Brookfield Properties filed plans for a $2 billion project to turn San Francisco’s Stonestown Galleria mall and its sea of parking lots into a new west side neighborhood, setting in motion a development that may consume the better part of two decades.
The New York firm, which owns the 41-acre site at 3251 20th Avenue, aims to build about 2,900 homes as well as stores, offices and open space, according to a preliminary project assessment that it filed late last month with the city’s planning department.
The move marked the start of a planning and environmental review process that’s expected to last about two years. Then, if the proposal gets the city’s blessing, Brookfield would build a new neighborhood around Stonestown during the next 15 years, according to its application.
The application process resembles “the start of a marathon,” said Jack Sylvan, senior vice president of development at Brookfield Properties, in an emailed statement. “We’re excited about filing this master plan concept because it represents more than two years of work and prodigious feedback from the community.”
The 775,000-square-foot shopping center takes up 11 acres of the entire site, anchored by Target, Regal Cinemas, Sports Basement and, by the end of this year, Whole Foods. It includes more than 100 other shops and restaurants.
The mall would be incorporated into the project as its centerpiece. Its largest component would be 2,930 housing units in buildings ranging from three to 18 stories high. Brookfield intends to offer rental, for-sale, market-rate, and affordable homes, although the number accessible to tenants with low or moderate incomes hasn’t yet been specified.
About 90 percent of 400,000 square feet of additional new space will be offices and stores. Retail will mostly be on the eastern side of the site on 20th Avenue, which Brookfield intends to transform Into a pedestrian-friendly main street from a roadway that’s now better suited for vehicles.
The west side would be a relatively quieter place where residents and shoppers can gather at a town square and park. The project contains six acres of publicly accessible parks, plazas, and open space.
Brookfield plans to build up to 3,700 parking spaces, about 300 more than what’s there today.
SITELAB urban studio is leading the master planning effort. It’s also overseeing master planning efforts for some of the Bay Area’s largest mixed-use developments, including Google’s 80-acre transit village in San Jose and the 5M project in downtown San Francisco, a joint venture between Brookfield and the Hearst Corporation.
Other members of the Stonestown redevelopment team include Einwiller Kuehl Landscape Architecture, David Baker Architects, transportation consulting firm Fehr & Peers, and Carlson, Barbee & Gibson Inc., a civil engineering firm.
UPDATE: This story has been updated to add that the mall will be the project’s centerpiece.