San Francisco replaces a waterfront parking lot with a new neighborhood

A parking lot on San Francisco’s waterfront is transforming into Mission Rock—a new neighborhood featuring rental units, offices, parks, open spaces, retail, and parking. Mission Rock will serve patrons of the San Francisco Giants as well as the surrounding neighborhood. 

In mid-April, Mission Rock’s partners—the San Francisco Giants, real estate company Tishman Speyer, and the Port of San Francisco—joined general contractor Swinerton to celebrate the topping off of the project’s first residential building, The Canyon. 

Designed by MVRDV, the 23-floor, 380,000-square-foot mixed-use tower The Canyon broke ground in December 2020. In addition to 283 residential units, the building will feature 50,000 square feet of office space (including Visa’s new headquarters), ground-floor retail and restaurants, residential and office lobbies, a residential fitness center, and a rooftop community room and kitchen. The topping-off ceremony marked the completion of the concrete structure. The Canyon will be completed in 2023.  

MVRDV’s concept design for The Canyon took inspiration from Californian rock formations, with a narrow valley running between steep rocky walls that extend up the tower’s western facade.

The entire Mission Rock project will comprise four buildings that include about 1,200 residential rental units, with 40 percent affordable to low- and moderate-income households; 8 acres of parks and open space, including a waterfront park; about 1.4 million square feet of office space; over 200,000 square feet of retail and manufacturing space; a parking structure for the ballpark and the neighborhood; and a renovated Pier 48.

Owner and developer: Mission Rock Partners (a joint venture of the San Francisco Giants and Tishman Speyer)

Design architect: MVRDV

Executive architect: Perry Architects

MEP engineers: PAE; Critchfield Mechanical Inc.; Cupertino Electric Inc.; Marelich/SJ Engineers; Allied Fire Protection

Structural engineer: MKA

General contractor/construction manager: Swinerton