At the heart of San Francisco’s Central Waterfront Rejuvenation

Located in the heart of San Francisco’s Central Waterfront, this disused ship-building facility behind one of the largest dry-docks in the western seaboard will create a much-needed neighborhood park, while accommodating sea level rise and ground contamination issues.

The Port of San Francisco has retained a team of consultants led by AECOM to complete a Park Master Plan and Schematic Design for Initial Park Improvements for Crane Cove Park, a 8+ acre waterfront open space within the historic Pier 70 district in San Francisco, California. The site possesses a rich maritime, industrial and cultural heritage, it has a privileged location for accessing and viewing the bay and the monumental operations of the adjacent shipyard, and it is the largest continuous open space in the Pier 70 historic district.

The site also presents tremendous challenges, such as contaminants both in land and water, access obstructions, limited natural habitat-creation capacity, and potential safety hazards. The park design will integrate seamlessly with the historic elements of the site and celebrate its maritime heritage by incorporating its multiple stories into the park elements and current activities. Crane Cove Park will provide a diversity of activities on land and in water, to attract local and regional visitors.

The design will capitalize on the historic cranes potential to function as visual icons both from land and water and integrate the “theatre” of shipyard operations into the visual amenities of the park. All while anticipating sea level rise and managing the environmental constraints of the site. AECOM is working with a multidisciplinary team of engineers (environmental, coastal, civil, geotechnical, structural, electrical and mechanical) as well as historic preservation architects and cost estimators.