San Francisco's Golden State Warriors basketball team recently abandoned a 13-acre bayfront site along the Embarcadero at city-owned Piers 30-32 for the team's future arena. Instead, the team revealed, on April 22, a purchase deal for a privately held, 12-acre vacant parcel, 1.7-miles south in Mission Bay. The site is near but not over the bay.
The move followed two years of development that was plagued with rising costs and growing public concern, which prompted a referendum, this June, that requires a public vote on any waterfront development that exceeds the city's height restrictions. The proposed venue, designed by Snøhetta, had received a city variance for its 125-ft height—85 ft taller than the city limit.