San Francisco’s Pier 70 has for decades been lined with derelict and rundown warehouses, a blatant reminder of the city’s industrial past and a makeover is well overdue.

In light of the much-needed reconstruction of Pier 70, earlier this year, the port of San Francisco announced that it has selected developers, Forest City Enterprises, to embark on designing and re-constructing the former shipbuilding site.

Four different companies, including the architectural resources Group, Evan Rose, the California subsidiary of Cleveland-based Forest City and Forest City Enterprises, competed to be given the opportunity to redesign a site that is brimming with potential to be something outstanding.

Talking about the 25-acre former shipbuilding facility, Gabriel Metcalf, executive director of SPUR, an urban think-tank in San Francisco said:

“It’s a really extraordinary site but also an incredibly difficult site. It’s very exciting to have a serious proposal, developer, and process moving forward on this one.”

It has been reported that Forest City will present an official proposal for the actual redevelopment in early 2012, but that the architectural enterprise is dedicated to providing a vision of an “innovation cluster that combines high-quality office space with diverse and inspiring public amenities for the broader San Francisco community.”

It is within the plans for the redevelopment that the Pier 70 site would attract a cosmopolitan blend of businesses, including high-tech companies as well as artist’s studios.

Pier 70 is one of the largest ship repair yards on the west coast and the oldest operating civilian shipyard in the United States.

Redeveloping this huge waterfront location, which boasts numerous historic buildings, will be a huge challenge for everyone involved, but, when accomplished, promises to a multinational, multicultural and modern representation of the city of San Francisco.

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