SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA — San Francisco’s shuttered downtown mall could get a surprising new tenant: an artificial intelligence operation.
A proposal for San Francisco Centre would combine computing facilities with offices and spaces open to the public. But the idea remains preliminary, and the developers still need to secure the property and navigate city approvals.
The San Francisco Chronicle first reported that Maryland-based KG Growth Partners contacted city building officials in June about permits for an AI data center at 845 Market Street, the mall’s former Bloomingdale’s space. As of October 16, no application to build a data center had been filed, according to that report.
For a property that once drew people downtown to shop in classy environs, it would be a dramatic change.
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The mall closed earlier this year after a long exodus of tenants. KG Growth Partners told The San Francisco Standard that it worked with a technology company to submit a bid for the entire property, including the former Bloomingdale’s.
The company behind the proposal has not been publicly identified.
There is a significant wrinkle in the data center description, however. The developers say the concept would include substantial space for people to visit.
Jared Krieger of KG Growth Partners told KRON4 that the potential buyer is an AI lab that would move its offices into the property. The plan includes a public exhibit demonstrating uses for artificial intelligence.
Computing equipment would occupy upper floors and areas away from public spaces. About one-third of the building would be dedicated to AI, with the remainder available for tenants, prioritizing local businesses, education and public-benefit uses, Krieger told the station. The concept also includes rooftop green space.
It’s a neat new model for data centers–situated in an urban location, and using the billions of dollars that pour into these facilities to fund lower cost offices (perhaps even housing?) for locals, rather than plunking the facility in a remote desert.
Those are proposed features, not confirmed tenants or an approved redevelopment plan.
And the timing presents another obstacle.
Mayor Daniel Lurie signed a 45-day moratorium on data center development on October 16, The Standard reported. The pause gives the Planning Department time to study the facilities’ impacts and develop rules governing them.
The Standard reported concerns from neighbors who want redevelopment to bring people back downtown. Fernando Pujals of the Mid-Market Business Association called for public-facing shops, food, arts, access to the dome and support for surrounding businesses if a data center moves in.
That makes the public portion of this proposal especially important. An exhibit, local businesses and gathering spaces could give visitors reasons to return — if those elements materialize.
For now, an AI operation is one possible future for the shuttered mall. A completed purchase, approved plans and a reopening date remain the milestones to watch.
