Subtle, Gentle Creep North for Development in San Francisco's SoMa

With the opening in 1986 of Nordstrom, followed by Bloomingdales next door 20 years later, then Giant’s ballpark and Mission Bay, the once industrial, working class sector of San Francisco south of Market Avenue continues to transform.

However, the northern waterfront is also seeing growth, according to Jim Chappell, former SPUR director, albeit a different kind of growth.  In this second part of a series, he reviews some of the “public realm” development around the Presidio.

"Kicked off by the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and the subsequent replacement of the Embarcadero Freeway with a graceful boulevard, billions of dollars of investment began occurring on the northern waterfront....What is different from the southern waterfront is that this development has a focus on the public realm and public uses. As it fronts more mature neighborhoods, with less opportunity for all-new insertions into the urban fabric, public agencies and architects have risen to the challenge of complimenting and completing these existing neighborhoods."

Having previously reviewed the redevelopment of Fort Mason, in this second installation regarding northern waterfront development, Jim turns his attention to the Presidio, including the new and long awaited Presidio Parkway, the Officer’s Club, the Heritage Gallery, the museum and library of the Society of California Pioneers, and Tennessee Hollow.