Waterfront Redevelopment in

San Francisco Brings New Flavor

to Rincon Park 

San Francisco, CA 

n the shadow of San Francisco’s Bay Bridge and less than 25 feet from 

the water’s edge is a half-acre lot used for storing construction equipment. 

Over the past century the site has been home to saloons and restaurants, 

boarding houses, stables, storage and warehouse facilities, manufacturing and 

repair facilities, a vehicle depot, and railroad tracks associated with wharf 

traffic. With community momentum behind it and EPA’s site assessment 

support, the Port of San Francisco is now working to transform this property 

into two restaurants that will create up to 100 jobs and leverage more than $8 

million in redevelopment funding. 

The area that includes this 0.45-acre Brownfields project is known as Rincon 

Park, and is part of the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency’s Rincon PointSouth Beach Redevelopment Plan, originally adopted in January 1981. With 

the surrounding waterfront area already home to a marina, residential 

developments, and commercial enterprises, including a new office building 

for Gap, Inc., the plan calls for redevelopment of this brownfields parcel into 

two new restaurants. 

As an additional benefit to the area, Gap has supported the transformation of 

two adjacent acres into a community park. San Francisco’s Mayor Brown 

attended the ribbon cutting ceremony of this new park in January 2003. The 

park’s architectural centerpiece is “Cupid’s Span,” a work that was chosen 

from an internationally submitted host of designs. 

Through the Rincon Point-South Beach Citizens Advisory Committee, 

community members have been actively involved in the design and 

implementation of the park and restaurant projects. 

This brownfields restoration project was aided by EPA’s Targeted Brownfields 

Assessment (TBA) program. TBAs are provided through EPA’s Brownfields 

Program and are intended to finance site characterization services for 

brownfields sites with redevelopment potential. These assessments give cities, 

“Cupid’s Span” is the architectural 

centerpiece of Rincon Park. 

JUST THE FACTS: • EPA Region 9 provided the Port of San 

Francisco with approximately $40,000 

in assessment assistance for the Rincon 

Park property as part of EPA’s TBA 

program. 

• The assessment revealed some 

contamination, and cleanup planning is 

underway. Although final cleanup costs 

have not been determined, developers 

have agreed to pay for the cleanup. 

• The $8 million planned redevelopment 

includes two 7,000-square-foot 

restaurants that are expected to provide 

75–100 new jobs. Gap, Inc., which has 

an office building located in the 

surrounding waterfront area, provided 

an additional $2 million to create a 

community park on two acres adjacent 

to the Rincon Park property. 

continued 

I
CONTACTS: 

For more information contact 

Thomas Mix at (415) 972-3248. 

Or visit EPA’s Brownfields Web site at: 

http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/ 

With community momentum 

behind it and EPA’s site 

assessment support, the Port of 

San Francisco is transforming the 

Rincon Park property into two 

restaurants that will create up to 

100 jobs and leverage more than 

$8 million in redevelopment 

funding. 

View of the Rincon Park Project area. 

states, and potential developers an idea of the contamination present and how much cleanup 

will be necessary. In early 1999, EPA and Port of San Francisco representatives met 

to discuss assessment of the half-acre site, and EPA Region 9 then provided the 

Port with approximately $40,000 in assessment assistance. While the assessment 

revealed some contamination, it also presented no surprises to Port officials. 

Following the assessment, the Port was empowered with enough information 

to proceed with cleanup and redevelopment planning.Although cleanup planning 

of the restaurant area is still underway and final cleanup costs have not been 

determined, developers have agreed to pay for the site’s cleanup. Planned 

development for the property is now estimated at $8 million for two 7,000-

square-foot restaurants that are expected to provide 75–100 new jobs. 

Approximately $2 million was provided by Gap, Inc., to create the community 

park. Restaurant construction is expected to be completed by the Spring of 2005. 

, 

Brownfields Success Story Solid Waste EPA 500-F-03-034 

San Francisco, California and Emergency May 2003 

Response (5105) www.epa.gov/brownfields/