through private philanthropic support to finish the design phase.

Nimzoff described a commemorative plaza intended to acknowledge the Ohlone presence, the shipyard history of Bayview, and mid-1960s racial tensions. She said the design team has completed entitlements including historic-preservation review and that San Francisco Architectural Heritage holds an easement and has approved the proposed contemporary treatment. She also said final design review will go before the Civic Design Committee the coming Monday.

Brooke Mabratu of the Department of Public Works told the committee that delays had exhausted the available capacity in DPW's as-needed contracts and that the requested waiver would allow the design team to complete the design and start construction this summer. "We're coming before you today to give us the waiver to extend that to allow the design team to complete the work and start construction this summer," Mabratu said.

Supervisors asked technical questions about site connections to Mendel Plaza, fencing and gate design (described by the design team as a metal "theater curtain" that will allow partial visibility and be lit from below), whether the gate will be mechanical (final detail to be provided later), and the outdoor seating capacity (estimated at about 180). Nimzoff said the adjacent playground is on a separate property owned by a different department and that any physical link between properties would be a future change.

Supervisor Katie Tang moved the item and Kompolas seconded; the committee advanced the ordinance and contract amendment "without objection." The committee members thanked presenters and expressed anticipation for a ribbon-cutting once construction is complete.

Next steps cited at the meeting: final civic design review for the gate and other details, follow-up on whether the gate will be mechanical or manual, and continued fundraising to secure the additional $500,000 of private support.