April 28, 2024,
It has been over ten years in the making.
A massive undertaking.
Any time a major global city can create a new vibrant neighborhood; that is world news that you should know about.
Have you heard of China Basin?
China Basin Landing, now referred to as simply China Basin, is an office complex on the border of the South of Market (SoMa) and Mission Bay area. The complex has 917,000 square feet of space. It is the headquarters of Lyft and Dignity Health.
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That is a great anchor of any emerging neighborhood.
Let’s expand this out.
China Basin is a neighborhood built on landfill along the San Francisco Bay.
That means something. You are making new land out of what previously was uninhabitable.
It lies north of Mission Creek and the Mission Bay neighborhood, and includes Oracle Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, numerous restaurants, and the Caltrain railroad station.
It borders on the South-of-Market (SOMA) neighborhood to the northwest and the South Beach neighborhood to the north.
The term China Basin also refers to the body of water from which the neighborhood takes its name. This inlet where Mission Creek flows into the bay, home to a number of houseboats, was once an active industrial waterfront, though in recent decades the shore has been developed with residential condominiums.
The portion of the waterway adjacent to the ballpark is often referred to as McCovey Cove, named after Willie McCovey of the San Francisco Giants.
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Very iconic and historic.
The team at scapestudio.com says it well, “Foregrounding the living systems of the San Francisco Bay, China Basin Park is a 5-acre waterfront park and the cultural centerpiece of the planned Mission Rock neighborhood—a new mixed-use community just across McCovey Cove from Oracle Park, home of the San Francisco Giants.”
As we all probably know, land and new neighborhoods are at a premium in San Francisco.
It has taken over ten years to finish this incredible project, now San Francisco is ready to tell the world about it.
Let’s walk over to the park.
Mayor Breed Joins City and Community Leaders to Celebrate Grand Opening of China Basin Park
The public open space is part of the new mixed-use Mission Rock community, which brings over 500 new homes and 600,000 sq. ft. of retail and office space to the Central Waterfront
April 25, 2024
San Francisco, CA – Today Mayor London N. Breed joined Port of San Francisco Executive Director Elaine Forbes, San Francisco Giants Executive Vice President and CEO Larry Baer, Mission Rock Partners, and community members to celebrate the grand opening of China Basin Park.
Located on the border of the South of Market and Mission Bay neighborhoods, China Basin Park is part of Phase 1 of the Mission Rock project, a new mixed-used community currently being developed on the surface parking lots south of Oracle Park. The Mission Rock development is a public-private partnership between The Port of San Francisco and Mission Rock Partners (the Giants and Tishman Speyer).
With exceptional views of Oracle Park and the Bay Bridge, the new park - which is under Port jurisdiction - also features five acres of active open space, including a vibrant waterfront park connected to the greater neighborhood through an extension of the Bay Trail’s bike and pedestrian paths. China Basin Park boasts native trees and plants surrounding the perimeter of a Great Lawn, located at the center of the park. A sand beach near the water’s edge provides an inviting play area for young children.
In addition to China Basin Park, the first phase of Mission Rock features four new buildings: two residential and two commercial. The new housing consists of The Canyon, which began welcoming residents in June 2023, and Verde, which starts leasing new homes this summer. Of the 537 units across the two buildings, 30 percent (161) are below market rate. One of the two commercial buildings will soon be the new home of Visa’s Global Headquarters. Local small businesses will open in ground floor retail spaces including, a restaurant from the Che Fico team, Ike’s Love & Sandwiches, LuxFit, Arsicault Bakery, Proper Food, and Quik Dog.
China Basin Park features enhanced, gender-neutral public restrooms, food and beverage concessions, bike parking, and amphitheater-style seating facing McCovey Cove. Other amenities include:
- Great Lawn: an acre of green grass with stunning views; Gathering Grove: a grove of marina strawberry trees with communal benches lined with catenary lights;
- Dog Zone: a fenced in off-leash dog run and play area;
- Bay Trail: new connection to the biking and pedestrian paths of the Bay Trail wrap around the entire park with new bike parking;
- Stormwater Garden: an elevated boardwalk over a mix of native plants recessed below to absorb stormwater run-off;
- Shoreline Sands: a spacious area along the shoreline filled with sand and wood logs for recreation, exploration, and relaxation; and
- Central Plaza: open hardscape plaza for gathering and dining at the center of the park.
“It’s thrilling to see China Basin Park open at the heart of the vibrant new Mission Rock neighborhood,” said Mayor Breed. “Where there was once a surface level parking lot, we now have new homes as well as office and retail spaces, and now this jewel of a park for residents, visitors, and Giants fans to enjoy. The extraordinary transformation of Mission Rock and China Basin is also critical in our work to expand our regional transit network, connecting Muni and Caltrain to the Bay Trail's biking and walking paths along our Central Waterfront.”
This park and the entire Mission Rock development is sustainably planned to account for climate change and sea level rise. The park features extensive on-site wastewater treatment and reuse, on-site stormwater treatment, and greenhouse gas-free public power supplied by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. Built entirely on fill from the 1906 earthquake, the park is also designed to mitigate stormwater and coastal flooding, elevated 5-6 feet above existing grade atop a foundation of engineered lightweight fill.
The Port of San Francisco played a significant role in the planning and execution of the China Basin Park.
“The Port is gratified to celebrate the opening of China Basin Park, an amazing new place for the public along our spectacular waterfront,” said Port Executive Director Elaine Forbes. “We are lucky for the hard work of our partners at the Giants, Tishman Speyer, SCAPE, and Webcor. This unique, welcoming park is another jewel in the Port’s necklace of parks, with new opportunities for the public to access and enjoy the beauty of the San Francisco Bay shoreline.”
The Mission Rock project broke ground in 2020 following 10 years of community engagement. The development has provided workforce development training to San Francisco residents in the building trades, including for women in the construction industry, who worked on the project as part of the Mission Rock Academy. The development has provided significant workforce public benefits, including a $1 million contribution to the Office of Economic and Workforce Development’s workforce training programs.
The site created nearly 10,000 new jobs, providing opportunities for construction workers and small business owners with a commitment to hiring 30% locally, including 15% disadvantaged workers.
When complete, Mission Rock will be a new mixed-used neighborhood consisting of:
- 5 acres of new parks and open space;
- A City option to lease 15,000 square feet for a community facility such as a school, library or community center;
- At least 1,000 new rental homes, 40% affordable to low- and middle-income individuals and families;
- Sea level rise resiliency and adaptation features;
- Historic rehabilitation of Pier 48; and
- Public waterfront access improvements along Blue Greenway trail.
“Delivering an expanded China Basin Park to the City was a priority for us in Phase One allowing residential, office and retail tenants, visitors and our fans to reap the benefits the public space has to offer,” said San Francisco Giants President & CEO Larry Baer. “This signature park is the cornerstone of our new neighborhood and will be a major catalyst in enabling our placemaking values to come to fruition.”
“We have designed and programmed China Basin Park to embody our vision for Mission Rock as an inclusive and welcoming community,” said Tishman Speyer Managing Director Maggie Kadin. “We are thrilled to create this one-of-a-kind amenity where people can come together to connect on the waterfront.”
The Port of San Francisco maintains 16 public parks, including Crane Cove Park and Waterfront Park and Ferry Plaza along the Embarcadero. Each public park offers unique attractions and opportunities for recreation, connection, and entertainment on the waterfront with the goal of ensuring San Francisco Bay’s waters and rich coastlines remain accessible and sustainable for the future.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_neighborhoods_in_San_Francisco#China_Basin
https://www.scapestudio.com/projects/china-basin-park/
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