Potrero Power Station
This district brings new life to a prominent 20-acre parcel on San Francisco’s waterfront that had been closed to the public for 150 years. Located directly south of Pier 70 on San Francisco Bay, the Potrero Power Station supplied electricity to the city before it was decommissioned in 2011. The plan celebrates the site’s industrial heritage while delivering new uses and public space to the bayfront.
Following an extensive planning process, the site is being transformed into a resilient neighborhood that serves residents, workers, and visitors. The plan includes around 100,000 square feet of retail space, 1.6 million feet of lab and office space, 130,000 square feet dedicated to light industrial and arts uses, and more than six acres of parks and pedestrian paths. It also calls for 2,300 mixed-use and mixed-income housing units, with 30% designated as affordable. The first of these, an 8-story, 105-unit affordable housing complex, opened in fall 2025.
The retail program blurs the lines between work and play, emphasizing experiential interaction, craft, and third spaces, while also providing everyday convenience. It creates distinct zones and makes room for flexible uses like pop-ups and kiosks to support local entrepreneurs. The waterfront zone includes upscale bars and restaurants, while more casual eateries are located near the center of the district, along with neighborhood services like fitness centers, bookstores, and salons. The town square is geared toward community spaces like a library, a childcare center, a cultural venue, and a community recreation center. PDR (production, distribution, and repair) sites line the district’s outer perimeters.
― Lou Vasquez, Build
Existing industrial structures will be adapted for public access, entertainment, and business. The power station structure along the waterfront holds potential for a 200-room boutique hotel, and the signature 300-foot-tall stack will remain as a landmark and a reminder of the new neighborhood’s history. Construction for a University of California San Francisco life sciences building began in 2026.
The planning process was remarkable for the developer team’s inventive and ongoing participation, which has built an enduring Power Station community through quarterly public workshops, monthly site tours, and weekly “office hours.” It was lauded by the neighborhood and the San Francisco Planning Commission as a model for community engagement and transparency, and it allowed for a two-year review schedule instead of the lengthier process typically required for bayfront projects of this scale.
Project Team
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