San Francisco's newest neighborhood is nearly complete, so I thought I'd use this thread to chronicle how it transforms from a controversial, bland, generic aesthetic into a vibrant, organic neighborhood with improving street life. Most of SF's neighborhoods are very old and established, so it's interesting and unique opportunity to see one grow up before our very eyes.
Sourced from Wiki:
Before urbanization, Mission Bay was nestled inside of a 500 acre salt marsh and lagoon, a natural habitat for large water fowl populations that included ducks, geese, herons, egrets, ospreys and gulls. The Native American tribes who resided in this area were the Costanoan people who spoke eight different languages which delineated between the various tribelets. The tribe most prevalent in the Bay area was the Patwin people who resided in the area for over 5,000 years.
Beginning in the mid-1800s, Mission Bay was used as a convenient place to deposit refuse from building projects, as well as debris from the 1906 earthquake. Afterwards, the area quickly became an industrial district and was used for shipbuilding and repair, butchery and meat production, and oyster and clam fishing. It also became the home to railyards, shipyards, canneries, a sugar refinery and various warehouses.
In 1998 the area was announced by the Board of Supervisors as a redevelopment project. Much of the land had long been a railyard of the Southern Pacific Railroad Company, and was transferred to Catellus Development Corporation. Since then, has rapidly evolved into a wealthy neighborhood of luxury condominiums, hospitals, and biotechnology research and development. It is anchored by the Giants, Warriors, and UCSF as the major establishments.
Dogpatch is a vibrant, up-and-coming area, south of Mission Bay, nestled between Potrero Hill and the bay. Formerly a shipbuilding hub dating back to the 1800s, this dockside area retains an industrial vibe with large warehouses, many of which have been updated into residential lofts, art galleries and indie shops.
Mission Bay is also just as green and accessible like any other neighborhood in San Francisco. There are multiple public green spaces, dog play areas, tennis courts and beach volleyball courts. Mission Creek is a serene waterfront breezeway perfect for cycling and jogging. A new Muni Metro subway line will connect this part of the city to Chinatown with stops in Downtown and SoMa.
If you're interested in specific developments and discussion, you can view them
here in the General Development thread.
Here's a good before picture from 2007 that I found in the SSP development thread. It's the area at the top of the photo, towards the center and right, bordered by Mission Creek and 280.
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