The SF Board of Supervisors put Amazon’s proposed Mission Bay fulfillment center in a two-year time-out, but that pause is now finished, and Amazon just unboxed their plans for the facility at Seventh and Berry streets.

It was back in December 2020 when online retail giant Amazon bought the 900 Seventh Street parcel from Recology for $200 million, which put the kibosh on Recology’s plans to build housing there. Amazon would announce plans to build a 650,000-square-foot sorting and delivery space at the Seventh and Berry streets location right across the tracks from Mission Creek, adjacent to the Design District, which would obviously bring a lot of trucks and vans into the neighborhood.

But the SF Board of Supervisors seemed more concerned with getting union jobs and concessions out of Amazon, and slapped down an 18-month moratorium on new parcel delivery sites. That legislation did not mention Amazon, but it was pretty obvious who they were targeting.    

Well, the 18 months of moratorium has ended, in fact, it is now two-and-a-half years since said moratorium was handed down. With that pause finished, the Chronicle reports that Amazon has submitted their plans to the SF Planning Department for the long-stalled facility. And Amazon seems to be going on offense, though it’s also a charm offensive that includes claims that the facility will greatly improve the neighborhood.

They’re throwing in a nice-sounding public park, what the Chronicle describes as a “13,700-square-foot public outdoor area,” which is likely what is seen on the right-hand side of the above photo. And they may even let a business not named Amazon operate out of the ground floor of the space. The Chronicle describes there being “2,500 square feet of ground floor commercial space” available, which may be made available to independent retailers. Notice also that the above photo generically says “Signage” at the top of a storefront space.

Since Amazon is not shy about plastering their smiley logo all over the proposed building, the fact that they’re promoting non-Amazon signage somewhere seems to indicate they may allow at least some other mom-and-pop business or restaurant into the space. (Or maybe it will just be a Starbucks, who knows.)  

You’ll notice the proposed warehouse is three stories tall. The second and third stories will be used by Amazon’s so-called “delivery service partners” to park, load, or charge their all-electric vehicle fleet. But we’ll note that the Chronicle describes those service partners as “independent delivery organizations that partner with [Amazon] to provide drivers,” so these do not sound like high-paying union jobs with much in terms of benefits. But hey, the place would also have solar panels and a “green roof.”

“From the beginning, we have been working closely with our neighbors, community groups, and the city to ensure all key stakeholders’ perspectives were able to provide feedback. Their valuable input has helped shape a state-of-the-art design that allows us to serve our customers faster and more efficiently with a focus on environmental sustainability,” Amazon’s director of economic development Ron Frierson told the Chronicle. “We aim to ensure this facility design fits harmoniously with the Potrero Hill neighborhood.”

These are just Amazon’s submitted plans; nothing is approved yet. The proposal still has to go before the SF Planning Commission, and yes, could end up being appealed to the same SF Board of Supervisors that put the moratorium on delivery facilities.

Related: Supervisors Slap a Moratorium on Parcel Delivery Sites, In an Obvious Shot at Amazon [SFist]

Image: SF Planning Department