More than two decades ago, the developers building out Mission Bay constructed an elegant cafe space with floor-to-ceiling windows at 290 Channel St., on the shores of Mission Creek. On Aug. 1, 2026, it finally opened for business.
On a recent weekday, the cafe — the first San Francisco location for Zocalo Coffee, a local chain — was bustling, selling coffee, house-made croissants and scones, and generally functioning as the third place that it was built to be more than 20 years earlier.
But if it wasn’t for the efforts of a group of neighbors, the pavilion might have remained closed for another decade or more.
Empty from the early 2000s on
The Mission Creek Park Pavilion was one of the earliest structures built following the finalization of the Mission Bay redevelopment plan in 1998, by the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency.
While the building isn’t present in the original plans, a 2004 article in Landscape Architect magazine cited goals to create “a sanctuary from the elements on windy days while retaining a nice view over the creek and into the city skyline.”
The building was officially formalized in 2001, according to San Francisco building inspection records, obtained a food and beverage handling license in 2002, and was officially issued a certification of completion in 2003.
But there are no signs that any attempt was made to lease the space. If there were attempts, there might not have been interest: At the time, much of the area around the park was vacant lots and construction sites.
Bettina Cohen, who moved to Mission Bay in 2011, remembers the pavilion being used as storage by the Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure.
Still, said Cohen, the former park management company, Parklab Open Space Management contracted by the city, treated the pavilion as a community space, allowing local groups to use it free of charge.
During events like the annual Great Backyard Bird Count each February, Cohen said, the pavilion was full of birders drinking coffee, tallying numbers and discussing what they’d seen.
“When we needed it, it was there for the community,” Cohen said. “And then suddenly, we couldn’t use it anymore, and it was sitting empty most of the time.”
Pavilion joins the city park system
The problem began, said Cohen, when the Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure transferred the pavilion and the rest of the completed Mission Bay open spaces to San Francisco’s Recreation and Parks Department.
This was all part of the long-term plan for Mission Bay, but it wasn’t supposed to happen until 2046.
The Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure was created to finish already-approved redevelopment projects after the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency — and all 400 of California’s local redevelopment agencies — were dissolved in 2012. Once finished they would then go to the relevant city agencies.
But in 2023, the office decided to start the handoff process early, leading to the Mission Bay Parks Agreement. Day-to-day operation and maintenance of Mission Creek Park, its pavilion, and the rest of the completed Mission Bay open spaces shifted to the parks department.
Rec and Parks had different plans for the pavilion, and stopped letting groups use it for free.
Documents obtained by Mission Local show that there was a $76 reservation fee, a $102 hourly fee (four-hour minimum), a $50 fee for using the patios, and a $26 staffing fee (four-hour minimum), meaning that a four-hour-long event would cost a minimum of $484, not counting the refundable security deposit of $250.
To Cohen, this was unacceptable. Community groups that held free events would now have to charge, or ask for donations.
“I don’t think anyone should have to feel pressured into ‘donating’ for a little camaraderie,” Cohen said. Despite some fees being waived for community members, they still had to pay the reservation and staffing fee.
Neighborhood fights back
Cohen found an ally in Bill Holt, president of the Mission Creek Harbor Association, another local group that had used the pavilion to hold its meetings. The two began to research how often the pavilion was being used after 2023 when it became a rental-only space.
Their conclusion: The pavilion was rented out 19 times from July 2023 to February 2024, about three times a month. Otherwise, the space was vacant.
Official numbers from Rec and Parks show that between July 2023 and February 2025, the building was rented 49 times, about two to three times a month. It generated $29,980 in rental fees.
“We regularly work with nonprofit organizations and community groups to reduce or waive rental fees when appropriate,” Daniel Montes, the parks spokesperson wrote in a statement to Mission Local.
“However, we do still need to charge for staff time to open the facilities, monitor the events and close the facilities afterwards. This is a standard, department-wide reservation policy.”
Armed with these numbers, Holt reached out to District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey. Bryan Dahl, one of Dorsey’s aides, researched the pavilion’s history and searched for a compromise between the community groups and Rec and Parks.
In 2024, two site visits were held between Rec and Parks, Dorsey’s office, and community members to explore how a tenant could “activate” the space.
That led to an idea: persuade Rec and Parls to lease the pavilion to someone who would operate it as a cafe, as originally intended.
Zocalo enters the chat
On Feb. 26, 2025, Rec and Parks issued an official request for proposals to lease the pavilion as a cafe. One of the people who noticed was Sara Ubelhart, owner of Zocalo Coffee, a San Leandro-based coffeehouse and roaster.
“Mission Bay is a perfect fit for what we see as the vision of Zocalo Coffee,” said Dan Grace, Ubelhart’s husband. Zocalo often let community groups use their space at their other locations, he added.
“We want to be a community facilitator, and be very inclusive and welcoming to diverse people from all walks of life. Whether they want to grab a coffee or pastry, hold meetings or presentations.”
That helped navigate the “community engagement” phase of the leasing process. After filing its application in April 2025, they were approved later that year, and began building out the cafe space, adding countertops and custom cabinetry, sinks and back-of-house workstations, and coffee and food prep equipment.
Even before officially opening, Zocalo began opening its doors for neighborhood meetings and events.
In the future, said Grace, the cafe hopes to extend its hours and obtain a liquor license for evening operations.
Finally opening the cafe was the right move, Dahl said.
“I agreed with the constituents who reached out,” he said. “If it wasn’t for their advocacy, this never would have happened.”
For Holt, getting to this point is bittersweet. “I’m proud and happy there’s finally something here,” he said. “But I’m also a little sad. God that was a lot of work. But I guess this is just the way shit gets done in the city.”
