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Thursday, October 24, 2013

Pier 70 Phase 0 Workshop

Forest City and the Institute of the Commons are teaming up to offer an innovative and exciting opportunity to “dreamstorm” possibilities for bringing a piece of Pier 70 alive by next spring!  

We'll provide minimal parameters, allowing you and other community innovators and residents the freedom to explore and share your creative ideas with one another.

Our focus will be on bringing to life the 1-acre parcel at 20th and Illinois Street for the short-term (over the next 3 years), while planting seeds for potential activities for when Pier 70 is fully developed.  This event is designed to give you the opportunity to meet each other, form partnerships/friendships, and experience what community can become.  It is a chance to co-create a shared space we can all enjoy in the near future.

This interactive workshop will take place Wednesday, October 30th, from 6:00-9:00pm (event doors open at 5:30pm) at Dogpatch Café on 3rd Street.  Please plan to arrive on time and stay to completion as the design of the evening builds continually from start to finish for maximum creativity and collaboration. 

Please register here to attend: http://pier70phase0.eventbrite.com 

More information on the Pier 70 Phase 0 RFP after the break...


Pier 70 Phase 0 RFP Illinois and 20th Street Parcel

Pier 70 Phase 0 RFP Illinois and 20th Street Parcel

I. Pier 70 Waterfront Site Project Description
Pier 70, land owned by the Port of San Francisco, contains 69 acres of land and structures that comprise the largest industrial complex west of the Mississippi River. The Port has divided Pier 70 into three distinct redevelopment zones. Forest City has won the exclusive right to develop the Waterfront Site. The 28-acre Waterfront Site sits at the core of Pier 70 and is surrounded by significant historic resources and the last remaining ship repair facility in San Francisco. Forest City is pursuing the redevelopment of the Waterfront Site in a public-private partnership with the Port, Mayor’s Office of Economic Development and other City agencies.

The proposed concept plan for Pier 70 is a vision for a dynamic, urban district in which historic resources are imaginatively repurposed, the legacy of making remains central to the neighborhood, and the waterfront takes center stage. The proposed program for the Waterfront Site includes a range of placemaking/cultural/maker spaces, reuse of three key historic structures, a network of new waterfront parks, 1,000 + residential units and significant new commercial office space.

The site is one of the last remaining waterfront development sites in San Francisco. It sits just south of the rapidly developing Mission Bay District which is emerging as a biomedical research and healthcare campus with over 6,000 housing units and a series of waterfront parks. To the west is the Dogpatch neighborhood, an eclectic mix of residential, local manufacturing and local retail.

The Forest City team has undergone two years of extensive outreach and research to develop a concept plan for the Waterfront Site and recently received endorsement of the plan by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and San Francisco Port Commission. With the achievement of this step, Forest City is initiating the second, 24-month phase of pre-development and entitlements.

II. Phase 0
A primary goal for Pier 70 is to create a more connected urban experience. Our vision for the future of the site is to develop a hyper-local, community-driven hub of creative uses that blend, shift and redefine working, living and gathering. Phase 0 – the subject of this RFP – is an initiative to experiment with creative uses and experiences during this early planning period. If successful, Phase 0 will seed the culture of the place that we are trying to create. Phase 0 is an interim use - a flexible and temporary way to test ideas and build community - as opposed to Phase 1 which is the start of construction on the permanent buildings.

Phase 0 is a way to co-create culture and establish a community amenity. The vision for Phase 0 is a collection of temporary, ongoing uses that will increase the public’s awareness of the Pier 70 Waterfront Site and bring the vacant lot to life. We imagine this site could encompass a range of unique, family- friendly experiences from public art, a biergarten and a mobile retail venue to hawker fairs, farmer’s markets or an urban beach. 

