Construction has begun on a long-delayed redevelopment of San Francisco’s former Candlestick Park site, setting in motion plans for a new 270-acre waterfront community in the Bayview.
The project will eventually deliver 7,200 homes, including affordable housing, alongside commercial space, parks, waterfront access and new infrastructure. The first phase will provide about 700 homes across seven city blocks, with 314 affordable units.
The groundbreaking marks the start of physical development at a site that has remained largely vacant following the demolition of Candlestick Park.
Developed by FivePoint, the broader project will transform the former stadium area into a mixed-use neighborhood with up to 2.8 million square feet of commercial space. The planned innovation district is intended to create a new center for employment and economic activity in southeastern San Francisco.
The development will also introduce 60 new city blocks, about 100 acres of parks and open space, and 2.5 miles of publicly accessible waterfront.
First phase moves forward
The initial phase will establish much of the infrastructure needed to support the larger neighborhood. Construction will include roads, utilities and improvements to the local water system, alongside the first residential buildings.
The roughly 700 homes planned for this phase represent nearly 10% of the project’s eventual residential capacity. Affordable housing will account for 314 units, giving the first phase a substantially larger affordable component than the overall project is currently required to deliver.
The phase will also introduce ground-floor retail and restaurants, while beginning development of the innovation district.
Once complete, the neighborhood is expected to combine residential, commercial and recreational uses rather than recreate the site as a standalone housing development.
A new waterfront neighborhood
Candlestick’s redevelopment will extend beyond the former stadium footprint and reconnect the area with San Francisco’s shoreline.
Plans call for a network of parks, trails and open spaces along approximately 2.5 miles of publicly accessible waterfront. Shops, restaurants, a hotel and entertainment venues will add additional activity around the residential areas.
The project will also incorporate the site’s sporting history into the new neighborhood. Several streets and public spaces are planned to recognize former San Francisco Giants and 49ers figures, including Willie Mays, Bill Walsh, Joe Montana and Jerry Rice.
The development’s scale also makes infrastructure a central part of the construction program. Roads and utilities will support the first phase while establishing the framework for subsequent development across the larger site.
Development follows years of delays
The groundbreaking comes after years of delays surrounding redevelopment of the former Candlestick Park property.
The site once served as home to the San Francisco Giants and San Francisco 49ers before Candlestick Park closed in 2015. Crews later demolished the stadium as the city and developers developed plans for a new mixed-use community.
The latest construction milestone moves the project from years of planning and delays into the delivery of its first homes and public infrastructure.
At full build-out, Candlestick will become one of San Francisco’s largest new neighborhoods, combining thousands of homes with employment space, parks and public waterfront access.
The project also places new housing development in the Bayview within a broader push by the city to increase residential construction and expand affordable housing. Mayor Daniel Lurie’s administration has made faster housing production a central policy objective, including efforts to streamline permitting and increase the city’s supply of family-oriented housing.
For Candlestick, however, the immediate significance is more concrete: construction has finally started on the first phase of a redevelopment that could ultimately bring 7,200 homes and a major new employment district to the southeastern edge of San Francisco.
The Candlestick development adds another major housing project to California’s push to expand affordable housing and make use of underutilized land. Elsewhere in the state, six new affordable housing developments are planned on underutilized state-owned sites, with the projects expected to create at least 843 homes. Together, these developments highlight the scale of California’s efforts to increase housing supply while bringing new residential projects onto publicly controlled land.
Factsheet: Candlestick Waterfront Community
- Location: Bayview, San Francisco, California
- Developer: FivePoint
- Site area: Approximately 270 acres
- Total homes: 7,200
- First-phase homes: Approximately 700
- First-phase affordable homes: 314
- Commercial space: Up to 2.8 million square feet
- Innovation district: Yes
- New city blocks: 60
- Parks and open space: Approximately 100 acres
- Public waterfront: 2.5 miles
- First-phase footprint: Seven city blocks
- Planned uses: Residential, commercial, retail, restaurants, hotel and entertainment
- Infrastructure: New roads, utilities and water-system improvements
- Construction status: Groundbreaking completed; first phase moving into construction
- Former site: Candlestick Park stadium
- Former sports tenants: San Francisco Giants and San Francisco 49ers
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