News Releases
The latest news and announcements from Mayor London N. Breed

Mayor Lee Announces Completion of First Phase of Wholesale Produce Market Expansion With Good Eggs Relocation to Bayview

Farmers Market Meets Online Grocery to Open 56,000 Square Foot Space; Phase One Expansion Provides Good Paying Jobs & Supports Light Industry in San Francisco

Mayor Edwin M. Lee today announced that Good Eggs, a farmers market meets online grocery, signed an approximate 56,000 square foot lease at the San Francisco Wholesale Produce Market. Combined with the Mollie Stone’s Market lease Mayor Lee announced in October, the entire 82,000 square foot Wholesale Produce Market expansion – the first new Production, Distribution, and Repair (PDR) space in San Francisco in more than a decade – is now fully leased. 

“Good Eggs is a welcome addition to the Bayview Hunters Point and to the Wholesale Produce Market,” said Mayor Lee. “The Wholesale Produce Market expansion to full capacity shows that we must continue our focus on meeting the demand for more industrial space in our City. My plan to increase space for this industry will help more of our residents get the good jobs that this industry supports and help us keep a broad based and diverse economy.”

The new lease will house Good Eggs’ central operations and will serve as the distribution center for their Bay Area customers. Good Eggs staff will join the more than 650 full-time employees of the Wholesale Produce Market as a part of this vital fresh food hub.

“We are excited to be growing our business in San Francisco and look forward to joining the Wholesale Produce Market,” said Good Eggs Co-Founder and CEO Rob Spiro. “Good Eggs was founded in San Francisco with a mission to grow and sustain local food systems worldwide. We can’t think of a better place to grow our business than this 137 year old institution that has been supplying San Franciscans with fresh produce for generations.”

Located at 901 Rankin Street, the Wholesale Produce Market expansion adds 82,000 square feet of space to the Market’s current portfolio of approximately 300,000 square feet. Now under a new long-term lease since February 2013 for the City-owned land on which it is located, the San Francisco Wholesale Produce Market provides fresh produce to local and regional grocers, specialty and upscale retailers, restaurants, hotels, caterers and convention facilities. The Market currently houses 30 produce wholesalers and distributors in 10 buildings over an 18-acre site. It employs 650 full time employees and has a gross annual revenue of $500 million.

 

Under Mayor Lee’s leadership, the City entered into a long-term, 60-year master lease agreement and expansion plan with the San Francisco Wholesale Produce Market in July 2012. The new lease envisions a $100 million expansion and renovation project, estimated to take 20 years to complete. The new warehouse at 901 Rankin Street represents the first phase of this expansion plan. The subsequent phases will improve the streets and roadways surrounding the Market, and eventually replace the Market’s existing sheds with modern warehouse structures. At full build-out, estimated in 2033, the Market will occupy up to 500,000 square feet, provide almost 1,000 well-paying jobs, and represent over $1 billion in direct, indirect, and induced regional economic impacts.

“For over 53 years, the San Francisco Wholesale Produce Market has successfully provided food infrastructure space for Bay Area companies.  We are extremely enthused that Good Eggs has chosen to base and continue to build their business with us at the Market” said Market Board of Directors President Larry Brucia. “As leaders in their sectors, Good Eggs and Mollie Stone’s Markets are the perfect fit for our new LEED-Gold expansion building.” 

In October, Mayor Lee also announced a five-point plan to preserve and grow local manufacturing and distribution businesses. The plan calls for building new industrial space on private and public sites, upgrading and preserving existing industrial space and retaining and growing industrial businesses. Mayor Lee’s five-point plan to add PDR space in the City and support the growth of PDR jobs and businesses is:

1. Build New PDR Space on Private Sites. Encourage the development of new industrial space on underutilized private sites, incentivized by newly passed legislation that allows the owners of vacant and underutilized space to develop new industrial space.

2. Build New PDR Space on Public Sites. Following on projects like the Produce Market and the planned Pier 70 development, the City will explore opportunities for the creation of industrial space on additional public sites. 

3. Upgrade Existing PDR Space. Encourage job-dense industrial uses in manufacturing and distribution over less intensive uses such as storage.

4. Preserve Existing Industrial Space. In addition to building new, modern and more efficient industrial space, it is important to support the success of existing PDR space in core industrial areas. The City will strengthen outreach to owners of industrial buildings and connect them to PDR tenants.

5. Retain and Grow PDR Businesses. Support the growth and success of San Francisco PDR business by continuing to provide a single-point of contact at the City for PDR businesses, funding technical assistance for PDR firms, and connecting PDR businesses to workforce and loan programs. The Mayor will announce new initiatives to drive business to local PDR firms and focus on key PDR industries including the Food and Beverage sector.