New streetcar line could link to waterfront development
By: John Upton
January 20, 2009
SAN FRANCISCO — Under a new proposal submitted to the Port of San Francisco, a new bay-front streetcar line planned between The City’s Fisherman’s Wharf and the downtown Caltrain station would extend to go over the Fourth Street Bridge, hook left south of AT&T Park and stop at a 16-acre waterfront development.
The 10-block project to redevelop Parking Lot A, next to the ballpark, comes from a consortium of developers, financiers and the Giants, according to Port project manager Phil Williamson.
Some of the members of the four teams that originally proposed to redevelop the site have dropped out or merged, leaving a single proposal for the 10-block project, said Williams.
The latest plan, which has not been released to the public, includes 875 townhouse-style rental units; 1 million square feet of biotechnology, clean-tech and office space; 240,000 square feet of stores, restaurants and other retail; 2,650 parking spaces; and conversion of historic buildings on Pier 48 for events and exhibits, according to Williamson.
The proposal also includes more than 8 acres of public open space, including a 5-acre park that would be called Mission Rock Park and overlook McCovey Cove in China Basin, according to Williamson.
A city block-size park, Mission Rock Square, is proposed at the heart of the project, and it would be the final stopping point for Muni’s planned new E line.
Plans show the rail would be built in stages throughout the first decade of the redevelopment, according to Williamson. Construction at the site could begin by 2012, according to Wilson Meany Sullivan developer Kheay Loke.
The height of the tallest buildings has yet to be determined, according to Loke.
“Height limit is a hot topic in town and we need to work with the community,” Loke said.
An artists’ community, included in an earlier proposal, appears to have been dumped in the latest plan, according to Williamson.
