Challenge:

Sustainably redevelop a 700-acre contaminated infill site, located between San Francisco and the Silicon Valley.

• The site spans two separate jurisdictions, with both San Francisco and Brisbane having approval rights over different portions of the project, necessitating two separate entitlement processes and CEQA reviews.
• The project requires the closure of a 300-acre land fill and a 200-acre rail yard.
• The community requires a sustainable design that creates or stores all necessary electricity on site.
• Site requires over $800M in remediation and infrastructure.
• The San Francisco market has the highest construction costs in the US.
• The SF Bay area is the most difficult entitlement environment in the US.
• Independent water rights must be secured, along with systems to recycle and reuse all greywater.
• Negotiation of an Eminent Domain agreement is required with the California High-Speed Rail Authority.

Solution:

• Design a 100% electric community based on a 15-minute City plan to address entitlement challenges and create a compelling Unique Selling Proposition for marketing.
• Generate or store 100% of energy on-site.
• Create a mixed-use hub surrounding transit and create a walkable environment.
• Use scale to maximize sustainable features creating the largest Net ZERO community in the country.
• Weave 157 acres of parks and open space throughout the development.
• Capitalize on the regional housing crises to drive entitlement approval.
• Vary the residential densities to drive absorption and not overwhelm the market with any one product type.
• Create flexible office and lab environments that drive absorption and adapt to an ever-evolving market.
• Negotiate grants and subsidies to offset infrastructure costs.

Outcome:

• Full entitlements granted for 1,700 residential units in San Francisco.
• General Plan approval secured for 2,200 residential units and 7 million square feet of commercial space in Brisbane.
• Remedial Action Plan approved for the 700-acre cleanup.
• Co-development agreement finalized with CHSRA.
• Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) to be published in December 2025.
• Full entitlements expected by Q2 2026.