Transcripts For SFGTV Treasure 20240704

Island. The 402 acre Artificial Island was build by engineers from 1936 to 1937 on the neighboring buena island. 300,000 tons of rock was used to build a seawall around an existing sand ball then followed by filling the interior with dredge material from the bay which was consistent of modern sand. The federal government paid for construction ask three permanent buildings which would serve as a potential future airport. Treasure island was constructed at the same time as the bay bridge and it was a project of Works Progress administration to construct this island, which was initially used to host the Golden Gate International exposition. Carnival gone big. It was busy. It was going to become an airport after the exposition but it was turned over to the navy and turned over to a military base for the next 50 years. 1941, the United States army moved to Treasure Island as america prepared for world war ii. The island was a major training and Education Center with 4. 5 million personnel shipped overseas from triangle. After the war ended in 1945, Treasure Island was slalthed to be an airport slated to be an airport but aviation changed and the clipper were no longer in regular service, and the island was never developed as an airport. The navy continued their presence on Treasure Island. During the cold war years, the island was a myth Training Center and for military efforts throughout the pacific and asia. Personnel trained on and shipped from Treasure Island and supported military activities in korea, vietnam and the persian gulf. The base was listed for closure by the navy in 1993 and the city began a process in 1994 under the redevelopment agency, forming a citizens Reuse Committee to look at potentially plans for the island, islands future. After the base closed in 1997, the Treasure Island Development Authority was created to develop and implement a reuse plan. The navy has completed their environmental cleanup in that area and last week, the California Department of Public Health issued a radiology unrestricted recommendation for that portion of side 12. Its a big milestone for the project. The Treasure Island Development Facility was setup to implement the master plan that was adopted by the board of supervisors in 2011. Given the importance of housing in the city, both the affordable component and the market rate housing, we felt that it was important to review what the housing plan is at Treasure Island. The Development Facility and indiscernible that oversees the implementation of the master plan to make sure that the master plan, which was adopted by the board of supervisors and adopted by the city and after meeting, thats plan that the city approved. The members of the board was appointed by the mayor and the board of supervisors. [multiple voices] the indiscernible is very detailed plan. Looking at the ecological aspects of the island, looking at the geotechnical aspects of the island, but also making sure that there is an ongoing of development thats in keeping with what the original plan was, which is that we have up to 8,000 rooms of housing and theres retail and hotels. But also that there is open space thats created so its an overall plan that guides the whole development of Treasure Island and the buena island. Materials used during the construction of Treasure Island severely compromises the integrity to build structures. In todays geotechnical engineers standing, Treasure Island soil is being readdressed for soil stabilization for future development. A mechanical stabilization process is being used to consolidate the liquid fashion of the mud and sandy soil. Because Treasure Island is a manmade island, we have to do a significant amount of soil improvement before we can build new infrastructure and New Buildings on the island. In the foreground, you see here, its a process called surcharging we we import additional topsoil to simulate the dead weight of the future buildings to be constructed at that site. So this is causing bay mud that underlies island to consolidate over time and we can monitor that and as that consolidation primarily consolidation is complete, then this soil will be removed to the intended finished Floor Elevation of the new structures. [ music ] in the 1989 loma earthquake, the ground level of this island dropped by four inches. Pretty much uniform across the island. Loose sand material used to build the island, whether it gets hit by a seismic forces, the sand moves and consolidated. One of the processes to further stabilize the loose granular ground, a dynamic rate is used to densify the soil by High Frequency mechanical vibrations. The rig in the background has four hpiles that goes down through the upper 50 feet of sandy material and as they vibrate, they vibrate causing that san material to consolidate and settle so as we do that process, we observe about 18 inches in settlement so the ground level around that equipment will drop by 18 inches, so this causes that same type of event to happen through mechanical means rather than through a seismic event. The dynamic vibrant compaction rate vibrates the soil every four square meters and moved along to the next section. To further assure stability, tamping is followed around the site, compassion takes approximately three to four months to complete 12 acres. Once the compassion and tapping is done, its settled ask using laser alignments to assure a Level Service to build on. I think that every city when they have the opportunity to do something that is as large as Treasure Island because Treasure Island is five Hundred Acres and it depends on their needs at that time and in 2011 to now, the most important are thing for the city is housing. Theres two aspects to that master plan. One, was the new district for San Francisco. 