The ambitious bid by one of the country’s top research universities to expand into downtown San Francisco appears to have focused on a signature block that’s struggled with vacancy, despite a longstanding plan to revitalize it.
Sources with insight into the effort have confirmed that Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., has been evaluating the area around Fifth and Mission streets for its planned satellite campus, and that the 5M mixed-use project — including the Chronicle’s historic headquarters building at 901 Mission St. — could be the desired destination. New York-based Hearst Corp. owns the property as well as the Chronicle and SFGATE, which is also headquartered at 901 Mission.
City officials confirmed to the Chronicle earlier this year that they’re in serious talks with Vanderbilt about opening a downtown campus, a move aimed at tackling soaring vacancies and diversifying San Francisco’s core. So far, details, such as where the campus would be located, have remained elusive…