Thirty-two years after its closure by the Navy and seven mayors later, the first phase of redevelopment at the Hunter’s Point Shipyard is finally underway.
By Bill Picture
Published: May, 2006
Thirty-two years after its closure by the Navy and seven mayors later, the first phase of redevelopment at the Hunter’s Point Shipyard is finally underway.
The Navy released the first of six parcels of land to The City in Jan. 2005 after completing a reported $350 million cleanup of toxic pollutants. After World War II, the shipyard complex included the Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory, whose function was to decontaminate and dispose of Navy ships that had been exposed to radiation during nuclear weapons tests at sea.
When the base closed in 1974, radioactive material left behind, along with more common contaminants, such as lead, rendered the site, which comprises 550 acres of prime waterfront real estate, virtually uninhabitable.
Last October, with a thumbs up from environmental agencies to build on Parcel A (remaining parcels are being cleaned up one-by-one by the Navy and will be released to The City upon completion) and an approved plan in place for Phase One of the project, several existing structures were leveled to make room for more than 1,200 new homes on a hilltop overlooking the San Francisco Bay. The cleared land is now being graded, and vertical construction is expected to begin in late fall.
I’m really pleased with what we’ve accomplished, says Michael Cohen of the Mayor’s Office of Base Reuse and Development. Cohen is referring not only to the approved Phase I design, but also to a comprehensive suite of area-serving programs that Lennar is implementing as part of its contract with The City.
Together with Muni’s Third Street Light Rail Project, the eleven programs in Lennar’s Community Benefits Agreement, which includes homebuyer’s assistance and job training programs for area residents, and programs designed to help local businesses obtain contracts at the Shipyard, are expected to breathe new life into The City’s economically-deprived southern sector. The suite of programs is a first for Lennar and the entire real estate development industry. And many see the Miami-based homebuilder’s $30 million investment in the programs as evidence of its commitment to its host community.
We didn’t want to just develop in these people’s backyard, we wanted to be a partner with the community, explains the project’s Community Benefits Program Manager, Clem Clarke. So we looked for ways that we could be more inclusive and, hopefully, give back some economic vitality.
Still, some community leaders say they’ll be keeping a close eye on Lennar to make sure the company fulfills its promises to the community. While they are happy to see a plan in place to help businesses and residents in the long-neglected Bayview/Hunter’s Point neighborhood, they argue that, ultimately, the proof is in the pudding.
We’ll be watching very closely, says Willie B. Kennedy of the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency. The people out here have been promised so much [in the past] and didn’t get any of it.
In a quarterly report filed with the Agency in January, Lennar indicated that nearly one dozen local businesses had already been selected to perform subcontract work at the Shipyard. But Kennedy, a former San Francisco supervisor and one-time resident of the Bayview, insists that isn’t enough.
Not nearly enough of the community is being employed yet, she explains. I want to see more jobs and more contracts. That’s what it will take to make this project a success.
Frank O’Neill, a member of the Hunter’s Point Shipyard Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC), which represented residents and business in the 94107, 94124 and 94134 zip codes during the planning process, says he agrees.
The people of this community deserve more jobs and more contracts, says O’Reilly, who served as a port commissioner under former mayor Frank Jordan and now runs a business at Pier 50. But Lennar is really trying, I’m confident of that.
I respect that the CAC is keeping our feet to the fire, adds Clarke. They help keep Lennar honest and keep the process transparent, which lets everyone know that we’re serious about being a part of this community.
But everyone involved agrees that the plan in place looks promising for people who work and/or live in the area. In fact, Kennedy and O’Reilly say that, ten years ago, they never would have predicted that locals would end up benefiting to this degree from the Shipyard’s redevelopment. Among the pleasantly surprised are the artists at The Point, an artist community that has subleased space at Hunter’s Point since 1976. Facing eviction by the Navy, the 330 artists there banded together and convinced The City and Lennar not only to let them stay, but to also include The Point, the country’s largest artist colony, in the redevelopment plan.
Some of the artists will be relocated to other buildings, and others will have to vacate their studios temporarily. But most will remain relatively unaffected by the construction. The artists at The Point will have to use temporary ablution units, however, while plumbing is shut off to allow for the replacement of the Shipyard’s decades-old sewer system.
At one point, it looked as though construction might force management at The Point to postpone or even cancel the organization’s annual spring open studios event, a San Francisco tradition and a relied-upon source of exposure and income for participating artists. But The City and Lennar worked out a deal that allowed The Point to proceed with its plans for the popular event, which will take place on May 6 and 7.
We’ve forged a relationship with The City and Lennar, says Deborah Carroll, The Point’s office manager. I feel like they’ve really tried to work with us, and they’ve showed us that they care.
Frank O’Reilly of the Hunter’s Point CAC applauds Lennar for ensuring that the needs of local residents and businesses, and organizations such as The Point, were addressed during the Phase I planning process. And he hopes that Lennar will continue to listen to the community and the CAC when planning for Phase II gets underway, as he has heard rumors that the second phase may include a high-rise building, to which locals have already expressed opposition.
But I have confidence in Lennar, he says. I don’t think another [developer] would be as receptive to the needs and concerns of the community. And because of that, I sense some new hope [among locals] that we can turn this area around.
After all that talking, the people of this community are finally seeing things happen [at the Shipyard], so they’re attitude is more positive, says Willie B. Kennedy. Things are looking up, but there’s a lot of work yet to do.
I can already see that what we’re doing is making an impact, adds Clem Clarke. And that feels really good because I’m from the Deep South, and I’ve seen developers come into underprivileged communities, do their thing and leave without giving anything back [to the people]. So this is unbelievable. I have to pinch myself every day.
