Housing at Pier 70 Yet to Materialize

New York City-based Brookfield Properties, which has a four-decade presence in the Bay Area, partnered with the Port of San Francisco to redevelop Pier 70 in 2017. In 2022 the company completed Building 12 rehabilitation, installing new utilities, streets, sidewalks, and sea level rise protections. The historic structure, a restored former shipbuilding facility, is presently the heart of the 28-acre mixed-use site, housing maker spaces, artist studios, restaurants, nonprofits and other enterprises. 

Brookfield ultimately plans to build 1,200 and 2,150 residences, 30 percent designated to be affordable, as well as nine acres of parks and open spaces. But the developer has yet to issue a clear construction timeline.

“It concerns me that the pace of work is very slow. I haven’t heard anything about the construction of residential units at Pier 70. I also see Brookfield Properties building housing at many other spots in the City, but not here. That’s puzzling, especially with Power Station, an adjacent development, making progress on constructing housing and other features,” said Katherine Doumani, Dogpatch Neighborhood Association (DNA) member. 

“The development of Pier 70 is currently delayed due to ongoing market feasibility challenges,” said Eric Young, Port of San Francisco director of communications.  “In spite of these challenges, the Port and Brookfield are actively exploring ways to accelerate the project as the market continues to improve. Brookfield is also working to activate the site with interim uses, including an entertainment complex and padel and pickleball courts.” 

In the past two years, Brookfield has attracted 14 tenants to Pier 70, including Monograph Capital, a venture capital firm; Marbled Mint, a florist; and Scuderia, a motorcycle dealer. 

“As we work on future development plans, we’re populating the site with a variety of uses in and around Building 12 so that it is a community destination,” said Tim Bacon, Brookfield Properties vice president of development.

Alison Heath, Potrero Boosters Development Committee chair, is disappointed by the lack of progress. 

“I think Building 12 is a nice glimpse of what could be possible. I’m aware that construction is expensive nowadays. Still, the pace of development there is an interesting contrast to more ambitious work at the Power Station,” said Heath. 

“I think they’re trying to work through that as best they can. Brookfield has regularly presented about its milestones to The Potrero Boosters,” said J.R. Eppler, a District 10 Board of Supervisors candidate, pointing to high material, labor, and financing costs.

“So far, we’re incredibly pleased with the arrival at Building 12 of Standard Deviant Brewing, which opened in early June, and Breadbelly, a bakery that opened its second City location here in late June. Friday and Saturday afternoons, the area is packed,” said Michael Berkowitz, DNA president, who indicated that Brookfield has regularly presented its plans to DNA. “We’re also excited about the steady stream of people coming to play pickleball and other sports at Bay Padel, a sports club, in Building 12.” 

Pier 70 is becoming a “really safe and wonderful place for young families,” said Bruce Huie, a Dogpatch Arts and Business Association (DABA) board member. “There’s more runners, more bicyclists, more strollers out there, especially on Fridays and Saturdays. The new businesses in Building 12 are really opening up an area along the San Francisco Bay in Dogpatch that hasn’t been open to the public before.” 

“We have a 3,400-square-foot space,” said Clement Hsu, Breadbelly co-owner. “The majority of that is kitchen space. This summer, we brought our production facility here, from where it used to be at Clement Street and 15th Street in the Richmond District.We sell a lot of breakfast items, like our sausage smash with pork sausage and a soft scrambled omelet. Our weekend specials like strawberry Danishes are really popular. I think activation of the space is a good thing. Over time, there will be even more foot traffic than when we signed the lease. We see this as a really long project. We retained our Richmond District cafe and are now delivering goods baked here to that location.” 

Other businesses located at Pier 70 include Gusto, a payroll, benefits, and human resources services platform; Astranis, a manufacturer of high orbit satellites; and Y Combinator, a startup accelerator that recently moved from Mountain View. Next year, a trio of geodesic domes and a pyramid will open at the site. Elevation Sky Park will be built adjacent to Building 12, featuring immersive art, music, and wellness events.

“I think the activations, meaning things that the developer has done to bring people to the area, are completely in keeping with the character of the neighborhood. The businesses at Building 12 are authentic, individual, and unique. Brookfield has also done an amazing job with the sidewalks, roads, streetlights, and planting fixtures,” said Susan Eslick, DABA treasurer. 

Earlier this year, the Potrero Hill Archives Project and Bethlehem Shipyard Museum fashioned a joint venture, “The Pier 70 Time Machine,” to lease roughly 4,000-square-feet at Building 12 to create a museum featuring Pier 70 and local history. The area will be used for exhibits, archive and artifact storage, and events. The nonprofits expect to occupy the space next month, contingent on installation of a heating system. 

“Previously the Potrero Hill Archives Project stored all materials in my house. This was an issue when I identified a pipe leak, which damaged some records. That was a wakeup call to find a safe home for our local history,” said Peter Linenthal, Potrero Hill Archives Project founder. 

Programming will include trivia and movie nights, walking tours and talks by historians. One idea is a holographic projection of where buildings and landmarks used to be in the southeastern neighborhoods. 

“Polina Ilieva, associate university librarian for Archives and Special Collections for the University of California, San Francisco, donated some of the shelves, which was very helpful,” said William Perez, Bethlehem Shipyard Museum president. 

The Museum’s collection includes tools used by laborers who built the Golden Gate Bridge, as well as badges, bolts and rivets, and numerous photographs.  

“We plan to do cross-exhibits and cross-promotion with the USS Hornet Museum in Alameda. This will encourage individuals interested in maritime history to become aware of links between different centers of industrial activity in the Bay Area,” said Perez. 

According to Stephanie Fine Sasse, The Plenary, Co’s founder and director, the nonprofit decided to establish a space at Pier 70 because the area honors the past and “imagines a neighborhood fit for the future. We fell in love with the vision for a community hub that’s deeply rooted in the neighborhood’s tradition of creativity and making, while also making room for great food, drinks, games, and the occasional aerial acrobatics, all under the same massive roof.” 

The Plenary, Co., which holds immersive events and creates collaborative works, expects to open next spring. 

“We regularly work with a roster of artists, designers, scientists, event producers, and community builders. At any given time there’s usually at least six of us cooking something up.Once we open our space, Building 12 will become our headquarters for experimenting with a new kind of civic culture,” said Fine Sasse. 

Pedro Zorraquin, head of growth at Bay Padel, said the sports club is seeing more sign-ups and visits this year. Bay Padel offers two padel courts, one pickleball court, a gym with fitness classes, and snack bar. In addition to the Dogpatch facility, which opened in 2024, the club has two other locations, at Treasure Island and Sunnyvale. 

“We wanted to be here because the neighborhood is growing. Breadbelly and Standard Deviant bring us a lot of traffic. People stop in and ask, ‘What is padel, this racket sport people are playing? How can I hold a corporate event here?’” said Zorraquin. 

Bay Padel plans to open six new pickleball courts and four new padel courts next year. 

“We chose Pier 70 because a lot of things are set to happen here. We look forward to growing the audience for this sport and sharing even more with the community,” said Zorraquin.