Pier 29 Aims to Bring Community Together
Back in April 2016, the Port Commission approved a 15-year lease of the historic building at Pier 29 that would become a gathering place for citizens and tourists to gather for coffee, shopping, local wares, and a bar. However, many people have noted that there hasn’t been any forward movement in the project. Some people are against it, including some of the same people who were against the 8 Washington development.
Still, the building was mostly empty for the last few years even though it is close to businesses and a cruise terminal. Most days, it was simply used for overflow parking. Many people thought it was a waste of space and wanted to use it for something productive. The retail space won’t actually take up the whole building. They don’t want to make it into a mall or even a strip mall. Rather they’d like it to be a place to experience.
SFMade
Products that are sold would be from local artisans and crafts persons, opening up the market to even the smallest companies. They will all come from SFMade, a local nonprofit that works closely with those artisans. The hope is that it will continue to grow brands and to encourage the growth of art in the area. Most of the brands will be smaller, and this will give people an inside look at how their wares are made and a centralized location for them to be displayed. Almost all of the companies only have a few employees, and it would be a great way for local teens to pick up part time jobs as well. You will see very few brand names here.
One important thing to note is that there won’t be changes to the appearance of the pier at all. It will still look historical and there will only be minor safety changes. The insides may be changed minimally, but there won’t be anything too drastic done that will take away from the character of the space.
Those who oppose the space say that they’ve heard this all before and are worried that even changing a little bit will be changing too much. So far, there haven’t been any blueprints or ideas released to the public. There is a 15-year lease, which is considered temporary, so everything does have to go through the city.
Of course, the hope is that it will become more permanent, which lends to the fears of those who believe it will be changed too much. Everyone does hope to strike a happy medium so that everyone can use the space, enjoy the views, and feel like they are part of the community. For families, it could mean a new place to explore, but we do have to think about the costs associated with it all.