Redevelopment of Treasure Island/Yerba Buena

Whose Islands Are These?

Treasure and Yerba Buena islands, known collectively as the former Naval Station Treasure Island, are soon to be transferred (for the most part) to the City of San Francisco. Both the natural YBI, with its remnant indigenous habitats, and the anthropogenic TI, created from mud and sand dredged from the bottom of the Bay, hold great potential for benefiting the Bay-Delta ecosystem and its human inhabitants.

Whether that potential is realized depends on a redevelopment process now underway, and more specifically on the outcome of the negotiations between the Treasure Island Development Authority Board of Directors (a redevelopment commission appointed by the Mayor) and the proposing private development team (Treasure Island Community Development, LLC).

Sierra Club members are needed to help assure that the public will benefit from the reuse of these islands.

Treasure Island Redevelopment - Let's Do It Right!

The redevelopment of Treasure and Yerba Buena Islands provides an unparalleled opportunity for San Francisco to become the "City that Knows How" in the realm of comprehensive, long-term sustainable development.

In March, the Treasure Island Development Authority (TIDA) the agency responsible for overseeing the redevelopment of the two islands and for assuring compliance with the Public Trust released a promising Draft Sustainability Plan for the development project. We applaud the DSP for its many forward-thinking provisions.

We believe, however, that the TIDA and the developer (Treasure Island Community Development, LLC) can and must do better if we are to realize the vision of a world-renowned model of sustainability. To make the new development truly sustainable requires smart land use planning, with most residential uses within a short walk (less than one half mile) of retail services and transit hubs. The current development plans are seriously flawed by the omission of any commitment to adhere to such clustered development principles and must be re-visited to incorporate specific goals to achieve compact development and smart transportation.

Club members have a chance to influence the development by insisting that the Draft Transportation Plan (to be released soon) and the revised Land Use Plan (expected out in September are based on the principles of smart growth. (For more information about TIDA and the currently available plans, go to http://www.sfgov.org/site/treasureisland_index.asp.)

TIDA and TICD need to take a fresh look at how best to maximize the clustering of residential units around a neighborhood-commercial core. They need to remain open-minded regarding the issue of ferry service while studies are conducted to determine whether ferries can be operated without enormous subsidies, and if so, how the location of the ferry terminal can support the best land use plan and generate the highest ridership.

Although the current plans mention the desirability of reducing automobile use, they lack a goal calling for the minimization of car ownership. Per capita car ownership in San Francisco is unacceptably high. If the land use and transportation plans for the islands are truly sustainable, many residents will gladly choose a car-free lifestyle, and that should be a major goal. Also, visitors should feel enticed by the prospect of safe, convenient, clean, peaceful and car-less means of getting to and around the islands. Unfortunately, the amount of space currently devoted to the private automobile (parking spaces and roads) is inconsistent with that picture.

Clustered development also reduces the area that must be served with utilities infrastructure, thereby facilitating energy conservation. We are pleased that a Distributed Energy System is being considered, and that a full range of energy conservation and on-site renewable energy provisions are discussed, but we await specific commitments. In addition, the redevelopment of TI/YBI affords an excellent opportunity to explore municipal power and community choice aggregation.

This fall, the Board of Supervisors and the TIDA are expected to review the Term Sheet that will direct future negotiations leading to the final plan for the islands. Now is the time for environmentalists to weigh in and demand the best a development that maximizes benefits to the residents, the public, the developer, and the environment.

What you can do:
Put yourself on the Club's email list to be notified of upcoming hearings and calls for action. Volunteer to do research, monitor meetings, write letters, review the EIR, analyze toxic cleanup documents, serve on the TI/YBI Citizens Advisory Board, etc.

For more info, please contact Ruth Gravanis <gravanis@earthlink.net>

TAKE ACTION!!

Speak up for sustainable development --Tuesday, July 26, 5:00 PM -- Public hearing on the Sustainability Plan for TI/YBI; SF Commission on the Environment, City Hall, Room 416.

Find out more about TI and YBI -- Thursday, July 28, 7:30 PM at -- SF Natural History Series, Ruth Gravanis to give slide presentation on TI history, YBI natural history, current opportunities for true sustainability on TI/YBI. At the Randall Museum - 199 Museum Way (off Roosevelt Way) in San Francisco.

Ongoing Areas of Activity