Treasure Island Plan Approved

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a massive redevelopment project for Treasure Island yesterday. Featuring 8,000 new housing units in a cluster of high rise buildings, the centerpiece will be a 450-ft tall tower that will dwarf Yerba Buena Island. Fifteen years in the making, the plan includes housing for an estimated 19,000 new residents, plus over 300 acres of park and open space, a 400 slip marina, grocery store, and school, all of which will be built over the next 20 to 30 years. According to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle, "a seawall will guard against sea level rise and possible tsunamis."

As a concept the $1.5 billion project has merit — it’s intended to be a very green development — but the practical considerations seem to have been a little whitewashed. For one, a presumed reliance on public transportation, cycling, and a new ferry terminal seems naïve, and we can’t help but think this will turn the bridge into even more of a parking lot than it already is. As for seawalls protecting against sea level rise and tsunamis . . . just ask Japan how that worked out. And perhaps more fundamental is the question of who would want to live in what will reliably be the absolute coldest, windiest zip code in San Francisco during the summer? And the idea of squeezing in a 400-slip marina without negatively affecting one of Bay’s favored anchorages or the Treasure Island Sailing Center’s training ground — and let’s not mention the massive amount of dredging that would be needed to get boats in those slips — seems optimistic, to say the least. But who knows what the future of the project will hold? There are undoubtedly many moving parts that will likely be adjusted down the line.

Do you have any strong feelings either way? If so, we’d love to hear about them.