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Planning
Home > General Plan > NorthEastern Waterfront Area Plan
San Francisco is a compact city, surrounded on three
sides by the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay. From the beginning,
the waterfront has played an intimate role in the City's industrial, commercial,
and recreational life.
Although San Francisco Bay was discovered by the Spaniards
in 1775, it was not until the 1849 gold rush that the region had its first
wave of population growth. The focus of the growth was in the area adjacent
to the Bay where deep and protected waters provided a natural harbor.
This area is now the Northeastern Waterfront and includes Fisherman's
Wharf to China Basin. Much of this area was developed on Bay fill as the
original shoreline skirted the base of what are known as Telegraph, Rincon,
and Potrero Hill.
During these early days, the waterfront was a lively
part of town, busy with sailors and those hoping to earn their fortunes
in the gold fields. City dwellers would stroll along the waterfront and
enjoy the marvelous view of the Port and the Bay. The nearby hillsides
were the sites of the earliest settlements and later became fashionable
neighborhoods.
Through World War II, the waterfront retained its image
of a thriving port and center of the City's economic vitality. The Ferry
Building, located at the foot of Market Street, became a landmark structure
symbolic of the City's ties with the Bay Area and the World. The western
half of San Francisco's waterfront, from Aquatic Park, west to the Presidio
and south along Ocean Beach to the County line was developed for military
and recreational use and in recent years has become part of the magnificent
Golden Gate National Recreational Area.
With the passage of time, however, the Northeastern
Waterfront became increasingly separated from the rest of the city and
began to decline in activity. The completion of the Bay Bridge in the
1930's foreshadowed the decline of the Trans-Bay ferry service and diminished
the role of the Ferry Building. The construction of the Embarcadero Freeway
and parking lots beneath it created visual and physical barriers to the
Bay, impeding the revitalization of this part of the City.
Changes in transportation technology related to the
movement of goods by water also contributed to the decline of the waterfront.
The placement of cargo in standardized containers resulted in dramatic
shifts in maritime transportation patterns. Container shipping shifted
the emphasis from the traditional breakbulk method of cargo handling,
for which the Port's finger piers were designed, and created the need
for large modern facilities requiring considerable capital investment
and backland support areas. In response, new container shipping facilities
were developed in the central and southern waterfront near India Basin
in the 1970's.
Although the Port of San Francisco was, at the end
of World War II, the largest port in the region, the Port of Oakland was
first to develop container shipping facilities. Oakland has the advantage
of large, undeveloped flat land necessary for the storage of containers
as well as better rail and highway connections to eastern markets than
San Francisco. Today, portions of San Francisco's Northeastern Waterfront
continue to be used for break-bulk cargo handling, and related activities;
however some of the piers are vacant and dilapidated and much of the Port's
property in this area is underutilized. The Port expects that, over time,
cargo shipping, ship repair operations and related support services will
continue to consolidate south of China Basin, maximizing efficient use
of the Port's container terminals, industrial land and freight rail service.
In the meantime, the Port intends to maintain existing non-container newsprint
shipping and cargo warehouses in the Northeastern Waterfront, for as long
they remain viable in this location.
Other piers in the Northeastern Waterfront will continue
to be used in whole or part for commercial fishing, maritime support,
cruise, excursions, ferries and other commercial and recreational maritime
operations, which will maintain a working waterfront presence. However,
because many of the piers and adjacent Port land are no longer needed
or suitable exclusively for industrial maritime operations, there are
opportunities for new commercial development and public access and open
space.
In the 1960's, as shipping industry changes led to
the decline in the Port's breakbulk operations in the Northeastern Waterfront,
other economic and technological shifts led to the departure of many non-maritime
industry and manufacturing businesses from the greater downtown, Fisherman's
Wharf, Sansome-Battery corridor and South of Market areas. As the number
of vacant warehouses and underutilized properties increased, planning
efforts focussed on transforming these areas to commercial and residential
uses to complement the growing financial and business services center
in downtown San Francisco (e.g. the Icehouse office conversion, Ghirardelli
Square specialty retail center). In addition, the San Francisco Redevelopment
Agency established two redevelopment areas: 1) Golden Gateway, generally
bounded by Front and Battery Streets on the west, Sacramento Street to
the south next to downtown, Broadway to the north and The Embarcadero
to the east; and 2) Rincon Point-South Beach, a two-part redevelopment
area which includes an approximately three to four block area near the
waterfront from Mission to Folsom Streets, and a larger nine block area
on the waterfront from Bryant to Berry Streets which includes South Beach
Harbor and Pier 40. In 1985, the San Francisco Planning Commission adopted
the Rincon Hill Plan for the area adjacent to the waterfront between Folsom
and Bryant Streets, extending inland to Second Street. These three planned
areas have been, or will be, redeveloped with a mix of activities, but
predominantly of residential use with supporting commercial and business
services.
Although plans for all three areas were developed when
the Embarcadero Freeway was still in place, their proximity to the waterfront
was regarded as a major amenity that could only be fully realized if the
Freeway was removed. The General Plan therefore included policies calling
for the removal of the overhead Embarcadero Freeway, to allow the City
to be reunited with its waterfront. However, after the defeat in 1986
of a ballot proposition for the freeway removal, public efforts turned
to defining transportation improvements that would transform the surface
Embarcadero roadway from a largely industrial arterial to a grand urban
boulevard.
Guided by policies contained in the Northeastern Waterfront
Plan, in 1985 the City approved the blueprint for the $80 million Waterfront
Transportation Projects, a series of improvements that together would
improve The Embarcadero roadway from Fisherman's Wharf to China Basin,
with widened sidewalks, public art, landscaping and other pedestrian amenities,
a new F historic street car line from Market Street to Fisherman's Wharf,
and a MUNI Metro light rail service extension from Market Street into
the Mission Bay area.
The phased construction of these transportation enhancements was underway
before the Loma Prieta Earthquake in 1989. In light of the extent of earthquake
damage sustained by the Embarcadero Freeway and its extremely high repair
cost, the City decided to demolish the double-decked structure and its
connecting ramp system, which opened the City to the waterfront. City
efforts now are underway to develop transportation improvements for the
mid-section of the Embarcadero between Howard Street and Broadway which
had laid beneath the freeway.
In the aftermath of the freeway removal, new unobstructed
waterfront views from Downtown San Francisco and adjacent areas combined
with the landscaping, lighting, public art and other pedestrian improvements
underway along The Embarcadero have reinvigorated public interest in revitalizing
the waterfront. While there is substantial demand for a variety of uses
on the Northeastern Waterfront, the type and magnitude of new uses should
reflect what is desirable from the broadest public interest point of view.
Although there is a desire to maintain and attract new blue collar jobs,
this has become increasingly difficult in light of technological advances
which have replaced manufacturing jobs, the moving of manufacturing functions
overseas, the increased costs of land in the City, and traffic congestion
on major travel corridors. In addition to office, industrial, services
and shipping activities, a substantial portion of the City's economy is
related to tourism. Hotel, restaurant and retail uses are large employers,
particularly of minority groups. There is a demand for additional commercial
and tourist-related development, however it must be carefully balanced
against the need for maritime uses, recreation and open space, the needs
of new resident populations in the Northeastern Waterfront and the community
desire not to replicate or compete with other tourist areas in the City.
Property under the jurisdiction of the Port of San
Francisco, including all piers and certain inland sites in the Northeastern
Waterfront, is subject to use limitations under the public trust and the
Burton Act. The Port, as trustee, is required to promote maritime commerce,
navigation and fisheries, as well as to protect natural resources and
develop recreational facilities for public use on these public lands.
In June 1997, the Port Commission adopted the Waterfront
Land Use Plan, which was prepared with the assistance of a broad-based
Waterfront Plan Advisory Board. The Waterfront Plan sets forth land use
policies for all property under the jurisdiction of the Port of San Francisco,
which are consistent with the Port's public trust responsibilities and
the City's Northeastern Waterfront Plan. The goals of the Waterfront Land
Use Plan are to maintain and improve the working waterfront, a revitalized
Port, a diversity of activities and people, access to and along the waterfront,
an evolving waterfront mindful of its past and future, urban design worthy
of the waterfront setting, and economic access that reflects the diversity
of San Francisco. The Waterfront Plan includes general land use policies
for maritime uses, open space and public access, residential and commercial
uses, other uses and interim uses, and identifies unacceptable non-maritime
land uses. It includes five subarea plans, of which three and one half
are entirely within the area covered by the Northeastern Waterfront Plan.
The Waterfront Land Use Plan's related Waterfront Design & Access
policies include goals, policies and criteria which address urban design,
public access, city pattern and historic preservation which will be achieved
in future waterfront improvement projects.
The San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development
Commission (BCDC) has jurisdiction over San Francisco Bay and upland areas
within 100 feet of the shoreline under the McAteer-Petris Act. BCDC adopted
the San Francisco Bay Plan as called for under that legislation. BCDC
in 1975, acting in concert with the Planning Department and Port, adopted
the San Francisco Waterfront Special Area Plan. The Special Area Plan,
together with the McAteer-Petris Act and the Bay Plan and subsequent amendments
to all three documents, prescribes a set of rules for non-maritime shoreline
development along the San Francisco Waterfront.
Within the context of this regulatory framework and
the strong caring interest that San Francisco's residents and workers
have for the City, the Ports Waterfront Land Use Plan sets forth an implementation
process for major development projects which includes soliciting early
community input on conceptual development programs for specific sites
before the Port issues requests for major new development proposals. Further,
an interagency design review committee including Planning Department,
Port and San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission representatives
would review projects to ensure that early in the process the interests
of respective agencies are addressed and resolved satisfactorily, consistent
with the Port's Waterfront Design & Access policies, thereby improving
predictability and minimizing delays in the regulatory process.
The Northeastern Waterfront Plan recommends objectives
and policies designed to contribute to the waterfront's environmental
quality, enhance the economic vitality of the Port and the City, preserve
the unique maritime character, and provide for the maximum feasible visual
and physical access to and along the Bay.
In the Northeastern Waterfront, in areas where piers
are sound, shipping and related maritime uses will be maintained for as
long as they remain viable in these locations. Commercial and recreational
maritime operations (e.g. cruise, excursions, ferries, historic ships,
recreational boating), and fishing industry facilities at Fisherman's
Wharf will be maintained and expanded. On lands no longer needed exclusively
for maritime purposes, new projects will emerge, primarily as maritime
mixed-use developments which will provide improved and expanded commercial
and recreational maritime facilities, open spaces and public access combined
with revenue-generating, water-oriented activities and attractions to
increase public enjoyment of the waterfront. On inland areas, the predominant
uses will be residential and commercial uses, such as offices, neighborhood-oriented
retail and service businesses, and community and cultural facilities.
