The ground on the Port of San Francisco’s James R. Herman Cruise Terminal at Pier 27 was officially broken on February 1 with a ceremonial mechanized punch through the roof of Pier 27, arranged by the City, Port and Event Authority officials. The cruise terminal and its surrounding area will represent a part of the America’s Cup Race Village in 2013, which will be the centre of activity, along with Pier 29, for the Louis Vuitton Cup and America’s Cup Finals.
Breaking ground on the Port of San Francisco’s James R. Herman Cruise Terminal at Pier 27
“We could not be more proud that the America’s Cup has enabled this long-awaited project to finally get off the ground after two decades; now we can see the economic impacts of the America’s Cup really begin to flow into San Francisco,” said Tom Huston, Chief Commercial Officer, America’s Cup Event Authority. “We are committed to delivering the best sailors on the fastest boats and showcasing the Bay Area on the world stage, and we are excited about this next phase, where we can really begin the hard work of preparing for the races later this year and in 2013.”
The Cruise Terminal project budget is estimated at $92 million, with approximately 600 jobs for various trades throughout construction. The terminal, an 88,000 square foot, two level facility, is slated to achieve LEED silver certification.
“The hard work by our partners across the City and at the America’s Cup Event Authority and Race Management, as well as by the America’s Cup Organizing Committee, combined with community input, has been key to ensuring that the 34th America’s Cup will be the most sustainable, exciting and financially sound series of events in San Francisco history,” said San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee.
The cruise industry in San Francisco generated almost $40 million in 2011, with an average contribution per home-ported vessel call of $1.2 million. The cruise industry supports San Francisco’s robust top tourism industry but also maritime industries such as tug and tow operators, bar pilots, ship suppliers and longshore workers.
“I applaud the Supervisors and all our community members, for recognizing the high-quality work that has gotten us to this point in a very timely and transparent process,” San Francisco Organizing Committee Chairman Mark Buell.
“I also thank our partners at the America’s Cup Event Authority and America’s Cup Race Management, for their hard work in helping us get to this point. These remarkable achievements will be reflected in the events as well as the legacy projects, such as the cruise terminal, for San Francisco.”
