India Basin Masterplan
Together with the India Basin Neighborhood Association (IBNA) and the San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department (RPD), the San Francisco based development firm BUILD, Inc. has embarked on a long journey to transform a semi-wild former gravel yard into a pedestrian-first, human-scaled, bicycle-friendly, residential village where neighborhood amenities are within a short walk. Much more than a development venture or park expansion, this innovative Public-Private Partnership advances the City’s and community’s aspirations for new housing and jobs, sea-level rise shoreline adaptation, enhanced waterfront access, expanded recreation space, public art and vital community services.
The project encompasses a mixed-use development that will include a new publicly accessible network of improved parkland and open spaces and a mixed-use urban village, including 1,575 residential units, approximately 200,000 square feet of commercial space, approximately 15.5 acres of publicly accessible open space, and up to 1,800 parking spaces.
The masterplan was developed as a collaboration between SOM, Bionic, and Gehl. As a partner and director at Gehl, I led an interdisciplinary design team to develop the urban design and public realm framework for the plan. Gehl also led an effort in collaboration with the India Basin community, numerous city agencies, and Fehr & Peers to prepare the India Basin Transportation Action plan. The project was a remarkable collaborative effort. Together we successfully developed the plan for an extremely complex site and guided the City and community to adopt the plan. The project received approval from San Francisco Mayor London N. Breed and SF Planning Commission in 2018.
In 2020, Mayor Breed announced that funding from a voter-approved bond measure to create new parks and recreation opportunities in underserved communities would contribute to the creation of a new park at India Basin. Shortly thereafter, the State of California announced it would grant San Francisco $8.5 million to transform a portion of India Basin into a waterfront park. Additional funding for the India Basin Shoreline Park Restoration Project includes a $25 million donation from the John Pritzker Family Fund.
This project was conducted while as a partner and director at Gehl
Collaborators: India Basin Neighborhood Association, Bayview Hunters Point Community, SF Recreation and Parks Department, SOM, Bionic, Sherwood Design Engineers