Now that the Embarcadero Freeway has been removed, the waterfront will
be re-integrated with the fabric of the City and reestablished as the
eastern edge of the City. The Embarcadero roadway improvements, when completed,
will link the Northeastern Waterfront with other portions of the shoreline
via a rail transit system which will reduce the need for auto travel and
on-site parking; and pedestrian and bicycle ways which will connect recreational
areas with community facilities, historic and architecturally significant
buildings, residential areas, and employment centers. An authentic maritime
character and strong sense of historic continuity combined with increased
visibility of the natural attributes of the Bay will reinforce the special
identity of the area.
To achieve these goals, the Plan recommends general
objectives and policies for Land Use, Transportation, and Urban Design
and recommends specific objectives and policies which apply to four geographic
subareas as well as the Embarcadero Corridor which links them: Fisherman's
Wharf Subarea (which extends from the Municipal Pier at Van Ness Avenue
through Pier 39); the Base of Telegraph Hill Subarea (Pier 35 through
Pier 7); the Ferry Building Subarea (Pier 5 through Rincon Park); and
the South Beach Subarea (Pier 22 through Pier 46B).
The overall goal of the Plan is to create a physical
and economic environment in the Northeastern Waterfront area which will
use the area's resources and potential in the manner which will best serve
the needs of the San Francisco community. In order to accomplish this
goal, the dominant planning principles of this Plan are: (1) provide for
those uses which positively contribute to the environmental quality of
the area and contribute to the economic health of the Port and the City,
(2) preserve and enhance the unique character of the area, and take advantage
of the unique economic opportunity provided by San Francisco Bay, and
(3) provide the maximum possible visual and physical access to San Francisco
Bay while minimizing the adverse environmental impacts of existing and
new activity.
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  MAP
1 - Northeastern Waterfront
Planning Area
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OBJECTIVE 1
TO DEVELOP AND MAINTAIN ACTIVITIES THAT WILL CONTRIBUTE SIGNIFICANTLY
TO THE CITY'S ECONOMIC VITALITY AND PROVIDE ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES WHICH
STRENGTHEN THE PREDOMINANT USES IN EACH SUBAREA OF THE NORTHEASTERN WATERFRONT,
WHILE LIMITING THEIR CONCENTRATION TO PRESERVE THE ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
OF THE AREA.
POLICY 1.1
Accommodate where appropriate, additional activities which will strengthen
the predominant economic functions of each subarea of the Northeastern
Waterfront.
POLICY 1.2
Consistent with other policies of this Plan, encourage uses on Port property
which return revenue to the Port to support and improve its facilities.
OBJECTIVE 2
TO DIVERSIFY USES IN THE NORTHEASTERN WATERFRONT, TO EXPAND THE PERIOD
OF USE OF EACH SUBAREA AND TO PROMOTE MAXIMUM PUBLIC USE OF THE WATERFRONT
WHILE ENHANCING ITS ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY.
POLICY 2.1
Develop uses which generate activity during a variety of time periods
rather than concentrating activity during the same peak periods.
POLICY 2.2
Diversify activities to encourage the use of the Northeastern Waterfront
by a broad spectrum of the population.
POLICY 2.3
Encourage land uses having different peak periods of activity within each
subarea of the Northeastern Waterfront to contribute to the area's diversity,
to expand the period of use, to decrease peak period traffic congestion,
to facilitate efficient use of the transit system and to preserve and
enhance the environmental quality of the waterfront.
POLICY 2.4
Promote the development of new maritime activities, public open space
and public access improvements as part of major new development on piers.
POLICY 2.5
Emphasize water-related recreation, Bay-oriented commercial recreation
and Bay-oriented public assembly uses in non-maritime development adjacent
to, or over, the water.
OBJECTIVE 3
TO RETAIN AND ENHANCE MARITIME ACTIVITIES, RESERVING AS MUCH OF THE NORTHEASTERN
WATERFRONT AS IS REALISTICALLY REQUIRED FOR FUTURE MARITIME USES, AND
PROVIDING FOR EFFICIENT OPERATION OF PORT ACTIVITIES.
POLICY 3.1
Give priority to maritime activities recognizing that the waterfront available
for such activities is a limited resource and that maritime activities
are vital to the City's economy. Based on a realistic assessment of the
maritime needs of the Port, reserve the necessary waterfront area by prohibiting
activities which would preclude possible future maritime development.
POLICY 3.2
Maintain adequate transportation access to, and the efficient movement
of goods between, Port piers and the local and regional transportation
system.
POLICY 3.3
Encourage the retention and expansion of the commercial fishing and related
industries in Fisherman's Wharf.
OBJECTIVE 4
TO RETAIN ECONOMICALLY VIABLE INDUSTRIAL ACTIVITY IN THE NORTHEASTERN
WATERFRONT FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE.
POLICY 4.1
Encourage the retention of industries and businesses which support the
Port's maritime operations, either through providing services or through
using the Port's facilities for its shipping needs.
POLICY 4.2
Encourage the retention of viable industries which provide significant
revenues, job opportunities or services to the City.
POLICY 4.3
Assist in the relocation within San Francisco of industries which are
forced to move by market conditions or public action.
OBJECTIVE 5
TO DEVELOP LIMITED ADDITIONAL OFFICE AND COMMERCIAL SPACE IN ORDER TO
SERVE THE CITY'S ECONOMIC NEEDS AND TO ENCOURAGE A MIXTURE OF USES AND
ACTIVITIES ALONG THE NORTHEASTERN WATERFRONT.
POLICY 5.1
Permit additional general office and commercial development on sites inland
of the seawall adjacent to the Downtown Office District, which complements
the downtown but which is of a lesser intensity and which reflects the
transition between the City and the water.
POLICY 5.2
Encourage service retail uses in combination with other uses.
POLICY 5.3
Allow general and specialty retail uses in combination with other uses
which will not significantly detract from the Downtown Retail District.
POLICY 5.4
Except on piers, permit additional hotel space in locations which would
enhance the mixture of uses. In areas where hotels are already concentrated,
additional such facilities should be limited and should only be provided
if they complement adjacent uses.
POLICY 5.5
Encourage Bay-oriented commercial recreation and public assembly uses
on piers, which include public access and complementary maritime activities
(e.g. cruises, excursions, ferries, historic ships), and maritime support
services.
POLICY 5.6
Permit an open-air ballpark with a maximum of 45,000 seats and related
commercial uses at Pier 46B.
OBJECTIVE 6
TO DEVELOP AND MAINTAIN RESIDENTIAL USES ALONG THE NORTHEASTERN WATERFRONT
IN ORDER TO ASSIST IN SATISFYING THE CITY'S HOUSING NEEDS AND CAPITALIZE
ON THE AREA'S POTENTIAL AS A DESIRABLE LIVING ENVIRONMENT.
POLICY 6.1
Strengthen, preserve and protect existing residential uses.
POLICY 6.2
Encourage the development of additional housing wherever feasible (except
on new or replacement fill).
POLICY 6.3
Preserve and expand the supply of low and moderate income housing and
encourage the economic integration of housing.
POLICY 6.4
Encourage the development of a variety of unit types for households of
all sizes where practical.
OBJECTIVE 7
TO STRENGTHEN AND EXPAND THE RECREATION CHARACTER OF THE NORTHEASTERN
WATERFRONT AND TO DEVELOP A SYSTEM OF PUBLIC OPEN SPACES AND RECREATION
FACILITIES THAT RECOGNIZES ITS RECREATIONAL POTENTIAL, PROVIDES UNITY
AND IDENTITY TO THE URBAN AREA, AND ESTABLISHES AN OVERALL WATERFRONT
CHARACTER OF OPENNESS OF VIEWS, WATER AND SKY AND PUBLIC ACCESSIBILITY
TO THE WATER'S EDGE.
POLICY 7.1
Develop recreation facilities attractive to residents and visitors of
all ages and income groups.
POLICY 7.2
Provide a continuous system of parks, urban plazas, water-related public
recreation, shoreline pedestrian promenades, pedestrian walkways and street
greenways throughout the entire Northeastern Waterfront.
POLICY 7.3
Connect the recreation and open space facilities of the Northeastern Waterfront
with those of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
POLICY 7.4
Encourage and provide open space and public recreation facilities as part
of any development, to provide facilities for people residing and working
in the Northeastern Waterfront and in adjoining neighborhoods.
POLICY 7.5
Provide overlooks and public viewing areas with convenient pedestrian
access wherever possible. Every attempt should be made to provide such
viewing facilities in areas of maritime and fish processing activities
without interfering with the operation of those activities, consistent
with the Port's Waterfront Design & Access policies. Remove or create
openings in buildings between piers wherever feasible, consistent with
their historic character and use, in order to construct such overlooks
and to create a balanced rhythm of buildings and views.
POLICY 7.6
With new development, create new views between buildings and/or physical
access to (1) the Bay, (2) water-dependent maritime activities or (3)
open space or other public attractions that invite the public onto pier
areas and provide access to the Bay.
POLICY 7.7
Where desirable and feasible, provide amenities which enhance public enjoyment
of open spaces and public access areas by providing public restrooms,
drinking fountains, information kiosks, sales of refreshments from push
carts and other services.
POLICY 7.8
Require the inclusion of a substantial amount of public open space and
peripheral public access to the water's edge when major new mixed-use
developments occur. Provide connections between these open spaces and
public access areas to create a 'PortWalk' which is integrated with sidewalk
and pedestrian improvements along The Embarcadero (Herb Caen Way/Embarcadero
Promenade) which, between King and Jefferson Streets, coincides with the
regional Bay Trail. Public access should be located at ground or platform
level, but minor variations in elevation intended to enhance design of
open space may be permitted. Public access should also be open to the
sky, although some covering may be allowed if it serves the public areas
and does not support structures. Particular attention should be given
to the provision of perimeter public access along the platform edge. Other
uses may extend to the platform edge subject to the following conditions:
(a) Such uses should enhance the total design of the project, should serve
to make the public access more interesting, and should not divert the
public way along more than twenty percent (20%) of the total platform
edge. (b) Deviations of the public way from the platform edge should be
limited to short distances.
