Plans for Hunters Point Naval Shipyard revealed
By: John Upton
Examiner Staff Writer
April 7, 2009
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| Modern look: An industrial architectural design, dominated by squares, hard edges and solar panels on facades, is proposed for this Hunters Point residential building. (Courtesy rendering) |
SAN FRANCISCO — Plans have been unveiled for the first homes to be built and sold as part of a redevelopment project of the former Hunters Point Naval Shipyard. They reveal a modern industrial architectural style that’s becoming more common in the Bay Area.
The proposed designs for two blocks of homes planned at the northwest entrance to the shuttered shipyard will be considered today by San Francisco Redevelopment Agency commissioners.
One of the blocks, on the north side of Innes Avenue between Donahue and Friedell streets, will become the site of 63 square-edged, predominantly white-and-gray, for-sale condominiums in a glass-covered, four-story building with covered private parking, a central courtyard and rooftop gathering space, the plans show.
On the other side of Innes Avenue, 25 for-sale townhomes painted with earth-toned colors will line opposite sides of a new alley, which will provide access to nonstreet-fronting ground-floor garages with 36 parking spaces.
An 18-month building effort could begin on both blocks by the end of the year, according to Jack Robertson, a vice president at Lennar Corp., which was appointed by The City as the project’s master developer.
Prices of the market-rate homes will likely vary from $400,000 to $700,000, according to Robertson. Of the 88 units, 13 will be provided at lower prices for homeowners earning less than the area’s average income.
Between 200 to 300 construction-related jobs could be created, and locals will be prioritized in the hiring process, Robertson said.
The 771-acre shipyard redevelopment project, which also encompasses the current site of Candlestick Park and other nearby land, is expected to take 10 to 20 years to complete. Plans call for eventually including parks, shops, offices, research space, more than 10,000 homes and, if the 49ers agree to remain in San Francisco, a new football stadium.
“We view these two blocks as the opening act for the shipyard,” Robertson said. “These are going to serve, even after they’re sold out, as models for the future blocks.”
Architects and others involved in designing the project during a meeting with reporters Monday compared the blocks’ designs with other Bay Area projects, including new housing in nearby Mission Bay, the Altaire project in Palo Alto and Blue Star Corner in Emeryville.
But the design team also said elements, including generous bay windows, were inspired by traditional San Francisco architecture, while the overarching industrial theme with square windows
pays homage to the area’s shipyard history.
