In what is surely a victory for opponents of waterfront development along the Embarcadero corridor in San Francisco, the Golden State Warriors have purchased a new site farther south, near AT&T Park and the UCSF Mission Bay campus, for a new arena.
“The Golden State Warriors have abandoned their plan to build an arena on Piers 30-32 just south of the Bay Bridge and instead have purchased a site in San Francisco's burgeoning Mission Bay to hold a new 18,000-seat venue,” reports John Coté. Salesforce.com owned the site previously.
Joe Eskenazi originally broke the story, also providing coverage of the implications on the move to Salesforce.com’s recent moves in the real estate market.
The new plan will eliminate the need for voter approval, which may have become necessary for the Pier 30-32 venue, which was a rallying point for opposition.
The new site has a number of benefits, including not requiring public funding, according to Coté's report. “The Warriors will own the site outright, rather than leasing it from the Port of San Francisco, and say the arena will be entirely privately financed - a rare instance of a modern sports venue that would use no taxpayer funds or public land.”
Coté also reports that new site also has multiple transportation options including “a Muni T-Third stop right in front of it and has two adjacent parking garages that can hold a combined 2,130 cars. A new off-ramp from I-280 will drop cars about two blocks away.” And “[the] site has street access on four sides, rather than only one side at Piers 30-32, easing pinch points.” Finally, “[when] the Central Subway opens - projected for 2019, the year after the Warriors plan to open the arena - the line will provide essentially a straight shot to the Powell Street Muni/BART Station downtown.”
What the site does now, however, are iconic view of the Bay Bridge, which will be preserved for opponents of the previously proposed plan instead of the team.
FULL STORY: Warriors to Buy Salesforce Site and Abandon Waterfront Stadium Plans, Sources Say
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