POLICY 7.9
Provide as much public open space and peripheral access as is feasible
in areas of maritime activity without interfering with the operation of
this activity.
POLICY 7.10
Continue operation of the small boat marinas at Pier 39 and at South Beach
Harbor, and encourage additional locations for transient mooring to expand
waterside access to the Northeastern Waterfront.
POLICY 7.11
Develop a continuous bicycle path along the Northeastern Waterfront that
is linked with the city-wide bicycle route system.
OBJECTIVE 8
TO FACILITATE THE MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE AND GOODS WITHIN THE NORTHEASTERN
WATERFRONT IN SUCH A WAY AS TO MINIMIZE THE ADVERSE IMPACT OF THIS MOVEMENT.
POLICY 8.1
Intercept and divert as much automobile traffic as feasible away from
the water's edge and areas of intense pedestrian activity in order to
make conditions more pleasurable, safe, and interesting for the pedestrian,
and in order to facilitate the commercial and recreational development
of the area.
POLICY 8.2
Limit additional parking facilities in the Northeastern Waterfront and
minimize the impact of this parking. Discourage long-term parking for
work trips which could be accommodated by transit. Restrict additional
parking to: (a) Short-term (less than four hour) parking facilities to
meet needs of additional business, retail, restaurant, marina, and entertainment
activities; (b) Long-term parking facilities for maritime activities,
hotel and residential uses. To the extent possible, locate parking away
from areas of intense pedestrian activity. Encourage shared parking at
adjacent or nearby facilities.
POLICY 8.3
Allow parking over the water for public and commercial recreation uses
only if: (a) no alternative location is feasible; (b) the parking is located
within a structure devoted to a permitted use and is necessary to such
use or to other permitted uses in the same project area; and (c) it is
the minimum amount necessary.
POLICY 8.4
Prohibit parking over the water for marinas in the Fisherman's Wharf through
Ferry Building areas. In other areas, allow parking for marinas over water
only if: (a) no alternative upland location is feasible; (b) the total
fill for a marina does not exceed a land-water ratio of 1/2:1; and (c)
it is the minimum necessary. Encourage loading and unloading areas adjacent
to marinas to minimize the need for parking over the water.
POLICY 8.5
Base the determination of the amount of parking allowed for permitted
uses on the desirability of reducing automobiles along the waterfront
and, to the maximum extent feasible, consider the use of existing public
transit and inland parking, as well as public transit and inland parking
which could reasonably be provided in the future.
POLICY 8.6
Remove or relocate inland those existing parking facilities on or near
the water's edge or within areas of intense pedestrian activity.
POLICY 8.7
Facilitate pedestrian access to the shoreline, including access for the
handicapped, through the provision of convenient, safe pedestrian crossings
along The Embarcadero. Provide promenades and walkways of sufficient width
to accommodate comfortably and safely the movement of pedestrians throughout
the Northeastern Waterfront.
POLICY 8.8
Facilitate the movement of goods into and out of the maritime piers where
possible in the design of the road system.
OBJECTIVE 9
TO ACCOMMODATE THE REGIONAL MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE AND GOODS, PERMITTING THE
THROUGH MOVEMENT OF TRAFFIC, ACCESS TO THE REGIONAL SYSTEM FROM THE MARITIME
AND OTHER INDUSTRIAL AREAS OF THE CITY, AND FACILITATING THE MOVEMENT
OF REGIONAL TRANSIT WHILE MINIMIZING THE ADVERSE IMPACT OF THIS SYSTEM
ON THE NORTHEASTERN WATERFRONT AREA.
POLICY 9.1
To the extent feasible, accommodate regional traffic movement inland from
the Northeastern Waterfront area.
POLICY 9.2
Prohibit any increase to the capacity of the roadway system along the
shoreline to accommodate automobiles between the Bay Bridge-downtown area
and the Golden Gate Bridge. Improve transit service in this corridor to
encourage the reduction of automobile traffic.
POLICY 9.3
Minimize the impact of regional transportation movement along the Northeastern
Waterfront by encouraging transit use through the addition and improvement
of service and through the use, wherever possible, of exclusive rights-of-way
and other types of transit preferential treatment.
POLICY 9.4
To the extent feasible, facilitate and expand the operation of passenger
ferry systems to minimize traffic impacts.
POLICY 9.5
Improve transit service to, and along, the Northeastern Waterfront. Provide
a connection between the F-line and the MUNI Metro Extension to allow
for continuous transit rail service in an exclusive right-of-way along
the Embarcadero between Fisherman's Wharf and China Basin, which also
connects with or provides easy transfers to numerous other transit lines.
POLICY 9.6
Make transfers among transit systems as easy, safe and pleasant as possible,
and clearly identify loading areas and routes. In particular in the Ferry
Building Subarea, design the relationship between the ferries, BART, MUNI
surface and subsurface lines, and the Transbay Terminal to facilitate
connections among the systems.
OBJECTIVE 10
TO DEVELOP THE FULL POTENTIAL OF THE NORTHEASTERN WATERFRONT IN ACCORD
WITH THE UNUSUAL OPPORTUNITIES PRESENTED BY ITS RELATION TO THE BAY, TO
THE OPERATING PORT, FISHING INDUSTRY, AND DOWNTOWN; AND TO ENHANCE ITS
UNIQUE AESTHETIC QUALITIES OFFERED BY WATER, TOPOGRAPHY, VIEWS OF THE
CITY AND BAY, AND ITS HISTORIC MARITIME CHARACTER.
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MAP
2 - Height
and Bulk Plan
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POLICY 10.1
Preserve the physical form of the waterfront and reinforce San Francisco's
distinctive hill form by maintaining low structures near the water, with
an increase in vertical development near hills or the downtown core area.
Larger buildings and structures with civic importance may be appropriate
at important locations.
POLICY 10.2
Preserve and create view corridors which can link the City and the Bay.
POLICY 10.3
Use continuous planting and other ground surface treatment to physically
and visually link the waterfront with adjacent inland areas.
POLICY 10.4
In major pedestrian areas (such as the Fisherman's Wharf and Ferry Building
Subareas), develop generally continuous ground floor retail or other pedestrian-oriented
uses.
POLICY 10.5
Permit non-maritime development bayward of the sea wall only if the following
qualifications are met:
a. Maximum feasible public access is provided to the water's edge.
b. Important Bay and waterfront views along The Embarcadero and level
inland streets are preserved and improved. Minor encroachment into the
view corridors from level inland streets may be permitted: (1) Where the
encroaching element has a distinct maritime character and adds variety
to the views along the waterfront; (2) Where minor structures (such as
kiosks) are desirable to provide public amenities contributing to a continuity
of interest and activity along the waterfront; (3) Where essential maritime
facilities cannot reasonably be located and designed to avoid view blockage;
and (4) Where the public enjoyment of the Bay will be enhanced by providing
a place of public assembly and recreation which allows unique vistas and
overviews that include portions that are publicly accessible during daytime
and evenings consistent with ensuring public safety.
POLICY 10.6
Retain older buildings of architectural merit or historical significance
to preserve the architectural and historical character of the waterfront
and ensure the compatibility of new development.
POLICY 10.7
Enhance and maintain the physical prominence of the Ferry Building.
POLICY 10.8
Prohibit new, and remove existing, general advertising signs, except those
on transit boarding platforms and transit shelters designed in a manner
as to minimize obstruction of public views from pedestrian walkways and
public open space, and those on public service kiosks constructed in conjunction
with the public toilet program. Assure that public and private signing
contributes to the aesthetic appearance of the waterfront.
POLICY 10.9
Encourage the provision of street furniture which is of appropriate design
to the historic maritime character of the Northeastern Waterfront.
POLICY 10.10
Retain and reuse those arched bulkhead building structures identified
in the Port's Waterfront Design & Access policies which exist at the
main entrance to most piers and which add an important character to The
Embarcadero. They should be retained so long as maritime uses exist behind
them or when new development occurs which could incorporate these structures
without disadvantage.
POLICY 10.11
Maintain and enhance existing grade level view corridors to the Bay particularly
from Kearny, Broadway, Howard, Folsom, and Beale Streets, and to the bulkhead
buildings, significant architectural features, or waterfront views from
Bay, Front, Green, Vallejo, Market, Mission, Harrison, Steuart, Bryant,
Brannan, and Townsend Streets. Create new view corridors at Pacific and
Greenwich Street.
POLICY 10.12
Remove all or portions of dilapidated piers, bulkhead wharves and bulkhead
buildings which cannot be used in order to improve shoreline appearance,
Bay views, and access to the Bay.
POLICY 10.13
Remove exposed surface parking from over water, and along the Embarcadero
roadway to improve shoreline appearance and access to the Bay.
POLICY 10.14
Design open spaces to maximize sun exposure, wind protection, noise buffering,
and to create a sense of security.
POLICY 10.15
Use the type of ornamental street lights presently employed along the
Embarcadero. Use double fixture lights between Pier 1 and the Agriculture
Building and single fixture lights elsewhere along promenades. Provide
lighting sufficient for public safety and avoid glare. Paint light standards
dark blue as on Market Street.
POLICY 10.16
Design and locate a consistent set of street furniture, including such
items as seating, drinking fountains, trash cans, signs and plaques along
the promenades and public open space piers. Describe the historical significance
of the area and the natural resource of the Bay with signs and plaques.
POLICY 10.17
Design and locate all landscaping so as to unify and provide continuity
among the various areas of the waterfront.
POLICY 10.18
Select and locate trees, shrubs and ground covers to preserve, dramatize
and enhance Bay views for waterfront users. Use plant materials which
should have a demonstrated capacity to remain viable, with minimum maintenance
under such conditions as frequent high wind speeds, high atmospheric salt
content, a high salt water table, and sub-surface fill material with varying
drainage capacities. Install trees of at least two inches in diameter
and 15 feet in height in the ground.
POLICY 10.19
On non-maritime piers with sheds, provide continuous peripheral pedestrian
public access ways for walking, viewing and fishing. Provide benches and
street furniture. Prohibit use of designated public access areas for valet
parking, auto drop-off or trash storage, but allow emergency vehicle access
and, if no feasible alternatives exist, service vehicle access.
POLICY 10.20
Provide continuous public pedestrian access to the Bay on the east side
of the Ferry Building that is separate from any service vehicle access
to the Building.
