San Francisco Dreams of Google or Tesla Building on the Water
Last month, it seemed that Google's mysterious barge project was heading to the great scrap heap in the sky. But hopes for the company's floating gadget shop lives on in San Francisco.
According to plans from the city's Port Department, San Francisco is considering having Google's barge dock beside a planned tech and food mall on Pier 29. The new development is being modeled after New York's Chelsea Market and London's Covent Garden, but with a signature techie twist.
While a food-themed market would hardly be unique and the Ferry Building is only a 15 minute walk away, one of the Port's concepts for Pier 29 includes a showcase for local wine, beer, spirits and coffee, perhaps with roasting on-site.
And in terms of a Design and Makers Showcase, they're thinking both big and small, with retail space for artists and artisans behind a high profile anchor tenant such as Tesla or Google, the later of which could possibly use the pier as a home base for the exiled Google barge.
Google's four-story barge, which was previously evicted from the Bay for failing to obtain proper construction permits, is only one idea being mulled by the Port Department. The city also is pitching a "Google Flagship Store" to open along the waterfront, similar to Apple's flagship retail store on Stockton Street:
The proposal also says Tesla is "receptive" to locations in which they can sell "tech more than autos," whatever that means.
It's unclear how advanced talks are with the companies, and if these proposals have any chance of taking root. While Pier 29 will begin leasing its redeveloped space this fall, San Francisco voters are notoriously sensitive about the waterfront and have already squashed two big developments in the area. Should the waterfront be leased to one of the most controversial companies in the city, pushback from progressives is all but certain.
We have reached out to the San Francisco Port Department for comment and will update the post if we hear back. To contact the author of this post, please email kevin@valleywag.com.