Potrero Power Station

Background

San Francisco’s Central Waterfront has been a center of industry for over 150 years. While industrial uses will continue to be an important element of the urban fabric in the Central Waterfront, including at PPS, the City’s Central Waterfront Area Plan identifies the site as a location for additional growth and a wider range of land uses, including residential, commercial, and parks.

For decades before it was decommissioned, the Potrero Power Station supplied a significant portion of the city’s energy. However, as a coal-powered facility, it was also a significant source of pollution, particularly in San Francisco’s southeast quadrant. Through efforts spearheaded by both City and community leaders, the City and facility owner, Mirant Potrero LLC, signed a Settlement Agreement to permanently cease power-generating operations at the Power Station as soon as redundant energy sources could come online. This occurred in the late 2000’s and the Power Station ceased operations in 2011. 

Planning Process

The Settlement Agreement contemplated future uses for the property and committed the City and the property owner to collaborate on a redevelopment proposal for the site. In 2016, Associate Capital/California Barrel Company (Project Sponsor) purchased the Potrero Power Station from then-owner NRG Energy and in 2017 began an extensive planning process with City agencies and the community to develop a master plan for the site. In late 2017 Associate Capital initiated preparation of the environmental impact report for the master plan. Also around this time, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), an earlier owner of the site, began environmental remediation under the review of the Regional Water Quality Control Board. The overall vision is for PPS – along with the Pier 70 site just to the north – to be a key element in the ongoing transformation of the Central Waterfront to a neighborhood that provides thousands of new homes and jobs, community-serving retail and services, new space for light industrial businesses and arts uses, a hotel, several acres of new parks, community facilities, and unprecedented waterfront access. 

• Housing: Approximately 2,601 dwelling units (30% below market rate)
• Open Space: Approximately 6.9 acres of new open space with amenities including a rooftop soccer field, passive and active recreation areas, a playground, Bay Trail extension, and waterfront access. Three signature open space areas include:
  • The ~1.2-acre “Power Station Park” 
  • The ~0.6-acre “Stack Plaza” 
  • The ~3-acre waterfront park, which opens up over 1,000 linear feet of shoreline to the public for the first time in 150 years. 
• Commercial Uses: Approximately 1.8 million gross square feet of commercial uses, including:
  • 100,000 sq ft retail
  • 800,000 sq ft office
  • 650,000 sq ft life science/laboratory
  • 240,000 sq ft hotel (250 rooms)
  • 35,000 sq ft Production, Distribution, and Repair (“PDR” i.e. light industrial/arts) uses
  • 25,000 square feet of entertainment/assembly uses

• Community Facilities: Approximately 50,000 sq ft of community facilities
• Childcare: Approximately 12,000 sq ft dedicated to childcare facilities
• Parking: Approximately 2,686 off-street automobile parking spaces
• Urban Form: Building heights ranging from 65 to 240 feet
• Transportation: Transportation and circulation improvements, shoreline improvements, and utility infrastructure improvements including a new multi-modal street network, bike infrastructure, and new Muni bus route terminus
• Environmental Resilience & Sustainability: Sea level rise adaptation and green infrastructure; all buildings to be built to LEEDv4 Gold standard or better
• Historic Preservation: Preservation of Station A, the iconic Stack structure, and potentially the Unit 3 power block. Design standards and guidelines in the Master Plan will govern new development on the site to ensure compatibility with on-site and adjacent historic structures and districts.