8,000 units of housing, which is all levels of stability. The other indiscernible is 300 acres of open space and parks. And actually, its the largest addition to the park system in San Francisco since indiscernible 300 acres and this is a tremendous gift to the public, both the housing, which we desperately need in San Francisco as well as an open space and park system which really is going to be worm class and it will attract people in San Francisco but attract people locally as well as internationally. Cmg architecture was brought to the project once they award the agreement between the city of San Francisco and the United States navy. Cmg has earned National Recognition and numerous awards for merits and design, social impact and environmental stewardship. We were a part of the project in the beginning when the developer initially was awarded the exclusive negotiation agreement or the ena with the city and they partnered with the planning and Architecture Group and we joined that team to work with the developer around the city and community to come up with a plan for Treasure Island. So theres quite a lot of open space in the master plan and theres a couple of reasons for that thats pragmatic. One is that the amount of area that could be converted for private use on Treasure Island was very limited, actually it wasnt allowed at all because Treasure Island was previously public open waters and protected by the tidal and trust act to be redevelop for public use. But there was a land swap that was allowed and approved by the governor of california, governor schwarzenegger to be put on a public trust for a one to one swap to be taken out of the trust to be developed for private use such as residential and that amount of land was 89 acres which leaves a bunch more space that cant have housing on it and the question was, what to do with all of that space . There could be other public uses that allowed such as Conference Centers or museums or universities or things of that nature but what made the most sense for this location was to have more parks in a really robust parks and open space plan and thats what led us to the plan we have now. Planting strategies for Treasure Island and buena island are to maximize habitat value in the park areas wherever appropriate and where we can to create comfortable at the pedestrian scale. There are these diagonal lines that go across the plan that youll see. Those are wind row trees like you see in agricultural landscapes where they are tall tree thats buffer the winds to create a more calm areas down at the pedestrian scale. So of course, we do have some areas where we have play fields and surfaces where kids need to run around on and those will be either lawns or like you see in norm at sports field. Related to where the housing is on the island and its convenience to the walk to the transit hub, i mentioned were trying to create highquality pedestrian and the innovations of Treasure Island is called the shared public way and its a road that runs down the middle of the neighborhoods. Its a curbless street, cars are allowed to drive on it but pedestrian can walk down the middle of the street and the cars are to yield the rightofway for pedestrian and its intended for streets where theres a low traffic volumes and the traffic speeds are low so while car was allowed, theres not a lot of reasons for cars to go on that street but its to create a social street thats much more pedestrianfriendly and prioritizes pedestrians and bikes. One of the interesting things is working with all architects that have been designing buildings in the first phase to encourage them, to create architecture that welcomes people to sit on it. Its wlm like sticking its toe out and asking someone to sit on its toe so buildings integrate public seating and places for people to hang out at their base, which is really, the opposite of what you see often times in this city where theres defensive architecture thats trying to keep people off it. This is architecture thats trying to invite people to come and inhabit it at its base. Incorporated in the Landscape Architect of Treasure Island are wetlands, which are designed to factor in coastal Erosion Control from incoming Sea Level Rise and natural animal habitation and stormwater runoff treatment. Theres different kinds ever wetlands planned for Treasure Island and they have different purposes. They are stormwater wetlands thats treating the runoff from the island and filtering that water before its released to the bay to improve the Water Quality in the bay and the ocean and the first phase of the large wetland infrastructure is built on buena island to treat the storm water from buena island. We might see that when we go out there. There are tidal wetlands plan for the northern side of the island where the Sea Level Rise adaptation and flood protect for future Sea Level Rise is held back away from the edge of the island to allow Sea Level Rise to come onto the island to create future tidal wetland which is helpful for the bay in the future as we see sea level wise flood out existing wetlands and there are some natural vernal pool in the wetland thats captured rainwater and capturing certain habitat so theres three purposes of the wetland primarily around Water Filtration and habitat creation. Consumable sustainability was incorporated in the redesigning of Treasure Island. Innovative urban farming is included in the plans to foster economic viability, conservation of water, and to promote ecological sustainability. The urban farm is 20 island. And its a commercial