Building a Temporary Retail Center on Vacant Land

The space is designed by Douglas Burnham of Oakland-based Envelope A+D and includes 26 containers. The first to open is an ice cream shop.

"'It's the idea of a flexible machine that is operating at the pace of the Internet, where you have simple frames but the content is always different,' he said. The architect broached the idea with the city after winning a bid to build market-rate housing further down on Octavia Boulevard. The creative endeavor is financed in part by a client of Burnham's (who prefers to remain anonymous), who is funding some of the infrastructure; each vendor is paying for the build-out of their containers and a percentage of the rent for the lots.

For the city, the project is a chance to tinker with their vision for Octavia Boulevard. The two lots, comprising about 18,000 square feet, are next to the park at the foot of the street, Hayes Green, and segue into the Hayes Valley business district."