In something that came as a surprise to few, the Exploratorium's move down the Embarcadero received the final approval it needed.
The San Francisco Chronicle's City Insider blog reports that Thursday night's Exploratorium hearing was a raging success, and that Bay Conservation and Development commissioners "heaped praise" on the project before unanimously approving it.
The move would bring the children's science museum to piers 15 and 17 on the Embarcadero, just across from Green Street, by 2012.
The Port, being short on money for the kinds of structural repair needed to put anything that's not an empty building on the piers, will allow the Exploratorium to rent Pier 15 for free for 50 years — in exchange for their doing all the necessary structural work.
According to City Insider, the only thing needed now for the project is building permits, though those would at most require modifications to the project, and can't stop the move. Board of Supervisor's President David Chiu said, "This is a project that is truly going to transform our waterfront."
· Exploratorium clears hurdles for waterfront move [SFGate]
· Exploratorium Gets Thumbs Up on Embarcadero Move [Curbed SF]