The events should draw from and involve the surrounding neighborhoods to create diverse experiences at different times of the day that build off and extend the Dogpatch culture to the Waterfront Site. The result will be a new, semi-permanent gathering place, driven by an open, inviting community and the local culture. This interim use of the Waterfront Site will inspire and stimulate culture building in this part of the city and will be integral to the future redevelopment of the site. The initial site for this activation is located just past the intersection of Illinois and 20th Street at the entrance of Pier 70 and is 1 acre in size. The ideas and experiences that thrive will have the opportunity to evolve and become part of the overall development.
With Phase 0, we seek to accomplish the following objectives:
  • Support the City’s goals of expanding economic activity in the area and beginning the process of turning fallow land into a community amenity;
  • Engage the local community
    o Allowinteractionwithauniquephysicalplacethathasbeeninaccessibleandclosedto
    the public;
    o Prototypethevisionforthefuturedevelopmentofthesiteitbuildsparticipation;
  • Prototype different uses to help seed the culture for the Waterfront Site development;
  • Develop partnerships that become tenants and co-creators of the future place;
  • Generate momentum for the establishment of the place, rather than starting from scratch when
    the project is approved.
    We envision Phase 0 as a collaborative project that creates a new social place and unlocks new value and potential. Our selected partner(s) will have the ability to lease all or a portion of the parcel from Forest City (property owned by the Port of San Francisco). Forest City will assist in negotiations with the Port and will collaborate closely with our partner(s) by co-managing, sharing community and industry knowledge and lowering political barriers.
The Phase 0 Parcel
Currently occupied by a storage facility, the entire Illinois and 20th Street lot is 2.66 acres. The Phase 0 opportunity is approximately 1 acre sitting on a relatively flat piece of land on the southern portion of the site, providing views of historic buildings and the American Industrial Center. The entrance is located directly off the well-traveled Illinois Street.

The Port plans on tenanting the 1.68 acres to the north and the east of the Phase 0 parcel with a flexible use, which will have a separate entrance off of 20th Street. In addition to the 1 acre Phase 0 portion, there could be an opportunity to host special events in this space on evenings and weekends.

Characteristics of the Space
  • Approximately 1 acre in size with the potential to expand to 2.66 acres on weekends and evenings for special events;
  • Situated behind the 800,000-square-foot American Industrial Center and near the entrance to Pier 70;
  • Overlooking the historic buildings at Pier 70 which housed steel and iron manufacturing and shipbuilding during the mid-19th and 20th centuries;
  • Parking will be operated adjacent to the site ;
  • 1 block from the Muni T-line;
  • Paved, flat space;
  • Fence in place along street line and site boundary with entryway into the site;
  • Limited utility access - some water, plumbing and electricity available on-site. Forest City is
    currently investigating the location of these connections and their capacity;
  • No permanent bathroom facilities on site;
  • Streetlights along Illinois Street.
    The parcel at Illinois and 20th Street will be entitled by Forest City for the Port, who will sell the parcel for development. The minimum term for the temporary use is three years, but could be longer.

    The Location
    Character of the Dogpatch
    Historically the Dogpatch was tied to heavy industry. The neighborhood itself is approximately 9 square blocks in size. The Dogpatch is a highly creative, industrious, artistic, hip neighborhood with a distinct history, and it has recently gained extensive press coverage for its diverse economies and emerging community. Within a few blocks, there are artists, makers, techies, foodies, designers and entrepreneurs innovating and creating a buzz. The Phase 0 parcel is located across the street from the American Industrial Center, the hub of commercial activity in the neighborhood, consisting of over 300 local businesses that employ approximately 1,600 workers on a daily basis. While there is a lot of activity happening in the Dogpatch, the community expressed during our learning process that the neighborhood currently has a shortfall of compelling third spaces where regulars can meet, connect and collaborate day and night. Our desire is to work with partners who can harness and complement the energy and momentum in the neighborhood, while providing new and exciting experiences for the community.
Change and Development
Nearly 1,000 new residential units are planned for the Dogpatch over the next several years, not including the plans for Pier 70. The area has become a big draw for technology, biotech and UCSF hospital workers from Mission Bay.

While Forest City has exclusive rights to develop the Pier 70 Waterfront Site, there are other development activities occurring elsewhere at Pier 70. The Port of San Francisco is in the final design stages of a new, 9-acre Crane Cove Park along Illinois Street, which is slated to begin construction in 2015. This will bring the Blue Greenway bike trail through Pier 70 and add a waterfront urban park to the Dogpatch.

Pier 70’s Historic Core, an approximately 6-acre district of six historic structures, will be rehabilitated by Orton Development. This project, adjacent to both the Phase 0 site and the Waterfront Site, will extend interest in the area by adding new restaurants, office and gathering space to Pier 70. The full revitalization of these six buildings is set to begin in early 2014 and will be completed over the next three to four years. These exciting developments will increase foot traffic at Pier 70 and the Phase 0 parcel. The Phase 0 site will be integral to connecting Pier 70 to the neighborhood and offering unique, new programs and activities for the community.