POLICY 10.21
Provide a variety of treatments where appropriate along the water's edge,
including steps and sloped surfaces.
POLICY 10.22
Pier railings should minimize obstruction of Bay views and reduce maintenance.
POLICY 10.23
Cover pier decks and public access areas with wood planking to the extent
feasible to provide an attractive maritime character and a reasonably
inexpensive material for pedestrian movement.
POLICY 10.24
Permit fishing along public access areas on piers and promenades consistent
with public health standards.
POLICY 10.25
Establish a joint interagency design review process for non-maritime projects
on piers involving new development or substantial exterior alterations,
to be conducted by the Planning Department, Port of San Francisco and
Bay Conservation and Development Commission, consistent with the Port's
Waterfront Land Use Plan and Waterfront Design & Access policies.
POLICY 10.26
Restrict development south of Broadway to the Height and Bulk Districts
shown on Map 2.
POLICY 10.27
Locate buildings to minimize shadows and wind on public open spaces.
POLICY 10.28
Prohibit the use of reflective glass. Use flat glass skylights and discourage
the use of dark tinted glass to increase transparency in highly visible
areas.
POLICY 10.29
Prohibit general advertising signs in any public spaces or attached to
any buildings, except those on transit boarding platforms and transit
shelters designed in a manner as to minimize obstruction of public views
from pedestrian walkways and public open space, and those on public service
kiosks constructed in conjunction with the public toilet program. Allow
only attractively designed business identification, directional, regulatory
or information signs and general advertising signs, as described above.
Permit illuminated signs but prohibit flashing or animated signs.
POLICY 10.30
Employ a uniform system of attractively designed public signs that conform
to strict criteria for size, scale, style, and color as part of the Embarcadero
roadway improvements from Bay to King Streets and as part of the promenades
from Piers 7 through 1 and from the Agriculture Building to Pier 24. Design
signs in keeping with the concept of the Embarcadero as a scenic boulevard
rather than as a high speed artery. Coordinate signs with those to be
used in the Ferry Building complex.
POLICY 10.31
Conceal or otherwise limit views of any mechanical equipment, pipes, ducts
and antennas, on roof surfaces. Avoid shiny or highly polished materials
on roof surfaces and facades.
POLICY 10.32
Enclose all servicing facilities and store all waste within structures
so as to be shielded from public view. Prohibit any permanent exterior
non-maritime storage.
POLICY 10.33
Assure that historic ships moored in the area meet the following criteria
for approving the restoration of the ships: high quality of rehabilitation,
historical accuracy, appropriate scale, silhouette quality, detail quality,
color scheme and guarantee of continued maintenance. Use night lighting
on ships to accent surroundings but not to overpower or commercialize
the waterfront. Base mooring locations on concerns for visibility from
the Embarcadero and inland areas, the ability to provide visitor drop-off
and service access, and the availability of nearby parking for on-board
commercial recreation uses.
POLICY 10.34
Assure that new buildings use the most cost-effective energy efficient
measures feasible.
SUBAREAS
Fisherman's Wharf contains portions of the Golden Gate
National Recreation Area at Aquatic Park, hotels, restaurants and specialty
shops, the reuse of historic buildings for major commercial centers at
Ghirardelli Square and the Cannery, Fish Alley and the berthing basin
for the commercial fishing fleet, the Pier 39 development, two swim clubs,
sea scouts and a senior center. There are also several multi-unit housing
complexes as well as interspersed smaller residential buildings in the
area. Policies for Fisherman's Wharf include developing a new fishing
harbor in the vicinity of Hyde Street to help the fishing fleet; maintaining
modernized fish handling facilities; creating a central open space; maintaining
and creating opportunities for new water-oriented commercial recreational
development; providing pedestrian, transit and parking improvements to
upgrade circulation and reduce congestion; preserving significant historic
structures; and ensure that the community recreational needs in Aquatic
Park are recognized.
OBJECTIVE 11
TO MAINTAIN AND ENHANCE THE MARITIME CHARACTER OF THE FISHERMAN'S WHARF
AREA, AND ENHANCE THE AREA AS A CENTER FOR THE COMMERCIAL FISHING INDUSTRY.
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MAP
3 - Fisherman's Wharf Subarea
Generalized Land Use Map
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POLICY 11.1
Encourage the retention and expansion of the commercial fishing and fish
handling industry and businesses which provide services to the fishing
fleet through construction of a new fishing harbor in the general area
east of the Hyde Street pier.
POLICY 11.2
Maintain the fishing industry character in Fish Alley by preserving or
increasing the level of fishing-related activities, to the maximum feasible
extent.
POLICY 11.3
If there is insufficient fishing industry demand for Fish Alley facilities
(Assessor's Block 7), permit other maritime use or interim, adaptive uses
such as artist or designer studios or galleries, retail, museums, visitor
serving activities, or storage in Fish Alley fish handling buildings provided
that such new uses preserve the character and charm of Fish Alley, do
not preclude the return of fishing industry businesses, and do not generate
heavy traffic congestion. Allow continuation of existing small-scale office
and restaurants in the area.
POLICY 11.4
Give priority to the fishing industry in Sheds B and D on Pier 45. Permit
fishing, maritime offices, retail, research, educational, assembly and
entertainment, institutional, parking, visitor center and other uses compatible
with the fishing industry in Sheds A and C on Pier 45. Permit parking
on Pier 45 within an enclosed structure up to a capacity which does not
result in a net increase in the number of spaces available to the general
public on Port property.
POLICY 11.5
Encourage preservation and restoration of the maritime character of Fish
Alley, and provide a museum of the fishing industry, or Wharf history,
here or elsewhere in the Wharf.
POLICY 11.6
Encourage a use of materials and design of new and existing buildings
and public improvements which enhance the area's historic maritime character.
Require that any identification signs be subdued and harmonious with this
character. Prohibit garish, flashing and general advertising signs, except
general advertising signs on transit boarding platforms and transit shelters
designed in a manner as to minimize obstruction of public views from pedestrian
walkways and public open space, and those on public service kiosks constructed
in conjunction with the public toilet program.
POLICY 11.7
Provide space for other new and expansion of existing maritime operations
such as recreational boating, ferries and excursions, water taxis, historic
ship and ceremonial berthing.
OBJECTIVE 12
TO STRENGTHEN THE AREA'S ATTRACTION AS A WATER-ORIENTED COMMERCIAL RECREATION
AND PUBLIC ASSEMBLY CENTER BY ATTRACTING NEW REVENUE-GENERATING USES TO
HELP SUPPORT AND SUBSIDIZE MARITIME AND PUBLIC ACTIVITIES AND DEVELOPING
USES WHICH WOULD GENERATE ACTIVITY AT TIMES OTHER THAN THE EXISTING PEAK
PERIODS.
POLICY 12.1
Employ measures to mitigate the impacts of any commercial recreation and
public assembly development such as restaurants, entertainment and specialty
shops in the Fisherman's Wharf area to minimize or reduce peak period
congestion during evenings and weekends.
POLICY 12.2
New development in the area bounded by Taylor and Jefferson Streets and
The Embarcadero (the 'Triangle' site) should be limited to 30% of the
surface area and be designed to finance and help activate public open
space. Work with the community to relocate surface parking from the Triangle
site. Seek to reduce the amount of parking between The Embarcadero and
the water's edge, and to improve pedestrian movement and access to the
Bay.
POLICY 12.3
Balance existing commercial recreation and public assembly uses which
generate the most activity in summer, on weekends and during the evening,
with uses, such as offices and residences, that would generate activity
during other periods, thereby promoting the vitality and use of the area
without substantially contributing to congestion. In particular, promote
the development of housing on inland sites wherever possible.
OBJECTIVE 13
TO ENCOURAGE USES WHICH WILL DIVERSIFY THE ACTIVITIES IN THE WHARF AND
WHICH WILL APPEAL TO LOCAL RESIDENTS AS WELL AS VISITORS.
POLICY 13.1
Encourage new Wharf activities such as arts, educational, historical,
recreational, non-tourist commercial and cultural facilities and places
of public assembly (such as festival halls, meeting halls or conference
centers) to increase the appeal of Fisherman's Wharf to local residents.
POLICY 13.2
Encourage additional office uses, particularly above ground level, to
provide Wharf activities oriented to local residents and increase off-season
patronage of Wharf shops and restaurants.
OBJECTIVE 14
TO DEVELOP A TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM WHICH IMPROVES ACCESS FOR PEOPLE AND
GOODS TO AND AROUND THE FISHERMAN'S WHARF AREA WHILE MINIMIZING THE ADVERSE
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS ON THE AREA.
POLICY 14.1
Improve the roadway system to facilitate truck access to the fishing industry
and other Wharf businesses, to discourage through-traffic from entering
the area and to divert as much automobile traffic as possible before reaching
the water's edge and areas of intense pedestrian activity such as Jefferson
Street. Do not increase the capacity of the roadway system to accommodate
the automobile.
POLICY 14.2
Provide efficiently planned parking and loading facilities to serve the
Wharf's maritime activities, particularly fishing related loading and
unloading operations.
POLICY 14.3
Minimize the intensity of automobile activity and discourage or prohibit
commercial-tourist uses from relying heavily on the automobile for their
success. Strictly control the development of additional parking by using
existing facilities more efficiently instead of building new off-street
parking facilities. If new facilities are necessary, seek to locate them
as far inland as possible to intercept traffic before reaching the water's
edge and areas of intense pedestrian activity. Manage vehicular access
to existing parking facilities from Jefferson Street to minimize congestion.
Coordinate new development with improvements to vehicular access and circulation
to minimize traffic impacts.
POLICY 14.4
Study and, if feasible, implement measures to reduce parking and congestion
problems at the Wharf, which could include 1) greater utilization of existing
parking garages in the Wharf area; 2) shuttle bus, motorized cable car,
and pedicab service to accommodate people who take public transit or park
outside the Wharf; 3) shared parking facilities for uses with different
time needs; and 4) parking vouchers for swim clubs and sport fishing patrons.
POLICY 14.5
Facilitate access into and within the Fisherman's Wharf area by transit
through the provision of exclusive rights-of-way and other preferential
treatment, through the extension of additional transit lines, improving
frequency, speed, hours of operation, and providing clearly identified
loading areas and routes. Establish a rail/bus transit line on Jefferson
and Beach Streets, providing access to the Ferry Building and the South
of Market area. Extend the Powell and Mason Cable Car line on Taylor Street
to a location north of Jefferson Street. Allow truck access in Fish Alley.
