In Chase Center's shadow, a Mission Bay cafe faces the future

In Chase Center's shadow, a Mission Bay cafe faces the futureChase Center is now half-completed. | Photos: Jennifer Shields/Hoodline
Jennifer Shields
Published on July 12, 2018

The new arena for the San Francisco Warriors at Chase Center is half-constructed, but for merchants and residents in Mission Bay, it's still unclear how the 18,000-seat venue will alter the neighborhood's character.

Workers began constructing the multi-purpose venue in January 2017. A waterfront park with public plazas will surround the completed facility, which includes 100,000 square feet of retail and more than 500,000 square feet of office space.

Due to construction delays, Warriors fans won't be able to take the Central Subway to games until after the team starts the 2019-2020 season, but the facility is served by the T-Third light rail line, and a parking facility will accommodate 950 cars and 300 bicycles.

Last month, the Examiner reported that the city moved to lift advertising restrictions in the area to allow Chase Center to mount a large exterior video screen, along with an illuminated rooftop logo. This week, the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to rename a section of South Street "Warriors Way."

Not everyone is happy with the changes taking place, however.

Citing the potential for increased traffic, pollution and congestion near UCSF's  medical campus, opposition groups like the Mission Bay Alliance tried to block construction, but a judge in 2016 allowed the project to move forward.

Even at a January 2017 construction kickoff ceremony, many came to celebrate, but protesters were well-represented.

Victor Narvaez, general manager of Caffe Terzetto — about a thousand feet from the new stadium — told Hoodline that support for the entertainment complex is "fifty-fifty right now."

With AT&T Park a few minutes away, UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay, and new office space under construction, "the area is going to be highly impacted," he said.

Caffe Terzetto is directly across the street from Chase Center.

"I think the people who actually have roots here in Mission Bay, they don’t like it because of the rent [increases] and the traffic,” said Narvaez.

“The other people that just moved in are excited about it," since they no longer need to travel to Oakland Coliseum to see the back-to-back NBA champions, said Narvaez.

Caffe Terzetto, which chiefly caters to the UCSF community, is one of several area businesses preparing for an increase in customers, along with higher rents.

Inside Caffe Terzetto.

“I have been in talks with the owner, we’re going to revamp the menu a little bit," said Narvaez.

“We already anticipate the rent going up at least a little bit, so we’ve already made plans to address that issue," he said. "I don’t know how much it will go up. I know probably a lot more than the owner is expecting."