IV. Qualifications of Selected Phase 0 Partners
The Phase 0 project design and the negotiations with the Port will happen during late Fall 2013. We are interested in a team who shares our spirit of intense collaboration and co-creation. We are looking for a creative vision that will become a jumping off point for negotiating a flexible lease with the Port that resolves site and regulatory constraints and accommodates the activities, structures and events that our selected partner(s) propose for the site.
Additional qualifications:
  • Ability to find ways to connect with, engage and involve the local community;
  • Experience with temporary urbanism (or events) and cultivating partnerships;
  • Experience operating temporary public uses;
  • Understanding of and ability to successfully navigate city permitting process;
  • Design sensibility;
  • Collaborative;
  • Ability and track record of attracting and gaining funding.
V. RFP Process
Forest City is looking for potential partners to propose their creative vision for the 1 acre site. We understand that a typical RFP may involve defining specific parameters around which to solicit specific proposals. However, in this case, we are shaping the opportunity via our negotiations with the land owner, the Port of SF, and are looking for partners with a compelling vision and willingness to design and negotiate the project parameters with us and the city. We encourage responses that display creativity and simple, back of the envelope calculations. Please also include any necessary contingencies as part of your proposal.

We want to work with the selected team in a true partnership – we will negotiate lease terms after selection of a team, to avoid structuring a lease that does not allow us to accomplish your vision. There are a few particulars for which we have limited flexibility. We anticipate the lease would have a three- year term, beginning January 1, 2014 ending January 1, 2017, with possible opportunities for extension depending on timing of the project approvals and the development of the parcels, which is subject to overall lease terms with the Port. Ideally, the temporary use and successful partnership would transition from this initial location onto the Waterfront Site as part of the new development, either as an extended temporary use or something more permanent.

The proposal should cover the following information:
1. Uses
a. A well-defined plan of the types of uses and activities that will happen on the site –

selling, cooking, alcohol, temporary events (what types) – and if there is a range of activities throughout the year (i.e. Christmas market in the winter, container pools and beaches in the summer).
2. Days/Hours of operation
a. What days and hours will the use be “open”?

3. Estimated attendance
a. How many people do you see on the site at various times of day and for various events?

  1. Basic site plan
    a. How much of the site are you proposing to lease?
    b. Where structures and gathering spaces will be, their heights and their sizes
    c. You can convey this in whatever media you think will best express your intent, whether

    it be storyboards, sketch models or hand sketches
  2. Alcohol sales (if applicable)
    a. How do you imagine it would be sold (i.e. an open beer garden or out of a stall)? b. During what hours would alcohol be sold?
    c. What type of liquor license would be required?

  3. Logistical needs - Bathrooms, garbage/recycling pick up, lighting, fencing, security, etc.*
  4. Utility needs – Water, power, gas, etc.*
  1. Timeline and Phasing
    1. What does your project start with and what does it ramp up to? Describe arc and
      timeframe of activation.
    2. Will it be year round?
    3. What is the timeline for build-out?
  2. How do you imagine engaging the surrounding neighborhood? How will you bring in a diverse range of people and create a family-friendly environment?
  3. Is your concept moveable? Could it be transitioned onto the Waterfront Site as part of Phase 1 of the project development?
These answers can be synthesized in the form of maps, lists and tables, a written document or a combination of all four.

*To the extent applicable, identify any low cost, easily implementable solutions to these infrastructure needs or a range of requirements (i.e. America’s Cup event used portable restroom facilities for their monthly event and had a system to ensure cleanliness and sanitation)

Please include in your submission
  • Letter of Interest
  • Biography of the organization and team leaders
  • Description of comparable projects, including timeline and contingencies. Include a description
    of the site before your project, including utilities, infrastructure and lease structure.
  • Project proposal or narrative covering the items listed above
  • Community involvement plan
  • Partners/tenants, if applicable
  • Licenses/permits needed
  • Project schedule
    Please submit an electronic (PDF) file of these items to:
    alexandrajanos@forestcity.net
    Materials are due on Thursday, November 21, 2013.
    ***We will also be hosting a community workshop around Phase 0 on the evening of Wednesday, October 30th. We strongly encourage those who will be submitting a response to attend as it will be great exposure to the surrounding community and will provide guidance for your response.
    Please register here to attend:
    http://pier70phase0.eventbrite.com ***

VI. Links to Supporting Materials
  • Project website: www.pier70sf.com
  • Comprehensive history of the site and the Dogpatch neighborhood: www.pier70sf.org
  • Supporting Materials (including Site Maps, Parcel Photos, and user research):
    https://www.dropbox.com/sh/qz02cqyv4qq8j03/wfo8xABLuW 

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