POLICY 14.6
Establish water taxi service from Fisherman's Wharf to other points along
the waterfront.
OBJECTIVE 15
TO PROVIDE MAXIMUM OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENJOYING THE BAY AND ITS RELATED
ACTIVITIES BY ENHANCING AND INCREASING PUBLIC OPEN SPACE AND ACCESS AREAS
WHICH SAFELY AND COMFORTABLY ACCOMMODATE THE MOVEMENT OF PEDESTRIANS.
POLICY 15.1
Develop generally continuous public pedestrian access to the water's edge,
excepting areas where such access would interfere with maritime activities.
In those areas, provide that public viewing and access which will not
substantially interfere with these activities.
POLICY 15.2
Remove of existing parking over the water or near the water's edge to
minimize conflicts between vehicles and pedestrians and enhance perimeter
access which would require resolving long-term Port lease issues.
POLICY 15.3
Develop new public open space areas in Fisherman's Wharf to provide a
relief from the intense level of activity. Work with the community to
develop the design of a major new open space on approximately 70% of the
surface area of the 'Triangle' lot bounded by Taylor and Jefferson Streets
and The Embarcadero and relocate the existing surface parking. Address
interim parking and construction-related issues during the design process.
Rationalize and improve pedestrian and transit movement at the center
of Fisherman's Wharf in a manner which also meets the parking needs of
existing businesses that depend on adjacent parking. Extend open space
from the Triangle lot to the Bay on Pier 43 if further funding sources
become available and long-term lease issues can be resolved. Maintain
the East Wharf Waterfront Park at Pier 39. Maintain and enhance the Joseph
Conrad Park at the foot of Columbus Avenue, bounded by Leavenworth and
Beach Streets, which provides a visual and functional termination of Columbus
Avenue. Create exterior service or pedestrian walkways to allow views
or access to water where compatible with fishing industry operations.
This subarea contains a mix of uses that reflect the
area's maritime history and its transformation into a vital urban residential
and commercial district. Cargo shipping, warehousing and other maritime
operations still occupy some of the finger piers, although long-term trends
indicate that cargo shipping can be operated most efficiently through
consolidation in the central and southern waterfront. Most of the inland
properties have been redeveloped with offices for the design and communications
industries, retail and residential uses, many of which occupy preserved
and rehabilitated historic warehouses. Pier 7 has been redeveloped into
a public open space and fishing pier extending 900 feet into the bay,
which provides a major recreational amenity in the subarea. Policies call
for maintaining cargo shipping facilities and cargo-related support services
for as long as needed. If the piers no longer are suitable as cargo facilities,
Plan policies encourage the expansion of commercial and recreational maritime
activities (e.g. cruise terminal, excursions, recreational boating) as
part of major new mixed use developments on piers which provide daytime
and nighttime commercial recreation venues and new public access improvements.
The Port of San Francisco will conduct a Special Planning
Study for Piers 15-29 to resolve the following issues before the Port
approves any major new development on these piers: (1) the location and
size of a major new 'Northeast Wharf' open space within potential new
maritime mixed use development in the Special Study Area; and (2) the
location and configuration of piers, including removal of pier area to
create open water.
On inland sites, a variety of land uses are appropriate,
including hotel, residential, office and other commercial activities.
These new developments will be designed to preserve and enhance the rich
historic character of the subarea and, as appropriate, highlight access
points to the nearby North Beach, Chinatown and Fisherman's Wharf districts.
OBJECTIVE 16
TO RETAIN EXISTING CARGO SHIPPING AND RELATED SERVICES AND TO PROMOTE
COMMERCIAL AND RECREATIONAL MARITIME ACTIVITIES.
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MAP
4 - Base of Telegraph Hill
Subarea Generalized Land Use Map
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POLICY 16.1
Continue to encourage maritime use on Piers 35 through 9.
POLICY 16.2
Promote commercial and recreational maritime activities (e.g. a cruise
terminal, excursion boats, historic ships, recreational boat mooring)
which may be complemented with water-oriented commercial recreation and
public assembly uses and public access improvements on piers no longer
needed or suitable for cargo shipping facilities.
POLICY 16.3
Improve existing Pier 35 cruise facilities. If feasible, renovate the
facility to provide a modern, functional passenger terminal with associated
commercial recreation and public assembly uses. If Pier 35 is determined
to be an infeasible location, allow the development of a new cruise terminal
on another pier in the Northeastern Waterfront.
OBJECTIVE 17
TO PRESERVE THE HISTORIC MARITIME CHARACTER OF THE AREA.
POLICY 17.1
Retain architecturally interesting and historically significant buildings
or buildings which contribute substantially to the overall architectural
character of the area. In particular, every effort should be made to preserve
the Italian Swiss Colony Building, the Pelican Paper Company Warehouse,
the Trinidad Bean and Elevator Company Warehouse, and the Beltline Roundhouse.
Historic bulkhead and connector buildings should be retained and reused
as set forth in the Waterfront Design & Access policies of the Port
of San Francisco's Waterfront Land Use Plan.
POLICY 17.2
Ensure the compatibility of new development with the historic and architectural
maritime character of the Northeast Waterfront Historic District in terms
of scale, materials and design.
OBJECTIVE 18
TO DEVELOP A DIVERSITY OF ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES WHICH WOULD STRENGTHEN
THE EXISTING PREDOMINANT USES IN THE BASE OF TELEGRAPH HILL SUBAREA AND
ACTIVITIES WHICH WOULD EXPAND THE PERIOD OF USE, BUT OF AN INTENSITY WHICH
WOULD PROVIDE A RELIEF FROM THE ADJACENT DOWNTOWN AND FISHERMAN'S WHARF
AREAS.
POLICY 18.1
Consistent with policies 18.2 and 18.3 encourage development of uses on
inland sites which would strengthen the area's predominant uses of professional
and general offices and design-related activities.
POLICY 18.2
Encourage the development of residential uses as a major use on inland
sites in this area. Such use should be especially encouraged immediately
adjacent to Telegraph Hill and at the upper levels of commercial development.
POLICY 18.3
Encourage moderate development of uses such as shops, restaurants, entertainment
and hotels which activate the waterfront during evenings and weekends,
but to a lesser overall intensity and concentration than present in the
adjacent downtown and Fisherman's Wharf areas.
POLICY 18.4
Design new development on Seawall Lots 323 and 324 as an orientation point
for the waterfront which also highlights the intersection of Broadway
and The Embarcadero.
POLICY 18.5
Plan and design new developments on inland sites and adjacent piers in
a manner which complements and enhances the surrounding area, and which
unites the waterfront with the rest of the City.
POLICY 18.6
Minimize the intensity of automobile activity by promoting mass transit
as a primary transportation mode. Maximize efficient use of existing parking
facilities in order to limit the amount of new parking necessary as part
of new development.
POLICY 18.7
Encourage the provision of landscaping and publicly accessible open space
in new development in the Base of Telegraph Hill area.
POLICY 18.8
Maintain permanent public open space on Pier 7. Allow limited improvements
such as convenience food and beverage sales from pushcart vendors, which
increase active use and enjoyment of the open space, and nearby public
information kiosks and public restrooms, provided that they maintain an
uncluttered appearance in the area. Take advantage of views of Pier 7
from new development on adjacent piers or inland sites to Pier 7 and maintain
city views from Pier 7.
OBJECTIVE 19
TO DEVELOP A BALANCED TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM WHICH ACCOMMODATES REGIONAL
AND LOCAL MOVEMENT WHILE CAUSING MINIMUM ADVERSE IMPACT TO THE ENVIRONMENT.
POLICY 19.1
Maintain The Embarcadero between Beach Street and Broadway as an attractive
landscaped roadway having two moving lanes in each direction, an exclusive
transit right-of-way, and improved pedestrian and bicycle access.
POLICY 19.2
Discourage through traffic except in those limited areas designated for
this movement.
POLICY 19.3
Design transportation access to new developments on seawall lots to minimize
congestion on Bay Street, Broadway and The Embarcadero.
POLICY 19.4
Encourage a portion of the surface regional transit to use inland routes
to the downtown to minimize the impact on the waterfront.
OBJECTIVE 20
TO DEVELOP THE AREA IN SUCH A WAY AS TO PRESERVE AND ENHANCE THE PHYSICAL
FORM OF THE WATERFRONT AND TELEGRAPH HILL, AND TO PRESERVE VIEWS FROM
THE HILL.
POLICY 20.1
Maintain low structures near the water, with an increase in vertical development
towards Telegraph Hill.
POLICY 20.2
Avoid the blockage of private and public views and maintain sight lines
between the waterfront and Telegraph Hill.
The Plan promotes the restoration of the historic Ferry
Building, a city and national landmark structure which stands as the centerpiece
of the Northeastern Waterfront. In addition, the Plan calls for open water
between the Agriculture Building and Pier 22 as a relief to the intensely
developed downtown and to ensure the continued prominence of the Ferry
Building and its tower. The Ferry Building will be preserved, rehabilitated
consistent with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation,
and re-established as a major regional transit center and the eastern
terminus of Market Street. It also will provide a major entryway to the
City from the water, with increased ferry, excursion boat and water taxi
service, and other modes of water transport, and a place to moor historic
ships and pleasure boats. Inside, the Ferry Building will provide public
spaces to support its transit functions and a variety of complementary
commercial recreation activities, offices, institutional, cultural and/or
community facilities which will help finance the building restoration
while also fostering public enjoyment of the waterfront. The waterside
features will be linked by a simple, elegant promenade which runs along
the entire length of The Embarcadero, creating a visual corridor along
the water's edge that complements a variety of water edge experiences.
The centerpiece of this promenade will be a grand new plaza at the landside
entrance to the Ferry Building. The subarea includes the Golden Gateway
development north of the Ferry Building which was successfully redeveloped
into an urban residential mixed use neighborhood, including Sidney Walton
Park.
South of the Ferry Building, the historic Agriculture
Building will be preserved. A planned Rincon Park will be created, a major
water-related soft surface public park with a 'Tavern-on-the-Green' type
of restaurant, south of Folsom Street.
OBJECTIVE 21
TO DEVELOP A MAJOR RESOURCE OF OPEN SPACE AND PUBLIC ACCESS CONNECTIONS
PROVIDING MAXIMUM ACCESS TO AND ALONG THE WATERFRONT FOR THE LARGE NUMBER
OF PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN, WORK IN AND USE THE ADJACENT DOWNTOWN AREA, PROVIDING
RELIEF FROM THE INTENSELY DEVELOPED DOWNTOWN.
