Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island will soon become one of the most environmentally sustainable, large urban development projects in the country. ULI members got an up-close briefing of development plans touring the islands by shuttle. Stephen Proud, Vice President of Community Development with Lennar Urban narrated the tour. Lennar along with Kenwood Investments and Wilson Meany Sullivan, comprise Treasure Island Community Development and this entity is in partnership with the Treasure Island Development Authority to bring the development to fruition. Stephen enlightened us with an overview of the various development phases in addition to revealing significant points regarding island history.
Built on the shoals of Yerba Buena Island during the 1930s, Treasure Island was constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers as the site for the 1939 World’s Fair. The fair commemorated among other things, completion of the Golden Gate and San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridges. Treasure Island was later established as a Naval Air Station. However, military operations were decommissioned in 1997 and the existing properties were converted into rental units, which are currently home to some 2,000 residents. Now Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island are undergoing massive transformation to become an energy-efficient community, including:
- 8,000 residential units, (housing and hotel)
- Approximately 300 acres of recreation and open space
- 20-acre organic farm
- 400-slip marinaNew ferry terminal
- Space for commercial and retail opportunities
- Adaptive use of historic structures
Some sustainable aspects of the project are established in the 465-acre master planned community, which calls for all residents to be situated within a 10-minute walk of all basic goods. In addition, the streets are set at a 68-degree, north-south angle to minimize wind exposure. These and similar features have earned the project’s master plan various honors, such as recognition by the Clinton Climate Initiative and The Governor’s Economic and Environmental Leadership Award. In addition, the development is slated to achieve a Gold certification under the LEED-ND Neighborhood Development program. The entire development is expected to cost $6 billion to build, with scheduled completion by 2022; although residents are likely to start moving in by 2013. During our tour of Yerba Buena Island, we were able to get a glimpse of the Bay Bridge East Span construction, which ULI toured last month. An added bonus was being able to view the Blue Angels as they executed practice runs over San Francisco Bay in preparation for the upcoming Fleet Week Air Show.
Authored by: Pam May, TechScribe Communications, Oakland.