Pier 70 developer sails into action as transformation gets quick start

Buildings 2, (left) and 12 on Pier 70 in San Francisco, Ca. on Wed. May 9, 2018, where construction is set to begin for the massive redevelopment that will turn 35 acres of dilapidated shipyard into housing, commercial space, waterfront parks and artist studios. less Buildings 2, (left) and 12 on Pier 70 in San Francisco, Ca. on Wed. May 9, 2018, where construction is set to begin for the massive redevelopment that will turn 35 acres of dilapidated shipyard into housing, ... more Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close Pier 70 developer sails into action as transformation gets quick start 1 / 4 Back to Gallery

The transformation of Pier 70 from a long-shuttered maritime industrial complex to a lively mixed-use waterfront community will kick off Thursday at a groundbreaking with the normal mix of political speeches and platitudes.

But in this case the ceremony won’t be pure pageantry: When the elected officials leave with their gold-plated shovels, the real work will begin immediately, according to Jack Sylvan, senior vice president with developer Forest City.

With unprecedented speed, Forest City will mobilize workers this month on the first phase of one of the city’s most anticipated new developments: the 28-acre bayside enclave that will eventually include 1,100-2,150 residential units and more than 1 million square feet of commercial space, with local retail and services, arts and light industrial space, and a new waterfront arts facility.

Phase one will consist of four buildings, one park, new utilities, and two new streets connecting Dogpatch and the waterfront. Ten feet of dirt will be added to most of the site to protect against sea-level rise. The frame of one hulking steel building, Building 15, will be taken apart and then reassembled on its old site to provide a historic industrial gateway that folks walking or biking along 22nd Street will pass through on the way to a new bayfront park, to be called Slipway Commons.

Photo: Todd Trumbull

Other phase one buildings include a new 275,000-square-foot office building; a new 280-unit residential complex; and a 120-unit apartment building to be constructed within the shell of Building 2, a four-story concrete structure. Forest City is hoping to have all four buildings completed by the middle of 2021, although the office building will not break ground until a lease has been signed for half or more of the space inside.

But the heart of the project — and the first building that will be tackled — is Building 12, a hulking historic structure once used for making ship hulls, which will be reborn as a 160,000-square-foot makers’ hall. There will be space for dozens of small-scale manufacturers — producing goods like jewelry, clothing, handbags, furniture and chocolate — who can sell their wares in a Made at Pier 70 store on the ground floor. There will be food and drink, some office space, and possibly a small grocery store.

Sylvan said it was important to put Building 12 at the front of the line. “Aside from the parks, Building 12 is the major amenity and draw for people coming out here from the neighborhood,” he said. “It is kind of the heart and soul of our project. We are trying to create enough density, enough ‘there’ there.”

Approved just six months ago, Pier 70 is smashing records for speed in starting construction following entitlements. In contrast, it’s been four years since the approval of Schlage Lock, a 1,679-unit project in Visitacion Valley that has not yet started construction. Parkmerced near the city’s southwestern edge, which will add 5,679 units, is slated to start construction this summer — seven years after it won approvals.

Adhi Nagraj, San Francisco director for the urban think tank SPUR, said the speed with which Pier 70 is proceeding is “heartening, unique and exciting.” He said that he recently met with city officials about how post-entitlement permits could be sped up.

A former affordable-housing developer, Nagraj said projects can bounce around for years among various city agencies — everything from the Department of Building Inspection to the Department of Public Works to the Fire Department.

Susan Eslick, vice president of the Dogpatch Neighborhood Association, chalked the fast start up to the long and deliberate planning process, which included a 2014 ballot measure and seven years of planning and collaboration between residents and Forest City.

“Forest City did such an incredible job working with the community. Most people are like, ‘OK, let’s go; let’s see this thing unfold,’” she said. “The fact that in this part of San Francisco you don’t have access to the waterfront, the way you do somewhere like Crissy Field, is shocking. We need to open that up to the entire city.”

And Forest City took some risk as well. Rather than wait until after final Board of Supervisors approvals before drawing up construction documents for the infrastructure work, Forest City did it beforehand. It was about a $7 million investment that was a bit risky because approval was not guaranteed.

“We did that so we could be in a position to start work right away,” said Sylvan. “I’m pretty certain that, for a project of its scale, is the fastest from approval to construction.”

Home to Union Iron Works, Pier 70 had housed ship-repair operations from the time of the Spanish-American War in 1898. Six buildings on the site were rehabbed by Orton Development and have already started to fill up with tenants like Gusto, Uber and Restoration Hardware. Pier 70 is also home to a dry-dock ship-repair facility that is temporarily shut down as the Port of San Francisco seeks a new operator.

“This is an inspiring location, reflective of San Francisco’s history of ingenuity, that will once again be a major source of economic, civic and cultural value to the city,” said Mayor Mark Farrell.

Forest City has also unveiled designs for Pier 70’s new waterfront parks, which echo the site’s maritime history, the neighborhood’s creative character and emerging San Francisco. The designs show a network of open spaces from the center of the project to the waterfront that feature public art, such as large steel frames that define bay views; and terraced lawns, promenades that jut into the water, meadow plantings and tree-lined areas, timber furnishings where people can gather and lounge, and more. The designs were created in partnership with James Corner Field Operations, renowned for their work on New York City’s High Line.

Dogpatch resident J.R. Eppler said his neighbors “are excited that Forest City is going to open up the waterfront as part of the initial phase.”

“It’s nice that given all the construction we’ll be putting up with, the first phase will provide a substantial number of community amenities,” he said.

J.K. Dineen is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jdineen@sfchronicle.com

Twitter: @sfjkdineen