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MAP
5 - Ferry Building Subarea
Generalized Land Use Map
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OBJECTIVE 22
TO DEVELOP A MIXTURE OF USES WHICH WILL PROVIDE A TRANSITION BETWEEN THE
INTENSE CONCENTRATION OF OFFICE ACTIVITY IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA AND THE
RECREATION ACTIVITIES OF THE WATERFRONT, WHICH WILL GENERATE ACTIVITY
DURING EVENINGS AND WEEKENDS TO COMPLEMENT THE WEEKDAY OFFICE USES IN
THE ADJACENT DOWNTOWN AREA.
OBJECTIVE 23
TO ALLOW COMMERCIAL AND RECREATIONAL MARITIME USES, PUBLIC ACCESS IMPROVEMENTS
AND NON-MARITIME COMMERCIAL RECREATION DEVELOPMENT ON PIERS AND ALONG
THE SEAWALL TO GENERATE WATERFRONT ACTIVITY, TO PROVIDE VISUAL AND ACCESS
IMPROVEMENTS AND TO PRODUCE REVENUE FOR THE PORT.
OBJECTIVE 24
TO RESTORE AND REHABILITATE THE FERRY BUILDING AND AGRICULTURE BUILDING
TO PRESERVE THE HISTORIC MARITIME CHARACTER OF THE AREA.
OBJECTIVE 25
TO MAXIMIZE VIEWS OF THE WATER AND OF WATERFRONT ACTIVITY.
OBJECTIVE 26
TO FURTHER DEVELOP THE FERRY BUILDING AREA AS A MAJOR TRANSIT CENTER,
IMPROVING AND EXPANDING TRANSIT ACCESS BY, AND TRANSFERS AMONG, LANDSIDE
AND WATERSIDE TRANSIT SYSTEMS.
POLICIES
POLICY 26.1
Maintain the Golden Gateway residential community and neighborhood-serving
retail uses.
POLICY 26.2
Maintain the Sidney Walton Park as an urban park serving downtown workers
and residents.
POLICY 26.3
Provide views of the water from the Embarcadero through or alongside the
building and use the central archway for access to major bulkhead uses.
POLICY 26.4
Provide cultural, assembly and entertainment, and other commercial recreation
activities on Pier 3 which provide activities/attractions for downtown
residents, workers and visitors, and take advantage of expanded public
transportation services available in the Ferry Building Subarea.
POLICY 26.5
Include public access improvements in major new development on the pier,
furthering the creation of a PortWalk which will connect with the existing
and future open space network and pedestrian promenade along The Embarcadero.
POLICY 26.6
Preserve and rehabilitate the historic bulkhead building, allowing for
the enhancement or creation of waterfront or Bay views through existing
openings or new openings which do not adversely affect the building's
historic architectural character. Permit an extension of the bulkhead
building onto the pier if consistent with historic preservation criteria,
providing a pedestrian walkway around it.
POLICY 26.7
Promote new maritime attractions and waterside access, such as water taxi
and excursion boat stops, historic ships and temporary mooring areas as
part of new development.
POLICY 26.8
Preserve and rehabilitate the bulkhead building for museum, commercial
recreation and public assembly, community facilities, artist/designer
studios and galleries and/or office uses.
POLICY 26.9
Preserve and rehabilitate the bulkhead building. Continue to allow general
parking until developed for permanent uses, as well as permanent support
parking for Pier 1 excursion boat operations inside the pier shed. Permit
replacement of the existing shed with a three floor structure but retain
bulkhead building. Provide continuous peripheral public access around
the water sides of the pier, unless limited by public safety considerations
or maritime operational needs.
POLICY 26.10
Permit commercial recreation and public assembly uses, artist/designer
studios and galleries, community facilities and/or transportation services
on Pier 1 which complement activities in the downtown and take advantage
of transportation improvements planned for the Ferry Building Subarea.
Encourage maritime activities, including excursion boat operations and
associated passenger waiting areas and support uses in the pier shed and
bulkhead building.
POLICY 26.11
Improve Herb Caen Way/The Embarcadero Promenade and PortWalk from Pier
5 to Pier 22 south of the Agriculture Building. Design the promenade to
be a simple, elegant statement of movement along the water's edge which
maintains visual continuity and creates a variety of water-edge experiences.
Provide appropriate street furniture including wind protected seating
areas and pedestrian scale lighting.
POLICY 26.12
Develop public access improvements on Piers 3 and 1 which contribute to
creation of the PortWalk, integrating open spaces and public access into
major new development on piers and connecting with Herb Caen Way/The Embarcadero
Promenade.
POLICY 26.13
Restore and adaptively reuse the Ferry Building in general accord with
the "Design Guidelines for the Restoration and Adaptive Reuse of
the Ferry Building," dated July 1978.
POLICY 26.14
Reuse the Ferry Building as follows: predominantly commercial recreation
(shops and restaurants), public spaces (e.g. exhibit, civic displays,
passenger waiting areas, community facilities) and transportation services
on the ground floor, and office, commercial recreation and/or public assembly
activities on the second and third floors. Permit an additional partial
fourth floor east of the existing nave for office use; limit its height
to the height of the peak of the existing nave monitors.
POLICY 26.15
Replace or remove the dilapidated portions of the Pier 1/2 bulkhead wharf
between Pier 1 and the Ferry Building. Maintain and enhance public access
and passenger areas serving the ferry and excursion boat operations at
Pier 1/2.
POLICY 26.16
Design a grand civic plaza to create a forecourt for the Ferry Building
and a symbolic terminus to Market Street by removing parking in the middle
of The Embarcadero roadway. This plaza should be designed to serve a multitude
of activities, to re-establish physical and visual connections between
the City and the waterfront, and to tie together existing and future open
spaces along The Embarcadero, including Justin Herman Plaza. Provide complementary,
smaller plazas at the front of the Ferry Building, replacing short-term
parking. If found to be feasible after further analysis, extend the California
Street cable car down Market Street to the plaza and create a MUNI bus
stop adjacent to the east-west axis of the plaza along the Embarcadero.
Use street furniture that provides weather protection and install additional
ornamental double light fixtures like those presently used along the Embarcadero.
POLICY 26.17
Establish a Downtown Ferry Terminal at the Ferry Building as a primary
destination point for all ferry and excursion boat riders on San Francisco
Bay. The Downtown Ferry Terminal should provide a range of public landing
facilities accessible to the disabled community to accommodate all vessel
types requiring access to San Francisco. Any landing facilities should
allow multiple operators access to the facilities.
POLICY 26.18
Improve pedestrian access through the Ferry Building to the Downtown Ferry
Terminal including the Golden Gate Ferry Terminal. Create a continuous
walkway along the eastern side of the Ferry Building that is separate
from service vehicle access, to improve public access and to provide expanded
space for ferry, excursion boat, water taxi and other waterborne transit
riders.
POLICY 26.19
Allow on the Ferry Plaza, immediately east of and related to the Ferry
Building, minor amounts of outdoor commercial recreation uses which are
consistent with the use of the Plaza as open space and a regional transportation
center (e.g. a cafe, outdoor dining, flower vendors and other convenience
retail services for commuters and visitors). Retain the existing restaurant,
plaza, and ferry terminal.
POLICY 26.20
Rehabilitate and adaptively reuse the Agriculture Building, consistent
with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation, for
the following types of potential activities: museum, community facilities,
commercial recreation and public assembly, artist/designer studios and
galleries, and general office. In addition, allow for the creation of
a passenger waiting area for possible future airport and Treasure Island
ferry shuttle service. Extend a continuous walkway from the Ferry Building
to the eastern side of the Agriculture Building which connects with The
Embarcadero Promenade south of the Agriculture Building.
POLICY 26.21
Limit parking on the platform adjacent to the existing restaurant to restaurant
service only. Allow vehicular pick-up and drop-off usage if associated
with ferry service expansion. Retain the existing restaurant. Consider
architectural improvements to enhance the restaurant's waterfront identity,
improve views from The Embarcadero and provide perimeter public access.
POLICY 26.22
Maintain and enhance the portion of Herb Caen Way/The Embarcadero Promenade
between the Agriculture Building and the Pier 22-1/2 Fireboat House. Maintain
visual continuity along the water and create a variety of water edge experiences.
POLICY 26.23
Maintain open water where dilapidated Piers 14 through 22 have been removed
as a visual relief to the intensely developed Downtown. Allow transient
mooring at minimum cost for approximately 50 boats and include a boat
shuttle service. Locate these facilities to avoid operational conflict
with other waterborne transportation services in the area.
POLICY 26.24
Develop a 500,000 to 600,000 square foot commercial office building which
may feature ground floor commercial space and meeting rooms and an auditorium.
POLICY 26.25
Reroute The Embarcadero roadway onto Steuart Street between Howard and
Harrison Streets. In the strip vacated by the Embarcadero and on Blocks
3742 and 3743, build a public park adjacent to and inland of the Herb
Caen Way/Embarcadero Promenade. Orient the park to the Bay and relate
the park to the recreational preferences of residents and workers in the
City and Bay Area, rather than tourists. Provide large grassy open areas,
a range of recreational equipment including a play structure, a tot lot,
benches, game tables under shelter, and restrooms.
POLICY 26.26
Allow up to 12,000 square feet of indoor building area and up to 8000
square feet of outdoor area south of Folsom Street to be used for a 'Tavern-on-the-
Green' type restaurant(s) and plaza. Design the restaurants to include
opportunities for indoor and outdoor dancing and dining and for special
events. Develop hard surface plaza areas and terraces which can vary in
elevation adjacent to the restaurant(s) to create a variety of spaces
and viewing experiences. Use landscaping and glass screens to protect
from winds. If feasible, provide outdoor heating in selected areas to
extend the seasonal and night-time comfortable usage of plazas. Encourage
the restaurant(s) to expand their seating into portions of the plazas
but ensure that the plazas do not become the sole territory of private
establishments. Provide seating which does not exclusively require patronage
to adjacent restaurants. While a restaurant is a preferred use on the
site, allow consideration of minor amounts of other retail opportunities
which similarly complement park activities and provide financial support
to the Port.
