April 22, 2014
Warriors Make a Play for Mission Bay
Team Reaches Deal with Salesforce.com for Arena on Private Property in San Francisco
Mission Bay by the Numbers
11.99: size of parcel (in acres)
18,000: Approx. # of seats in arena
125: Approx. height of arena (in feet)
6: Blocks to Caltrain
0: Blocks to Muni
0: Blocks to BART (via underground Muni connection)
1: Block to freeway
160: Current building height limit in Mission Bay (in feet)
1: Number of Top 25 U.S. cities (by population) without a large indoor arena (San Francisco)
The Golden State Warriors announced today terms have been reached with salesforce.com to purchase land in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood, where the team intends to build a new state-of-the-art sports and entertainment center.
Terms of the deal were not announced.
“We believe Mission Bay is a perfect fit,” said Joe Lacob, Co-Executive Chairman and CEO of the Warriors. “It is a wonderful inland site in a dynamic part of the City that is convenient for fans from all over the Bay Area. We are buying private property, but the city will also get a new 5 ½ - acre waterfront park. It’s a win-win for everyone.”
“We’ve said all along we wanted to create a spectacular cultural destination for the City and the entire region,” said Co-Executive Chairman Peter Guber “This is about a shared cultural experience: going to a beautiful and inviting place to see a game, see a show, attend a convention. It will be easily accessible, state of the art, digitally fit, and second to none.”
Although specific details of the plan remain to be announced, the Warriors said previously discussed basic elements of the event center remain in effect: the arena will hold about 18,000 seats; it will showcase NBA basketball games as well as concerts, cultural events, family shows and convention activities; and it will be privately financed on private land, virtually unprecedented among major league sports and entertainment facilities in the U.S.
The new Warriors event center will be built on 12 acres of private, inland property, bounded by 3rd, 16th and South Streets, and Terry Francois Blvd.
The transaction with salesforce.com involves no public property and no public subsidy. There are no naming rights or sponsorship rights associated with the transaction.
The Mission Bay site is well served by public transportation, and borders Muni’s 3rd Street Light Rail. The location is also within a few blocks of Caltrain, and BART connects via an easy underground connection to Muni, both at Embarcadero and at Powell Station once the Central Subway opens in 2018. The Mission Bay neighborhood already has ample parking. And a new I-280 freeway connection at Mariposa Street will land less than a block away.
Mission Bay, a former redevelopment area that became the home of UCSF’s second campus, has been emerging as a modern urban center for the past 15 years. The Warriors new home will be within walking distance of several public plazas, parks, restaurants and retail corridors. AT&T Park is only a few blocks to the north; the Dogpatch, Potrero Hill and Bayview-Hunter’s Point neighborhoods are just to the south.
A key piece of the long-planned Mission Bay redevelopment puzzle, the build-out of this site, will also trigger the construction of a new five-and-a-half-acre waterfront park. Across Terry Francois Blvd. from the arena, the park will feature water-oriented activities and large lawn areas, which can accommodate a variety of recreational uses, similar to Marina Green.
“We’ve spent the past two years listening. We’ve learned a lot. We’re proud of the plans we’ve put forward to date, and we’re thrilled to announce this great leap forward,” said Rick Welts, President and COO of the Warriors. “We are looking forward to engaging with the neighborhood and, ultimately, making this site ‘Warriors Ground.’ This is our path to San Francisco.”
The Warriors first arrived in San Francisco in 1962 and played their first 11 seasons in the City by the Bay. The Warriors new ownership, led by Lacob and Guber, purchased the team in 2010. In 2012, the team announced plans to build a new sports and entertainment facility in San Francisco. The team has targeted the 2018-19 NBA season to debut its new arena.
