Environmental study begins
for Candlestick redevelopment

By Mike Aldax

July 1, 2007

An environmental impact study has begun on a proposal that would bring a new professional football stadium for the San Francisco 49ers along with homes and businesses to Candlestick Point and the site of former Hunters Point Shipyard, it was announced this week.

Consultant group EIP Associates/PBSJ, which was chosen to conduct the report by the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency, already began formal work on the study last week, according to a spokesman for Lennar Corp., the Miami-based company managing the redevelopment efforts.

The report deadline is mid-2009, the spokesman said. Along with a new football stadium, the redevelopment would include office space, a mix of market-rate and low-income housing, and two new waterfront communities at Candlestick Point and the site of the former shipyard.

"We have created a plan that provides much deserved housing and economic opportunities for people living in the Bayview Hunters Point neighborhood while providing he 49ers their best option to remain in the city where the team has created so many memories," said Kofi Bonner, president of Lennar Urban's Bay Area Division. "With the start of the EIR, San Francisco has signaled to the community and the 49ers that the redevelopment in these neighborhoods is a priority."

The conceptual plan would include a shoreline park and trail system combining the best features of Crissy Field and Golden Gate Park, Lennar said. The neighborhoods would feature pedestrian walkways providing direct access to recreational and natural areas.

The development proposal boasts better public transit for football fans and residents, including connections to Caltrain, light rail and bus rapid transit routes, according to Lennar.

The plan would also improve traffic flow and parking for game day, the company said.

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