The Californer - San Francisco: Mayor London Breed Celebrates Groundbreaking of Bayfront Park in Mission Bay

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San Francisco, CA — Mayor London N. Breed today joined Supervisor Matt Dorsey, the Golden State Warriors and other City and community leaders to celebrate the start of construction for Bayfront Park, a planned 5.4-acre open space located between Chase Center and San Francisco Bay. When completed in fall 2023, the new park will add a vibrant waterfront destination to the growing Mission Bay neighborhood.

The park is expected to be the waterfront centerpiece of Mission Bay and will include open lawns, a section of the Bay Trail, and multiple plazas. The Project will integrate with and improve access to adjacent open spaces: Agua Vista Park and Mariposa Bayfront Park to the south/southwest, and the previously completed portion of Bayfront Park to the north. To help reflect the site's industrial heritage, the park has been awarded a large quantity of reclaimed steel from the old Bay Bridge to create shade structures and other site furnishings, and to use in other elements of the park.

"Mission Bay has made a remarkable transformation from unused railyards into San Francisco's newest neighborhood and a center for health care and sports excellence. Now this crucial section of Mission Bay waterfront is on the cusp of a much-needed improvement with the construction of Bayfront Park," said Mayor London Breed. "We are all ready for this strip of dirt to become a beautiful slice of green for everyone who experiences it."

"Our Mission Bay community is eagerly anticipating the completion of Bayfront Park to provide open space and connect us to the beauty of San Francisco Bay," said District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey, who represents Mission Bay, SOMA and Treasure Island. "With District 6 being the focus of much-needed housing production in our City, we have to make sure that we also create the parks that make San Francisco a livable urban place."

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Bayfront Park was contemplated as part of the Mission Bay South Redevelopment Plan, which was approved in 1998. Since then, Mission Bay has added almost 6,000 housing units, with 1,500 of them affordable. Mission Bay also includes 5.5 million square feet of commercial and retail space to date. Most notably, the new University of California San Francisco hospitals and medical centers, and Chase Center, the home of the NBA Champion Golden State Warriors. Almost 25 acres of new parks and open spaces serve Mission Bay residents and visitors.

"As we mapped out the vision for Chase Center and Thrive City, this park was a critical piece of the overall project," said Warriors President & Chief Operating Officer Brandon Schneider. "Bayfront Park will be a beacon to neighbors and visitors alike, offering unparalleled views of the bay in a safe, clean and accessible location. The Warriors are thrilled that our investment in the Mission Bay neighborhood will complement this phenomenal community asset."

The Bayfront Park project is managed by the Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure (OCII) and built by Mission Bay's master developer, FOCIL-MB LLC. Project construction is budgeted at $19.1 million.

"We are pleased to be starting the construction of Bayfront Park in Mission Bay," said OCII Executive Director Thor Kaslofsky. "The park is at the intersection of important open space, transit, and development projects. Not only is there a future ferry stop here, but Bayfront Park is a key link in this area of the Mission Bay Open Space system as well as the San Francisco Bay Trail that provides bay front access and views."

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"Bayfront Park will be another jewel in the Blue Greenway and Bay Trail," said Port of San Francisco Executive Director Elain Forbes. "The park's playful design and variety of experiences adds to the Port's portfolio of parks and open spaces, while addressing sea level rise on an elevated shoreline. The Port appreciates its partnership with the Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure and the stakeholders who provided input on the design."

"After many years of collaboration with our community partners, we are thrilled to be transforming this former industrial site into a truly spectacular new waterfront open space — a place for the entire Bay Area to come together and celebrate," said Luke Stewart, Director of Design and Planning for Mission Bay Development Group, FOCIL's development manager.

"Back when Mission Bay was nothing but post-it notes, San Franciscans took in the Bay amidst the City's industrial past," said Sarah Davis, a member of the Mission Bay Citizens Advisory Commission and a Mission Creek Harbor houseboat resident. "Soon this park will be our big public gathering space, and our community is looking forward to the views, the picnic tables, the ferry, and the new normal for our neighborhood."

Bayfront Park is the latest in a series of new waterfront parks in various stages of development all along the San Francisco Waterfront. To the north, Tunnel Tops and Battery Bluffs have both recently opened in the Presidio, along with Francisco Park which opened a few months ago near Ghirardelli Square. South of Bayfront Park, Crane Cove Park recently opened, and new parks and open space are being developed, including India Basin Shoreline Park, a future 10-acre open space on the Southeastern Waterfront.

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