POLICY 26.27
Change the Height and Bulk District on Block 3743 from 84-E to 40-X. Change
the Height and Bulk District on the rest of the Rincon Park Site to open
space.
The South Beach Subarea extends from the Pier 22 Fireboat
House, adjacent to the planned Rincon Park, to China Basin Channel and
inland for a depth of one or two blocks. Since the 1980's, this subarea
has been transforming into a new residential and commercial mixed use
neighborhood, which still retains some of its industrial and maritime
past. Because the piers originally built for breakbulk shipping are now
obsolete, they are mostly vacant or underutilized, and no longer serve
a primary maritime function. As a result, two are in an advanced state
of deterioration and have been condemned. The single pierside improvement
is South Beach Harbor, a full-service marina and small boat harbor completed
in 1986 adjacent to Pier 40, which entailed the removal of former Piers
42-46A. The South Beach Harbor, together with the transportation improvements
installed along The Embarcadero, provide key waterfront amenities for
residents in the new inland Rincon Hill and South Beach neighborhoods.
Inland of the harbor, the first phase (four acres) of South Beach Park
has been developed.
In March 1996, the San Francisco voters approved the
development of a ballpark with a maximum seating capacity of 45,000 seats
and related commercial uses for Pier 46B. This new facility will attract
many visitors to the area and stimulate restaurants and night entertainment
in the surrounding area. The redevelopment of Pier 46B will allow the
continuation of thePortWalk alongside China Basin and the connection with
the Lefty O'Doul Bridge and trails south of China Basin.
Plan policies encourage redevelopment on other piers
to provide opportunities for improved excursion boat, ferry and historic
ship berthing and other maritime facilities, maritime support operations,
commercial recreation and assembly and entertainment activities. Public
access improvements also are proposed which will make the waterfront inviting
and safe for nearby residents as well as visitors from downtown and beyond.
The remaining inland sites which are vacant or underutilized may be developed
with residential or commercial uses which complement the redeveloped areas
in South Beach and Rincon Hill and new pierside activities, as well as
accommodate accessory parking associated with new uses in the vicinity.
On non-Port owned inland areas, a mixed-income residential
community with open spaces and commercial support services is being developed
on vacant or underutilized property. The new community is interspersed
with a few historic warehouses which have been adaptively reused. The
historic Oriental Warehouse has been rehabilitated to accommodate live/work
studios. Walkways and bicycle paths combined with small plazas would connect
the new residences to waterfront activities and other portions of the
City. The new community is characterized by high density, low to mid-rise
structures, recreating the fine-grained fabric of San Francisco neighborhoods
and takes advantage of proximity to the Downtown, a desirable microclimate,
amenity value of the Bay, and helps meet San Francisco's need for new
housing.
OBJECTIVE 27
TO ENHANCE THE ECONOMIC VITALITY OF THE AREA AND CAPITALIZE ON ITS UNIQUE
LOCATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL ATTRIBUTES FOR COMMERCIAL AND RECREATIONAL
MARITIME ACTIVITIES, MARITIME SUPPORT USES, COMMERCIAL AND RECREATIONAL
USES, AND RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT AND NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES.
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MAP
6 - South Beach Subarea Generalized
Land Use Map
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OBJECTIVE 28
WORK WITH RESIDENTS IN SOUTH BEACH AND ADJACENT NEIGHBORHOODS TO MAKE
THE WATERFRONT INVITING AND SAFE BY PROVIDING WATER-ORIENTED COMMERCIAL
RECREATION AND PUBLIC ASSEMBLY ACTIVITIES ON PIERS WHICH APPEAL TO RESIDENTS,
WORKERS AND VISITORS OF THE CITY.
OBJECTIVE 29
TO PROMOTE A CONTINUOUS SYSTEM OF OPEN SPACES THROUGHOUT THE SUBAREA BY
CREATING PUBLIC ACCESS IMPROVEMENTS AS PART OF MAJOR NEW PIERSIDE DEVELOPMENTS,
WHICH CONNECT WITH AND EXPAND UPON THE NETWORK OF LANDSCAPED AREAS AND
PUBLIC PARKS ALREADY DEVELOPED OR UNDERWAY.
OBJECTIVE 30
TO MAINTAIN HIGH STANDARDS IN THE DESIGN OF NEW DEVELOPMENT WHICH GIVE
RISE TO A NEW ARCHITECTURAL IDENTITY FOR THE SHORELINE, AND WHICH COMPLEMENTS
INLAND DEVELOPMENT.
POLICY 30.1
Preserve and restore and, if no longer needed in its current use, adaptively
reuse the Fire House at Pier 22.
POLICY 30.2
Design new development which takes advantage of sweeping views of the
downtown, and which preserves and enhances views of the Bay Bridge and
water from Harrison Street.
POLICY 30.3
Improve shoreline appearance, provide public access and open space, and
expand views of open water by removing condemned Pier 24.
POLICY 30.4
Allow the development at Pier 26 and 28 of commercial recreation, some
community facility, artist and designers studios and galleries, public
assembly and/or maritime uses, but exclude, hote and boatel uses. Permit
such uses in the existing sheds or new replacement structures, and incorporate
new public access areas onto the piers which connect with and complement
The Embarcadero Promenade and adjacent planned Rincon Park. Orient this
development towards Bay Area residents and workers rather than tourists.
Permit the minimum amount of short-term parking necessary to serve uses
in the pier sheds until inland parking sites are available.
POLICY 30.5
Promote new development on Pier 30-32 which provides commercial recreation
and public assembly activities, and maritime operations such as an excursion
boat or cruise terminal. New development should provide a multi-faceted
mix of activities oriented around a common theme rather than a singular
commercial attraction. Allow accessory parking on the pier to serve these
activities.
POLICY 30.6
Include public access improvements as a key component of major new development
on the pier to further the creation of a PortWalk which guides circulation
on the pier, takes maximum advantage of views of the City and the water,
and which connects to the pedestrian improvements along The Embarcadero.
POLICY 30.7
Encourage activities that do not generate peak traffic volumes during
commute periods in order to minimize congestion on roadway and transit
systems.
POLICY 30.8
Require a high standard of architectural design appropriate to the prominence
of the site, which also establishes a new architectural identity and standard
for waterside development in the South Beach area.
POLICY 30.9
Develop uses which support and enhance the mix of maritime and commercial
recreation uses developed on Pier 30-32, as well as provide a transition
between residential uses on inland blocks and public-oriented activities
on the waterfront. Block 3771 would be a desirable location for a mixed
commercial and residential development or a hotel, depending on the combination
of uses developed on Pier 30-32. Incorporate off-street parking into the
development program for Block 3771 to serve a significant amount of the
parking demand associated with the Pier 30-32 development, if necessary.
POLICY 30.10
Improve shoreline appearance, provide public access and open space, and
expand views of open water by removing deteriorating Piers 34 and 36 and
extending the PortWalk out over the water to create a Brannan Street Wharf
public open space. Develop the layout, design, improvements, and any allowances
for accessory uses to promote the use of this open space in coordination
with the community.
POLICY 30.11
Maintain South Beach Harbor as a small boat marina of approximately 700
slips for public pleasure craft and the public access and fishing pier
on top of the breakwater.
POLICY 30.12
On Pier 40, provide a full range of services for recreational boating
and water uses, including boat building and repair facilities, day dock
storage, sail maker, boat sales and rental, ship chandlery and other uses
related to the marina.
POLICY 30.13
Design any new or rehabilitated buildings on Pier 40 to reflect the bold,
simple lines of traditional pier sheds. Provide continuous peripheral
public access along the water sides of the pier including sitting and
fishing areas, except for portions of the pier which may remain in maritime-related
activities, where such public access might conflict. Locate a prominent
sitting area at the eastern end of the pier. Ensure that pier railings
and other design elements be compatible with the promenade and breakwater
design.
POLICY 30.14
Preserve the Pier 38 bulkhead building and promote uses in the bulkhead
and on the pier which support and enhance the recreational boating and
water uses located at Pier 40, including accessory parking and commercial
recreation amenities. Pier 38 offers an opportunity to expand recreational
boating facilities and services in the future, if feasible, and a location
for maritime support services.
POLICY 30.15
Develop South Beach Park, between King and Second Streets and the Seawall,
predominantly as a soft-surface park for public recreational use.
POLICY 30.16
Include areas for active sports such as volleyball and separate areas
for passive activities such as sitting, game tables under shelter, and
a tot lot. Include toilet and drinking facilities. Buffer the park from
the Embarcadero with devices such as landscaping, berms, and changes in
elevation. Provide for drop-off parking to serve the Dolphin P. Rempp
Restaurant. Provide appropriate transitions towards the proposed ballpark
with its overlooks. Maintain a hard-surface pedestrian promenade along
the water's edge with opportunities for sitting and viewing. Connect the
promenade to the peripheral public access areas on Pier 40 and to the
South Beach Harbor breakwater, and continue the promenade to Third Street
and Lefty O'Doul Bridge. Permit pedestrian access to the marina only from
the pier and breakwater and not directly from the park. Give special care
to the location of a boat ramp. Prohibit commercial activities in the
park but allow a limited amount of commercial recreation use incidental
to and supportive of the open space. Provide promenade railings and other
elements of a design compatible with the pier and breakwater. Coordinate
the design of South Beach Park and the creation of public access with
the ballpark development on Pier 46B.
POLICY 30.17
Develop and maintain mixed-income housing, with appropriate open space
and neighborhood support uses on Blocks 3773, 3792, 3793 and portions
of Blocks 3774 and 3789.
POLICY 30.18
Develop housing in small clusters of 100 to 200 units. Provide a range
of building heights with no more than 40 feet in height along the Embarcadero
and stepping up in height on the more inland portions to the maximum of
160 feet. In buildings fronting on Brannan Street in the 160 foot height
area, create a strong base which maintains the street wall created by
the residential complex to the east and the warehouse buildings to the
west. Orient the mix of unit types to one and two bedrooms and include
some three and four bedroom units. Pursue as the income and tenure goals,
a mix of 20 percent low, 30 percent moderate and 50 percent middle and
upper income, and a mix of rental, cooperative, and condominium units.
POLICY 30.19
Organize the housing clusters to maximize views to the water and downtown
as well as sun exposure while minimizing shading of open space and blocking
of views from adjacent areas. To the extent feasible, locate family units
on ground floor levels adjacent to open space and recreational areas.
Provide personalized entryways and private open space to all units. Orient
the buildings to provide privacy and security.