farm to produce food. Its not community where the volunteers and neighbors grow their own, its commercially run to maximize the Food Production and that food will be distributed on the island. And interestingly, the urban farm is tied into the on island Wastewater Treatment plan which creates recycle use for water on the island so water used to grow the island will be a sustainable force and were trying to close the loop of water, food, and create a new model for sustainability. Part of the design for sustainable landscape was incorporate natural form water garden filtering systems, the first of three natural stormwater gardens is here on buena island. And a total of ten will be on Treasure Island. Water from storms, street runoffs from neighborhoods has the possibility to collect toxic materials as it makes its way back into the surrounding bay. This garden has been a model for future, natural filtering systems through out the bay area. Whenever a storm comes through, all of the water, you know, it lands on the streets, it lands on the top of the buildings, and at times it often collects a lot of heavy metals and greases and it needs to be cleaned and before sent back into the back. It goes into the pipes and stormwater drainage and put into our stormwater basin and then all of the plants and soil youre seeing in there, they are acting as a filter for all those oils and heavy metals and greases and all things thats coming off the roadways, coming off the development and so its treated here in the storm water basin and then its sent out into the bay as a clearer product and cleaner water which increases our Water Quality here and throughout the bay area. So the structure in the center of each basin is what we call the for bay. Thats the point at which the stormwater exits out of the storm drainage system and into the stormwater basin itself. So the for bay is shaped as almost a gate to kind of push all water out through the pipes, all of those rocks help to disburse it before its sent into the stormwater basin itself. The storm water basin was designed to fill up to the height of the berm of the side youre seeing here. So this is juncus and these are wellknown fresh water grasses found in any place around the bay area that you find standing water or in a drainage channel, youre going to find a lot of these junket species. This is a leave a lifter in the bio treatment. It soaks up a lot of water, to soak up the contaminants and heavy metals, so its kind of our backbone species. This one is called douglas siana and the common name is mug war. Its a beautiful plant but doing the heavy lift and pulling, those contaminants out of the storm water and pulling oil to help treat the water before its sent back into the system and back into the bay. This plant is known as salvia or hummingbird sage. It has a lot of habitat value in that its a strong pollinator plant. Obviously, you can see the pink and purple flowers which come up in the springtime and attracts a lot of hummingbirds, a lot of bees which help to pollinate the other species within the garden and throughout the rest of the island and all of those native plants. All of these plants are designed to be able to take a heavily inundation of water over a several day per like standing water for a long time. All of the plants can withstand that and honestly, thrive in that condition. So all of these were selected based on the ecological and habitat value but also their treatment and functional value for stormwater. This is super tiny. Its very much a big part of our design and master plan for the development of the island. It was a navy base and a lot of navy housing on this island specifically for around 80 years and during that time, a lot of innovative species were introduced on the island, eucalyptus, a lot of different european and algerians plants were on the island. We wanted to bring in the native eye college here on the island before the navy started to redevelop it and introduce some of those Invasive Species so the species youre seeing in this stormwater garden in the basin and the upland area was a part of those types of ecology s thats trying to be returned to this side of the island but different other spaces through out the islands development. So whenever we started this process, we identified a number of species of native plants that seem applicable to the ecology that were trying to grow. Theres 45 species, so a theres 15 species so they are hard to find in the nursery trade so we needed to grow it ourselves to achieve the biodiversity thats in the design here. As a part that have process, we brought on a Nonprofit Group called ledge, leg which is literacy for environmental justice. They grew those plants and put together the plant palates you see. Most of landscape was inundated with Invasive Plant species eradicating species and having the plan on buena island and Treasure Island. Literacy for environmental justice, a Community Volunteer Educational Program involved with restoring local habitats and preserving San Franciscos unique bio tie varsity, teamed up with the Redevelopment Group to grow the 50,000 native plants to to repopulate Treasure Island. The city of San Francisco set up meetings between leg and they came in with high expertise and urban design, and architecture, and Green Infrastructure, but they really hadnt worked with flytive plants worked with native plants at scale and they were also kind of scratching their heads, like how are we going to grow 50,000 native plants from remnant native plant populations. It was a unique partnership of figuring out what plants can grow, what plants will function in stormwater gardens. Not all native plants are ascetically