SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Vanderbilt University is in talks with the City of San Francisco about potentially opening a campus downtown, a university spokesperson confirmed to News 2's sister station KRON4. The news was first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle.

"Our administration is working every day to create a clean, safe, and thriving downtown -- one that draws peoples, businesses, and investments back to our city," said San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie in a statement. "As I said during my campaign, welcoming a world-class university like Vanderbilt to our city would bring new energy and foot traffic downtown, and we will continue working to make that happen."

A spokesperson for the university confirmed that talks were underway, telling WKRN's sister station KRON4, "Vanderbilt is always exploring new opportunities to expand our impact and further our mission. We recognize the long-term global leadership of San Francisco and its ever-growing potential, defined by a vibrant culture, dynamic innovation ecosystem and the talent drawn to its leading technology companies and top caliber arts and cultural institutions."

"This powerful combination is why we are optimistically exploring the possibility of establishing a presence downtown, working closely with Mayor Daniel Lurie and his team," the spokesperson added.

Vanderbilt University has already expanded with growth initiatives in New York City and West Palm Beach, Florida.

News of the talks comes as downtown San Francisco is still struggling to fully rebound from the pandemic. The rise of remote work along with the demise of brick-and-mortar retail have left vacant storefronts and half-empty offices throughout SF's one-time financial and retail center.

Mayor Lurie's predecessor, former Mayor London Breed, once floated the idea of bringing a soccer stadium to downtown SF.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/nashville/vanderbilt-possibly-expanding-sf/