Google is edging further onto the Embarcadero: after signing a long-term renewal last year, the company has moved into the ground-floor plaza at Hills Plaza, expanding its waterfront footprint. The shift gives the tech giant rare street-level exposure along the waterfront and could change how the block connects to the baywalk and nearby public plazas.
According to the San Francisco Business Times, Google signed a 10-year renewal in 2025 and is taking space in the ground-floor plaza at the two-building Hills Plaza complex. A company spokesperson confirmed both the renewal and the planned street-level expansion, the Business Times reported, though financial terms stayed under wraps. Today's story framed the move as part of Google's broader local real estate play.
How This Fits Into Google's San Francisco Shuffle
The expansion continues a reshuffle that started when Google chose not to renew roughly 320,000 square feet at One Market Plaza and shifted more workers and offices toward the Embarcadero. The Real Deal first reported major growth at Hills Plaza in January 2025, and Hoodline coverage tracked how the company was tightening its footprint along the south Financial District waterfront. The end result has been a denser corporate presence lining that stretch of the shoreline.
What the Street-Level Push Could Mean
Ground-floor frontage on the Embarcadero typically attracts cafes, pop-ups and other retail that keep sidewalks lively and draw more foot traffic. Local planning work to revive Embarcadero plazas is already underway, and Embarcadero Park materials and public plans show agencies and stakeholders are prioritizing activation of waterfront open space. Whether Google's expanded presence translates into new public amenities or becomes a more visible slice of corporate branding will hinge on tenant choices, building management decisions and city approvals.
Next Steps
The Business Times did not outline a construction timeline, spell out a tenant mix or detail lease economics. Industry filings and past reporting identify Morgan Stanley as the Hills Plaza owner, so any street-level buildout will move through coordination between the landlord, prospective tenants and city permitting, a process that can take months to surface in the real world. Hoodline will monitor public filings and notices for updates as they appear.