pleasing to Landscape Architect, so we kind of worked around what plants are going to be pleasant for people, what plants are going to provide habitat, what plants are going to actually be able to sequester carbon, deal with erosion, preserve the island biodiversity as well as be able to manage all of these stormwater treatment on the island. Theres about 33 naturally occurring native plant species that survived the last one hundred years on yorba buena island. We were able to go in and get the seed and salvage plants in some cases, some of the Development Work that occurred was actually going to destroy native Plant Habitat and we went in before the bulldozers and before the roads were build and the new water tanks were installed and dig them up, divide them, hold them, of the 50,000 plants we grew 40,000 of them inhouse and the other ten, we had to rely on our partners to do it. With the 50,000 plants we did, we did 100 species and 95 of them are from the county of San Francisco. About the other five are from the state of california. But the other 95 species really are the native plants that have been here for thousands of years. We used Collection Sites such as angel island, the presidio had genetics for the projects in San Francisco. We used remnant Plant Habitats at Hunters Point and we used a lot of genetics from san bruno mountain. Just to collect and process all of the genetics was a twoyear process. And then it was about a two or three year process to grow all the species. This is the infamous its a low, growing sprawling native herb and its in the mint family and im rubbing my hands on this and its extremely aromatic. It feels like a flush of peppermint just came across my face. Its edible. You can make tea out of it. Its a great digestive plant for settling your stomach. It has been cool to introduce yerba buena to yerba buena. This plant is called dutchmans pipe. When in bloom, the flower looks like a dutchmans pipe. And another thing thats unique about this plant is, its the whole specific plant for the pipeline swallow tail butterfly. So some butterflies are able to adapt to other species and can use larva and food from different species. In the county of San Francisco, theres only about three or four healthy populations of this plant. These particular plants were going to be destroyed because of the Green Infrastructure project needed to put pipes in and needed to demolish all water tanks and build new water tanks for the island, so we were able to go in, dig them up, cultivate them, extrapolate dozens of plants into hund hundreds of plants and restore it through the restoration process. One day one of my nursery managers was down here and she found the pipeline butterfly have flown over from Yerba Buena Island and came to our nursery on Treasure Island and was breeding on this plant. And successfully did its life cycle inside of our nursery. So, it . How that butterfly knows its out there and find it, this is one of those unique things that we cant explain why butterflies can find this species but if we grow it and put it in the right location, they will return. So the plants were looking at here is faranosa known as just dedlia or live forever. The construction is it work happen nothing that area, its likely to be destroyed. A unique thing about this plant and the unique succulents we have in california and the live forever plant can live to be 150 years old. Recently, the state of california just did special legislation to protect this plant. I think in its intact population on the island, theres less than 50 of them, so to be able to grow several hundred of them and have them be a part of the plant palate of the stormwater gardens that was installed recently is an increase of biodiversity and a step forward towards protecting the natural legacy of the island. I moved to Treasure Island in 1999. I believe i was one of the first residents on the island. I have seen how the island has been destroyed and reconstruct since its beginning to restore the island to its native form is extremely important to me because that will help all the animals come back to the island and make this place even a better place to live. I want to be here because these are people i know, so that was my first thing is just, like, i wanted to come here to help out and be with indiscernible and to actually put my hands in dirt. I feel like we as people dont work in army we dont see the benefits of plants, like, but i just learned about a plant that if you rub it enough, it turns into soap. Thats cool. And we need those things. We need to know about those things. One really unique thing about this project is the scale. To use 50,000 native plants over 7 acres is a scale we have never seen. It really is trailblazing when we think about the 350 or 400 acres of open space that is planned for Treasure Island, it sets the stage for what is possible. Theres a way to use naturebased solutions at scale to meet the needs of climate change, Sea Level Rise, the crisis of local extinction and create natural environment. The first phase of the project sets a stage for what is possible and i just feel really blessed to have been a part of it. One of the main focus on triangle is keeping vehicle traffic to a minimum. For residents and visitors, Public Transportation is highly encouraged and will be the center point of keeping the island pedestrianfriendly, retaining an open space sent and providing an eco system that reducing carbon emission we need the transit to be successful because if we had 8,000 homes here and everybody was trying to use their car to access the bay bridge every month, it will overwhelm the system. New on and offramp are being constructed