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Riding the Bench: Giants Earn Second Place in Seawall Lot 337 First Draft Pick

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In a shocking upset that has restored our faith in democracy (or not) the San Francisco Giants' plan for Seawall Lot 337 was passed over during the first draft pick as a port-sponsored, seven-member advisory panel instead championed the proposal pitched by Kenwood Investments and its co-captain, the Ferry Building; projects were judged by several criteria, including their design concept, and plan for land use, along with their ability to actually pay for the project. The contest isn't over yet, of course: the Giants' scheme promises the bling, with slow food luminary Alice Waters and the House of Blues on the front line. Oh yeah— and it's been widely favored all along by just about everyone, it seems. (Forgot about that!) Kenwood's proposal, on the other hand, champions the arts; the company has recruited the Black Rock Arts Foundation and star landscape architect Walter Hood to man Team Aesthetics. Game on.
· Giants take 2nd in seawall design contest [SF Gate]
· Seawall Lot 337 Review, Round 4: Boston Properties, INC; Wilson Meany Sullivan, LLC; Kenwood Investments LLC [Curbed SF]
· Seawall Lot 337 Review, Round 2: San Francisco Giants; The Cordish Company; Farallon Capital Management, LLC [Curbed SF]
· Seawall Lot 337 Proposals Revealed [Curbed SF]
· Curbed SF SWL 337 Planning Challenge [Curbed SF]

Team: Boston Properties, INC; Wilson Meany Sullivan, LLC; Kenwood Investments LLC

Topography: 5-plus acres of open space including outdoor performance spaces, art installations, walking paths, and wildlife habitats. "Gallery walk" planned along third street.

Buildings: New office, residential, retail, and arts-specific spaces; reuse of historical buildings as artists' studios, etc. 1,100 new rentals (20% affordable), stacked flat in the interest of density. Two 11-story office towers proposed with possibility for more. Open public space; individual streets considered in hierarchy of plans.

Focus on the Arts: Black Rock Arts Foundation will partner to program, fund, and support the arts. Berkeley artist Ned Kahn and landscape rock star Walter Hood on board to create aesthetically pleasing space.

Community: Partnership with the San Francisco Building and Construction Trades Council, the City, and other community organizations to create employment opportunities that comply with prevailing wage requirements and Union hiring policies. Construction by local craft unions.

Transportation: Third Street rail line will be the "spine" of Lot 337. Program of "shared parking" between Giants fans and other plebes.

Consultant team:

• WRT/Solomon (San Francisco), land use designer,
• CMG (San Francisco) and Walter Hood Architects (Berkeley),
landscape and open space architects,
• Webcor Builders (San Francisco), construction,
• BKF Civil Engineers (San Francisco), civil engineering,
• ENGEO (San Francisco), geotechnical engineers,
• Page & Turnbull (San Francisco) historic architects,
• Erler & Kalinowski, Inc. (Oakland), hazardous materials remediation,
• The Black Rock Arts Foundation (San Francisco), artist community consultant,
• Ned Kahn (Sonoma), environmental art,
• Neil Sekhri, Esq., Gibson Dunn & Crutcher (San Francisco), attorney for environmental compliance and regulatory advice, and
• Jean Rogers, ARUP (San Francisco), sustainability advisor.