Mission Bay is a 303-acre mixed-use neighborhood located on the central bayshore of San Francisco, bounded by Townsend Street on the north, San Francisco Bay on the east, Mariposa Street on the south, and Interstate 280 on the west. It was created in 1998 by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors as a redevelopment project. Much of the land was railyard and warehouses owned by Southern Pacific Railroad Company. When Southern Pacific was bought by Sante Fe Railroad, Sante Fe established a real estate arm, and that division was transferred to Catellus Development Corporation. Catellus subsequently sold or sub-contracted several parcels to other developers. In 1997, Catellus agreed to donate 29.3 acres to the University of California, and the City of San Francisco donated an additional 13.3 acres, which constitutes approximately 43 acres identified as the location for UCSF’s expansion site allowing the University to double its size and grow its research capability.
Click to launch Mission Bay Life Sciences Map
(374 KB)
Mission Bay is a direct beneficiary of the vibrant market in South San Francisco, and is also expected to be a national and international destination for successful life science entities, drawn by the world-class research underway at UCSF's new campus at the heart of this master-planned community. The master plan for the development will include 6,000 new homes, 28 percent of them affordable with subsidies generated by the project; six million square feet of office/life science/commercial space; a 43-acre, 2.65 million square foot UCSF research campus and hospital; 800,000 square feet of retail space; a 500-room hotel; a 500-student public school; fire and police station; and over 50 acres of public open space, including parks along Mission Creek and along the Bay.
In 1999, UCSF broke ground on its new campus, which will be built in phases over the next 15 to 20 years. At full build out, the campus will have 20 structures and contain 2.65 million square feet of program space. When completed, the campus will contain 20 buildings, employing over 9,000 scientists and technicians
Projects at UCSF Mission Bay:
Existing or currently under construction UCSF projects at Mission Bay include:
A six-story, 434,000 square-foot biomedical research facility, housing programs in structural and chemical biology and molecular, cell and developmental biology, as well as the Molecular Design Institute and the Center for Advanced Technology. The building features an atrium, outdoor amphitheater, a library and café.
A five-story 170,000 square foot research facility, housing programs in human genetics, developmental biology and developmental neuroscience, and the Center for Brain Development.
Byers Hall is a 150,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility which serves as the headquarters for the California Institute for Quantitative Biomedical Research (QB3). QB3 is a partnership between UCSF, UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz that will create powerful new techniques for manipulating vast amounts of biological data using quantitative and biomedical sciences. This integration of mathematics, physics, chemistry and engineering will lead to treatments for intractable diseases such as brain disorders, cancer and diabetes.
A five-story, 162,000 square foot building that will house research and development programs in neurological surgery, urology and cancer research. It will also house the UCSF Cancer Research Institute, whose 15 major laboratories investigate the basic biological mechanisms of cancer. Construction on this project is expected to be completed by 2008.
Services and Amenities:
Services and amenities offered to UCSF faculty, students and, in some cases, the neighboring communities
Mission Bay Community Center A four-story, 155,000 square foot building serving both the UCSF and neighboring communities for recreation and conferences. The building houses:
A 63,000 square foot fitness center with indoor and outdoor pools, full selection of cardio & weights, group exercise studios, family changing rooms, drop-in child care, climbing wall, basketball, racquetball & squash courts
Child care services are sponsored by UCSF and operated by Marin Day Schools, a nonprofit organization. This center serves approximately 80 children daily, ages three months to five years.
Byers Hall is a 150,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility which serves as the headquarters for the California Institute for Quantitative Biomedical Research (QB3). QB3 is a partnership between UCSF, UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz that will create powerful new techniques for manipulating vast amounts of biological data using quantitative and biomedical sciences. This integration of mathematics, physics, chemistry and engineering will lead to treatments for intractable diseases such as brain disorders, cancer and diabetes.
Additionally, UCSF is planning to provide 160 units of affordable housing for staff just north of the Mission Bay campus.
The Mission Bay campus includes two parking structures: A 600-car garage adjacent to the community center is now fully operational, and a second parking structure for 820 vehicles along 3rd Street, near the housing complex.
The University of California San Francisco provides free shuttle services to the UCSF community between all major campus locations on a regular schedule Monday through Friday between 7 am - 8 pm (excluding campus holidays). Some shuttles pick up after hours and on weekends.
Public Art Works
UCSF launched a public arts program at the new Mission Bay campus to create a visually stimulating environment and a permanent legacy to the city. The program is supported by a pledge of non-state funds equal to 1 percent of new construction costs, as other major universities have done across the country.
Open space
The UCSF Mission Bay campus includes Koret Quad, a 3.2-acre space designed to serve as an informal, landscaped gathering place for the public as well as faculty, staff and students. The entire campus will have at least eight acres of publicly accessible open space upon completion.
J. David Gladstone Institutes
A 180,000 square foot lab research facility focused on research in virology and immunology, neurological disease and cardiovascular disease. The J. David Gladstone Institutes is an independent, non-profit biomedical research institution formally affiliated with UCSF holding university appointments and participating in many university activities, including the teaching and training of graduate students.
The headquarters of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), is located at 250 King Street on the north side of Mission Bay. The new agency was established in 2004 by California's Proposition 71, which authorized it to issue $3 billion in grants, funded by bonds, over ten years for embryonic stem cell and other biomedical research. It is claimed to be the world's largest single backer of research in stem cells, and is expected to speed the progress of the pioneering field.