but all over the focus of the development is to be very transit oriented. Triangle itself is very flat and very bikeable and walkable as a result and so theres a focus on using both bus and Ferry Service to get from the island to San Francisco in the east bay. There will be a number of transit demand management tools that will be employed of the two new ramps to and from the to the island and allowing a limited number of cars to access the bridge and there will be a management toll to encourage the use of transit. All the market rate housing on the island, the price for residential unit whether thats a rental apartment or a for sale condo, the price of the unit is decoupled from the price of the parking spot. So people can buy a condominium without paying for a parking spot. They choose to have a parking spot, they would pay an additional price. Market rate residents are required to purchase take transit pass each month through their hoa fees or through their rent so the residents will begin the decision of driving or taking transit with a transit pass in hand each month. That transit pass will function as a muni fast pass allowing people to take muni and transfer within the muni network and function as an ac transit allowing people to take ac transit to the east bay and transfer within the ac Transit System and it will also provide unlimited access to the Treasure Island ferry. Treasure island is going to take decades to be fully build out. Its going to take some time for it to reach the envelope that was passed by the board of supervisors and maybe there will be changes to it as well. We dont know what is going to happen in 50 years but im confident by the fact that the plan that was adopted was fully, fully thinking even for its time and the building the island to a way its sustainable, it addresses Sea Level Rise, but also gives the public the open space and parts that are so necessary to fill Treasure Island. Theres economic, certainly, challenges and whether were going to be able to build out all of what was desired in the master plan, it will time will tell, but i think that the last ten years, weve been coming to this point. We are seeing incredible progress and the infrastructure is being finished by the island. Market rate housing is being finished. Affordable housing is being finished. And so, we feel within the next five years, substantial part of what we had envisioned is going to come to fruition. [music] San Francisco is known as yerba buena, good herb after a mint that used to grow here. At this time there were 3 settlements one was mission delores. One the presidio and one was yerba buena which was urban center. There were 800 people in 1848 it was small. A lot of Historic Buildings were here including pony express headquarters. Wells fargo. Hudson Bay Trading Company and famous early settlers one of whom william leaderdorph who lived blocks from here a successful business person. Africanamerican decent and the first million airin california. Wilwoman was the founders of San Francisco. Here during the gold rush came in the early 1840s. He spent time stake himself as a merchant seaman and a business person. His father and brother in new orleans. We know him for San Franciscos history. Establishing himself here arnold 18 twoochl he did one of many things the first to do in yerba buena. Was not california yet and was not fully San Francisco yet. Because he was an american citizen but spoke spanish he was able to during the time when america was taking over california from mexico, there was annexations that happened and conflict emerging and war, of course. He was part of the peek deliberations and am bas doorship to create the state of california a vice council to mexico. Mexico granted him citizenship. He loaned the government of San Francisco money. To funds some of the war efforts to establish the city itself and the state, of course. He established the first hotel here the person people turned to often to receive dignitaries or hold large gatherings established the First Public School here and helped start the Public School system. He piloted the first steam ship on the bay. A big event for San Francisco and depict instead state seal the ship was the sitk a. There is a small 4 block long length of street, owned much of that runs essentially where the transamerica building is to it ends at california. I walk today before am a cute side street. At this point t is the center what was all his property. He was the person entrusted to be the citys first treasurer. That is i big deal of itself to have that legacy part of an africanamerican the citys first banker. He was not only a forefather of the establishment of San Francisco and california as a state but a leader in industry. He had a direct hahn in so many things that we look at in San Francisco. Part of our dna. You know you dont hear his anymore in the context of those. Representation matters. You need to uplift this so people know him but people like him like me. Like you. Like anyone who looks like him to be, i can do this, too. To have the citys first banker and a street in the middle of financial district. That alone is powerful. [music] clapping . Happy anniversary sfgov you have been providing access to Public Meetings to keep folks connected and our original programming highlights the best of information and makes the city proud Park Commission of february 15 to order. Ash li, please call the roll. Commissioner anderson. Here. Commissioner hallsy. Here. Jones. Here. Dolla. Hoar. Commissioner winthrop. Here. Commissioner dwawrt. Here. We a acknowledge that we occupy the homeland of the original tab tants offer the San Francisco peninsula. We honor them as their in