Vanderbilt University Sharpens San Francisco Campus Search

A location for Vanderbilt University’s planned San Francisco campus is coming into focus.

The Nashville, Tennessee-based research university has been looking near Fifth and Mission Streets, with the forthcoming 5M Project mixed-use development in South of Market emerging as a favorite site, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Location details have been light, but the 5M site was discussed in connection to Vanderbilt’s plans to plant a flag in downtown San Francisco.

The San Francisco Chamber of Commerce identified the Fifth and Mission area as a potential site in a report sent to the offices of former Mayor London Breed and current Mayor Daniel Lurie. The chamber is working to help Vanderbilt get settled, said Rodney Fong, CEO and president of the chamber.

The study considered other locations downtown, including Salesforce Tower, the Embarcadero and Jackson Square, but “it really sort of arrived at the Fifth and Mission corridor for the core reasons of transportation,” Fong said.

Other opportunities in the area include the Old Mint building, the beleaguered San Francisco Centre mall and the Fifth and Mission Garage.

The 5M Project’s un-redeveloped properties include Hearst’s 110 Fifth Street, which has been approved for a 400-unit condo tower, as well as the San Francisco Chronicle building at 901 Mission Street. Other buildings include a 302-unit apartment tower at 434 Minna Street and a 640,000-square-foot office tower at 415 Natoma Street that has high vacancy.

The university reportedly hasn’t made a deal yet.

Vanderbilt has about 13,000 students and is trending toward coastal expansion, with hubs in the works in New York City and South Florida. Its planned $520 million campus in West Palm Beach received a $50 million donation from power player Stephen Ross of the Related Companies this year.

And in New York, it received approval last month for a 99-year groundlease with the General Theological Seminary in Chelsea.

Meanwhile, Vanderbilt is expanding in its hometown as well. It’s seeking developers for 40 acres it owns in Midtown Nashville for an innovation district.

— Chris Malone Méndez