Treasure Island Plan contains huge strides toward sustainability

In early November the development team negotiating a redevelopment plan for Treasure and Yerba Buena Islands (Treasure Island Community Development LLC or "TICD") unveiled a new land-use concept for the islands - one that greatly advances the development's potential to become a model for sustainability!

Previous versions of the plan have incorporated some of the earth-friendly measures that the Sierra Club and other organizations have been advocating, such as stormwater-treatment wetlands and a number of green-building measures, but they had a major deficiency: despite TICD's stated intent "to maximize transit use as well as pedestrian and bicycle access and to minimize the use of the private automobile," the earlier site plans would have spread out housing and businesses to a degree that would have encouraged driving.

The major new improvement is in walkability: 90% of the dwelling units would be within a 10-minute walk of the transit hub and retail-commercial core. While the changes by themselves do not solve the transportation problems, they lay a groundwork for the creation of a "car-minimal" oasis, where residents can choose a car-free lifestyle, and visitors can enjoy the safety, clean air, and peace and quiet of a public resource not dominated by the car.

Between 3,500 and 5,500 dwelling units would be clustered within 3/4 mile of a west-side ferry terminal, just a 10-minute ride from the San Francisco Ferry Building. Adjacent to the new ferry dock - set into a harbor excavated out of the island (making the Bay a bit bigger) - would be a weather-protected, open-air shopping area with bike and pedestrian access down the middle. The translucent roof would be embedded with photovoltaic panels.

The greater density with a smaller footprint (the previous plan had called for only 2,800 residential units, with 13 acres less open space) was accomplished by adding up to four mid- to high-rise residential towers, one of which would replicate in concept the iconic Tower of the Sun built for the 1939 - 40 Golden Gate International Exposition. These buildings are proposed to be slender, with solar panels on their southern faces.

The 260 acres of open space on Treasure Island will provide a range of uses including sports fields, community agriculture, a sculpture garden, a native-plant nursery, and recreational paths, as well as the constructed wetlands and their associated wildlife-watching and interpretive opportunities. Vegetated windrows will help block the wind. The additional 70 acres of open space on Yerba Buena Island will remain mostly natural or naturalistic.

Other features of the TICD proposal include:

• a re-oriented street grid allowing for maximum solar exposure, better views of San Francisco's mainland, and the staggering of cross-streets to reduce wind impacts;
• unbundling of residential units from parking spaces - residents without cars will not have to pay for a parking space;
• the possibility of tidal wetlands;
• increased emphasis on renewable energy;
• a saltwater pool near Pier One, the battleship dock on the southeast corner where a second ferry terminal would be built when East Bay demand warrants it;
• an on-island sewage-treatment plant, producing recycled water for landscape irrigation and to enhance the stormwater treatment wetlands.

The significant strides in this Land Use Plan follow sustained criticism by environmentalists of earlier plans. The changes are evidence that TICD, the Treasure Island Development Authority and the Mayor's Office of Base Reuse were paying attention, and are hopeful signs that additional sustainability features can also be incorporated. Other important needed improvements include:

• a smart transportation plan;
• a commitment to achieve a "Platinum or Gold LEED" green-building rating;
• a comprehensive energy plan, including a distributed energy system; that is, one utilizing a network of locally interconnected electrical/heat generators controlled by the network to be complementary to but separable from the grid;
• a public-benefits plan to serve visitors of all income levels;
• ecological restoration on Yerba Buena Island, to begin as soon as possible;
• designated off-leash dog areas, with an enforcement plan;
• continued pressure on the Navy to do a thorough clean-up of its contamination;
• a tree-protection plan.

Smart transportation

The developer's next step is creation of a Transportation Plan, due for release in December or January. The compact Land Use Plan has sufficient density to allow auto-free development, but the proposed number of parking spaces indicates an expectation of a level of automobile use that would preclude real sustainability.

TICD's concept plan contains encouraging language about transit-oriented development, walkability, improved bus service, frequent ferry service, unbundling the payment for residential units from payment for parking spaces, free shuttles, CarShare pods, free bikes, pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly streets, and other positive measures. Without a marked reduction in number of parking spaces, however, these preliminary commitments fail to create a car-free, or even car-minimal, environment.

Also, to assure the most cost-effective transit, the Sierra Club has requested a study comparing the ferry to bus service, including total door-to-door travel time (walking, riding, and waiting), total operating subsidy per ride, initial capital costs, ongoing operations and maintenance, energy consumption per rider, fares, and expected ridership.

WhatYouCanDo

Write to:

Honorable Claudine Cheng, Chair
Board of Directors
Treasure Island Development Authority
Building One
410 Palm Ave.
Treasure Island
San Francisco, CA 94130.

Praise TICD for the great improvements in its new Land Use Plan, and ask the TIDA Board to make sure that the islands receive a correspondingly forward-thinking transportation plan. It should:

• reduce the number of parking spaces, both on- and off-street;
• charge market rates for all parking;
• reduce driving to and from the islands as well as on them, to minimize impacts on the Bay Bridge and its approaches; the message should be: "When you visit the islands, don't bring a car;"
• reduce per-capita car ownership;
• improve and extend bus service;
• include the proposed West Span Pedestrian/Bike/Maintenance Path;
• eliminate unnecessary roads;
• calm traffic (if there must be any);
• provide incentives to use transit; include the cost of transit passes in the cost of housing, and in the cost of hotel rooms.

For more information about the redevelopment of the islands, please visit the Treasure Island Development Authority's web site.

To volunteer for the San Francisco Group's Treasure/Yerba Buena Island Sustainability Campaign, please contact Ruth Gravanis at gravanis-at-earthlink.net

Ruth Gravanis