POLICY 30.20
Design the structures and dwelling units to express character and diversity.
Incorporate high standards of indoor and outdoor private space design
and convenience and use high quality materials. Express a human scale
in surfaces and materials with articulated facades, bay windows, cornice
lines, roofscapes, overhangs, towers and chimneys. Use varied light colors
to break up building mass and liven surfaces. Design the housing complex
to be energy efficient, and consider the use of passive solar systems.
POLICY 30.21
Incorporate most parking as part of the building within housing clusters.
Because garages may be only a half level below grade due to the high water
table, landscape or buffer exposed garage edges. Locate residences above
parking structures to stabilize them and minimize differential settlement.
To the extent feasible, improve the portions of the garage roof not covered
by structures for walkways and recreation areas. Use tree wells to allow
large trees to grow within residential clusters. Design parking structures
to have controlled vehicular access points and direct access to residential
units for increased security. Provide additional guest and service parking
for the residential units in street rights-of-way or adjacent to the clusters.
POLICY 30.22
Do not permit buildings to exceed 65 percent coverage of land or parking
podium. To the maximum extent feasible, provide open space at ground level
and provide planting in the ground. Ensure that any open space on top
of a podium provides easy pedestrian and visual transition from the sidewalk.
POLICY 30.23
Design structures to protect views of the water down street corridors
from the residential areas. Carefully consider roof design and conceal
roof equipment because of its visibility from adjacent residences. Landscape
flat roofs and finish sloped roofs in attractive materials. Allow exposed
parking only if the parking areas are extensively landscaped. Consider
the use of turf block instead of asphalt paving.
POLICY 30.24
Retain and historically restore for adaptive reuse the Cape Horn and Japan
Street warehouses and allow small scale offices, neighborhood commercial
and warehousing uses. Keep in industrial use that portion of Block 3774,
Lot 24 which is needed to expand the manufacturing operation of the abutting
industrial activity. If Lot 24 remains in industrial use, the structure
on Lot 18 may remain and be used for warehousing. As an alternate use,
develop the sites of the Cape Horn and Japan Street warehouses with housing
provided that, to the maximum extent feasible, the street-facing facades
of the existing structures are incorporated in the new development.
POLICY 30.25
Historically restore the Oriental Warehouse as the focal point of the
residential community; include a combination of such uses as live-work,
day care, recreation, and neighborhood services, professional offices
and shopping. Remove the building to the north along the line of Brannan
Street to enhance the form and visibility of the warehouse. Maintain the
exterior facade and remove those windows that have been added without
regard to the general exterior. Preserve portions of the existing paving
as a public plaza and setting for the warehouse and remove unused spur
tracks.
POLICY 30.26
Close the following streets completely: Berry east of Third Street, and
Second south of King Street. Close the following streets to through traffic,
improve them as walkways and allow only limited local and service vehicle
access: Townsend between Second and the Embarcadero, Colin P. Kelly Jr.
between Townsend and Brannan, First between Brannan and the Embarcadero,
and Beale between Bryant and Brannan.
POLICY 30.27
Develop a plaza next to the Oriental Warehouse which is centrally located,
and connect it to smaller open spaces within the proposed neighborhood.
Have walkways open onto small plazas to create intimacy and spatial definition
and orient them to be protected from winds. Enhance the feeling of outdoor
security through use of lighting, walkways design, ingress and egress
points and good surveillance by building orientation.
POLICY 30.28
Develop an open-air ballpark with a maximum of 45,000 seats with related
commercial uses including, but not limited to, office, retail, restaurants,
live music performances and other forms of live entertainment, in a setting
of waterfront public spaces.
POLICY 30.29
Encourage waterside public access improvements alongside the ballpark
on Pier 46B which connect with the South Beach Harbor and South Beach
Park and provide a link to the Lefty O'Doul Bridge, thereby extending
public access over China Basin Channel to the open space network planned
for Mission Bay.
The removal of the Embarcadero Freeway and construction
of the Waterfront Transportation Projects has dramatically changed the
character of the Embarcadero Corridor. Policies for The Embarcadero are
intended to continue to facilitate the movement of people and goods, maintain
environmental quality, enhance physical and visual access to the shoreline
and contribute to the continued vitality of the waterfront. Much of this
has been achieved by the reconstruction of the roadway as a major waterfront
boulevard, with public transit, pedestrian promenade, sidewalk and landscaping
improvements, and a public art program. These improvements have been constructed
along the north and south extensions of The Embarcadero, and should be
completed by improvements to the mid-section of The Embarcadero between
Broadway and Howard Streets, and the design and construction of a grand
civic plaza at the foot of Market Street, in front of the Ferry Building.
OBJECTIVE 31
TO IMPROVE THE EMBARCADERO CORRIDOR IN ORDER TO FACILITATE THE MOVEMENT
OF PEOPLE AND GOODS, AND ENHANCE PUBLIC ACCESS TO AND ALONG THE WATER.
POLICY 31.1
Realign the Embarcadero roadway between Broadway and Berry Street as follows:
a. Widen the sidewalks in front of Ferry Building and create a major plaza
in the roadway median as an appropriate terminus to Market Street;
b. Reroute the roadway inland to Steuart Street from Howard to Harrison
Streets to reduce its impact on the waterfront and to create opportunities
for water-related activities; close Steuart Street between Mission and
Howard to through traffic.
c. Divert roadway traffic from Berry to King Streets to create opportunities
for future water-related uses and to provide a direct transit link to
the CalTrain Station.
POLICY 31.2
Maintain and improve the Embarcadero Roadway as follows:
a. Provide two lanes each for southbound and northbound traffic with right
and left turn channelization at selected intersections;
b. Include an exclusive right-of-way for transit within the public right-of-way;
c. Provide a promenade for pedestrians and joggers along the water side
of the roadway and a bikeway for cyclists on the roadway;
d. Provide signalized pedestrian crossings, integrated with transit stops
along the Embarcadero at Bay, Sansome, Filbert, Green, Broadway, Washington,
Market, Folsom, and Brannan Streets and on King Boulevard at Second and
Fourth Streets. Establish traffic signals and speed limits which give
priority to pedestrian movement across the Embarcadero roadway; and
e. Light the roadway with ornamental fixtures similar to those presently
found along the Embarcadero. Lighting levels should be sufficient for
public safety while avoiding unnecessary glare. Plant street trees with
an irrigation system along the right-of-way, transit way and promenade
in a way that protects the urban, maritime character of the waterfront
and preserves the views of the bay.
POLICY 31.3
Provide rail transit service in an exclusive transit way from Fort Mason
to the Southern Pacific Depot. An extension of Market Street surface rail,
the F-Line should operate north of Market Street; the vehicles should
be historic in character in order to provide a special waterfront transit
identity. South of Market Street the transit service should be a surface
extension of the MUNI Metro. Allow for continuous rail transit service
along the length of the waterfront.
POLICY 31.4
Provide a MUNI Metro storage and maintenance facility in the Third Street
Corridor.
POLICY 31.5
Provide transit stops at Bay, Sansome, Filbert, Green, Broadway, Washington,
Market, Folsom, Brannan, Second and Fourth Streets.
POLICY 31.6
If found to be feasible after further analysis, extend certain trolley
and bus lines and the California Street Cable Car to the Ferry Building.
Facilitate pedestrian movement from Justin Herman Plaza to the Ferry Building.
POLICY 31.7
Prohibit heliports or STOL ports, but continue to allow for emergency
landings.
Bay-Oriented (or Water-Oriented) Commercial Recreation
and Bay-Oriented Public Assembly: Non-maritime facilities specifically
designed to attract large numbers of people to enjoy the Bay and its shoreline,
such as restaurants, cafes, specialty shops, hotels, boatels, theaters,
concert halls, galleries, amusements, night clubs, cabarets, and the ballpark
at Pier 46B. On Port property, hotels are restricted to sites which are
located more than 100 feet inland from the shoreline.
Burton Act: State legislation which sets the
terms and conditions for the transfer of Port property to the jurisdiction
of the City and County of San Francisco, subject to control and management
by a local Port Commission. (California Statutes, Chapter 1333, 1968.)
Cargo Shipping: Primary, support and ancillary facilities for waterborne
transport of cargo including but not limited to: shipping terminals
and
berths, cargo handling, storage and warehousing, equipment storage and
repair facilities, cargo sourcing, container freight stations, freight
rail and truck access, ship servicing, administrative functions, and
employee support services, (e.g. training facilities, parking).
Commercial
and Recreation Maritime Activities (See also definition of
'Maritime'): Waterborne activities providing waterfront attractions
which enhance public enjoyment of the water including but not limited
to ferries
and excursion boats, cruise terminal, historic ships, and recreational
boating.
Fill: As defined in the McAteer-Petris Act,
"earth or any other substance or material including pilings or structures
placed on pilings, and structures floating at some or all times and moored
for extended periods, such as houseboats and floating docks."
Maritime: A general term used to describe industrial,
commercial or recreation activities related to the conduct of waterborne
commerce navigation and recreation, including but not limited to: cargo
shipping, ship repair, ferries and excursion boats, cruises, recreational
boating, historic ships, fishing industry and berthing.
Maritime Support Services: Ancillary functions
needed to support maritime activities including but not limited to: tug
and tow operations, bar pilots, ship chandlers, associated parking and
maintenance, equipment storage, repair and warehouse facilities, environmental
services, Foreign Trade Zone and Port maintenance.
McAteer-Petris Act: An Act passed by the State
legislature in 1969 which created the San Francisco Bay Conservation and
Development Commission (BCDC).
PortWalk: New public access walkways and amenities
extending onto piers, where feasible, as major new mixed use pier developments
occur that, together with public sidewalks and rights-of-way and pedestrian
improvements under construction along The Embarcadero, will provide continuous
pedestrian access through waterfront activity areas. PortWalk improvements
will primarily be located north of China Basin, but also could be established
south of China Basin where possible.
Public Trust: Under the public trust doctrine,
title to tidelands and lands under navigable waters (as existed when California
became a state) is held in trust by the State for the benefit of the people
of California and must be used for purposes of commerce, navigation and
fishing as well as for environmental and recreational purposes. The Port
of San Francisco is the trustee for public trust lands granted to the
City by State legislation in 1968 (i.e. the Burton Act).
| Note: Please note that
the Objectives and Policies of this 1998 version of the Northeastern
Waterfront Plan were renumbered. |
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