SAN FRANCISCO—Forest City Enterprises has planned a mixed-use innovation center at Pier 70 that would feature 2.2 million square feet of office space, 1,000 housing units, and spaces to accommodate 275,000 square feet of artisans, retailers, designers, and boutique manufacturers.

The inclusion of housing is surprising, according to the San Francisco Business Times, because the Port of San Francisco had previously indicated residential development at the site would conflict with the noisy ship repair businesses on the pier. But Forest City has circumvented the conflict by placing the housing as far from the ship operations as possible and has been working closely with BAE Systems, which operates the facility, the largest floating dry dock on the U.S. West Coast, the paper says.

The project was presented to the public Wednesday night at a Central Waterfront Advisory Group.

In an interview, Forest City Senior Vice President Alexa Arena said that creating a lively round-the-clock environment was a key part of attracting the sort of innovative companies flocking to neighborhoods like Mid-Market, SoMa, and Showplace Square.

“We think to deliver an office campus of the future, it includes residential,” said Arena. “The two are intimately connected. If you don't have a 24-hour living place, you are not responding to the talent and the kind of talent companies need to house.”

The Forest City concept envisions a new neighborhood with eight acres of green space that both stretches along the waterfront and juts into the campus. The parkland would create both access to the Bay as well a common area.

Click San Francisco Business Times to read the full story.

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New Residences Planned for Pier 70

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