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Comments Sought for Treasure Island Redevelopment

By Andrew Chow
AsianWeek Staff Writer

With a draft proposal for the redevelopment of Treasure Island on the table, the agency overseeing the island’s redevelopment is seeking public comment on the proposed plans.

Public comment is welcome at meetings of the Treasure Island Development Authority and the island’s Citizens Advisory Board during the next three months. The next meeting is scheduled for Aug. 13 at the Latino Community Room at the Main Library, 100 Larkin St., at 6 p.m.

Developers last week unveiled plans for housing, retail and greenspace on the 403-acre island in San Francisco Bay, connected to the city by the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.

Plans by Treasure Island Community Development LLC (TICD) call for 2,800 housing units — 935 of which will fall under “affordable” pricing — along with two hotels and space for grocery stores, medical services and bookstores, at a price of more than $300 million.

More than 200 acres on Treasure Island and neighboring Yerba Buena Island would be set aside as greenspace, said Jay Wallace, project manager with TICD.

The city’s Asian Pacific American communities should keep abreast of the redevelopment process, as it represents the birth of the city’s newest neighborhood, said Claudine Cheng, chair of the development authority’s board of directors. Nearly one-third of San Francisco’s 775,000 residents are of Asian and Pacific Islander ancestry.

Board member Doug Wong said he was excited about the draft plans, but said the redevelopment process has “a long way to go.” Much of Treasure Island — built as the site of an international exposition in 1939 and used as a Navy base until 1993 — must still be transferred to the city’s stewardship, with construction likely to begin in 2005 and continue for about 10 years.

“It’s really important because it’ll be a great link between the East Bay and San Francisco,” said Wong, director of the Port of San Francisco. “It’s a great site for people who want to live in an urban setting but not be in an urban setting.”

Details of the proposed plans are available at the Main Library and the Development Authority’s website, www.sfgov.org/treasureisland. The Development Authority, 410 Avenue of the Palms on Treasure Island, can be reached at 415-274-0660.