Dogpatch Paddle & The Y

UPDATE: The Port Commission voted unanimously to authorize our proposal. We are currently in lease negotiations with the Port and will continue to work with the YMCA of San Francisco to move towards activating Building 49 and our services in Crane Cove Park asap..

ORIGINAL POST: Sing it with me people… YMCA it’s fun to stay at the… Yup I went there. And I’m singing loud and proud because it’s finally time to pull back the curtain on the partnership and plans for Building 49. I’ve held my tongue for months, planning, strategizing, grinding out the proposal together with the amazing teams at the YMCA of San Francisco, Foster + Partners Architects, and Associate Capital, the generous organizing and driving-force behind our efforts.

So, here it is. We’re still awaiting thumbs-up/down vote by the Port Commission, and then lease negotiations to hammer out the details. The YMCA of SF and Dogpatch Paddle, along with Daily Driver submitted our proposal on June 9th for a multi-use water sports, fitness, wellness, community-driven facility. We were informed that we won the scoring process in August by the selection committee. In the subsequent public meetings there has been overwhelming, unanimous support for our proposal. We’re excited to finally share some of the details with you. Below are conceptual renderings and details on the partnership. Please note that this is all merely conceptual and may not be reflected in the final project plans. All renderings were designed by Foster + Partners.

Design

Generally speaking, we seek to reclaim the scale and light-filled openness of the building from the days when Building 49 played an active role in the shipbuilding industry as the galvanizing shop. Our unrivaled team of consulting architects and engineers went back to historic schematics and photographs for design inspiration, which you can see above. Marc Guberman, a partner with internationally recognized Foster + Partners, and a Dogpatch resident, led the design process. He painstakingly dove into the history of the building and its role in the shipbuilding process to develop this gorgeous concept.

Layout

Dogpatch Paddle will occupy the water-facing side of he building. Essentially all of our existing services would be scaled and moved into the the new space. We will have more room for storage, equipment maintenance, and offices. The rear protrusion would be our “Rental Shack” which would provide walk-up access to boards and kayaks. We will expand our lessons, have more gear for rental, and have great plans to expand our camps starting next summer. What a joy it will be to finally have all of our gear in the park itself (those of you who have seen us rolling the boards in and out for camp every day can appreciate our relief).

The YMCA of San Francisco will occupy the heart of the building, with a fitness and wellness annex that includes: cardio machines on the North side facing the water and city views; weight equipment on the south side, opening up to the park; gender-neutral lockers and showers in the center of the building; and an open studio in line with the overhead gantry crane & large open doors are to allow airflow, light, and the outdoors to spill in. The plan is to program based on the needs to the community and we will be reaching out soon to get your input and feedback on what you’d like to see in the space.

Daily Driver The beloved Dogpatch coffee and bagel shop will occupy the southwest corner of Building 49 with a health-oriented menu that includes our signature wood-fired bagels, house-roasted coffee drinks, smoothies, sandwiches, salads, and juices.

Programming

The concept for Building 49 partners the YMCA of San Francisco’s mission to build strong kids, strong families and strong communities with Dogpatch Paddle’s community-centered human-powered water sports. The service partnership incorporates facilities and programs for holistic aquatics, fitness and wellness, including community outreach and engagement to expand access to underserved populations.

YSF will construct a state-of-the-art community wellness center that includes traditional gym amenities like cardio machines, weights, 20+ group exercise classes each week as well as gender-neutral locker rooms, onsite wellness coaching, health education classes, and personal training. The zero carbon design will reflect our environmental health values. We will offer our inclusive, sliding scale membership packages, and targeted aquatics programming, in partnership with Dogpatch Paddle. Additionally, drawing from our community wellness experience (including our African American Holistic Wellness program based at the Bayview YMCA and our Department of Public Health partnerships), we will provide trauma-informed community wellness programs and workshops that address critical health disparities in the community.

Dogpatch Paddle will relocate and scale our human-powered watercraft rentals, lessons, classes, youth programs, and retail storefront, which features equipment sales, healthy provisions, and beach essentials. We will offer drop-in services, monthly memberships, as well as combined aquatics & fitness packages, in partnership with the YMCA.

Community
The partnership between the YMCA of San Francisco and Dogpatch Paddle will provide access to water sports activities to the broadest possible range of participants. By leveraging the reach of the Y with the on-water resources of Dogpatch Paddle, we will facilitate opportunities for under-resourced communities to enjoy Crane Cove Park and the Southern / Central Waterfront, from the water.

The YMCA of San Francisco is deeply embedded in communities among the most deeply impacted by structural inequality and racism. Foundational to our approach is our belief in community-centered solutions and the value we place on community dialogue. Through culturally, linguistically, and gender responsive practices, we ensure that people who have historically been impacted by structural inequality have both access and voice in our programs. Community-based staff are essential to our work. Our staff live and work in the communities we serve, and the shared understanding and experiences allow them to build rapport with the young people we work with and create the safe and trusting spaces conducive to positive youth experiences.

The YMCA of San Francisco has historically been one of the largest employers in the city and a significant employer of young adults; for many of our membership and youth development staff, the Y is their first professional experience. Additionally, our workforce development programs provide job readiness, skill building and job and internship placements for underserved youth.

As an organization, YSF is committed to diversity and inclusion at all levels. We maintain an agency-wide diversity and inclusion committee which advances inclusive internal policies including job development for underrepresented groups in leadership positions. The Y is committed to staff professional development and has invested significantly in training and mentoring programs within the Y to ensure that we can retain and promote diverse staff. We have partnered with the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) and Trauma Transformed to adopt the Trauma Informed Systems (TIS) model for organizational change.

From day one, Dogpatch Paddle has sought to expand the reach of water sports beyond those with means and privilege. Simultaneous with the launching of our summer camps programs, we enlisted our club members to create a scholarship program for deserving families. We have successfully awarded numerous scholarships.

We have also created key partnerships for programming free mini-camps with community organizations for under-resourced communities. This summer we operated free Saturday lessons with various Bayview nonprofits and KEEN (Kids Enjoy Exercise Now), bringing disabled athletes to learn to paddle board with our coaches. All of the money raised for these programs is coming from our club members, generous donors, and our revenues from other programs.

This is just a taste of what we have in store. I hope that you are as excited as we are about the future of this park and Building 49. I could not have imagined a better parter for our objectives than the Y. No other organization would be able to bring a history of community development and DEI with such immediacy. Our goals for inclusivity with Dogpatch Paddle will be met immediately upon execution of this project and partnership. Now let’s get to work…