Will Treasure Island become the next Mercer Island? (Marina: low income, real estate) - San Francisco - Oakland - California (CA) - City-Data Forum

CityOnDown5250 · 12-22-2010, 01:21 PM

If anyone is familar with the Seattle area there is a island in Lake Washington directly east of Seattle. It's called Mercer Island and it's been fully developed into a residental place with schools and stuff. I'm pretty sure it's a natural island, unlike Treasure Island in the Bay which is mainly landfill. (Yerba Buena Island is NOT landfill) Well if anyone has been paying attention to real estate/contracting news, there have been plans to build up on Treasure Island. This would include shops, resturants, and of course 5,000-6,000 residental units.

Does anyone know what the current status of Treasure Island is? What is there today? Is it developed at all? I ask because it is an intresting devleopment because SF claimed to have bought it but I am not certain what the status is currently. It sounds like it's going to become a Marina District island, since it's built on landfill and will probably attract pricey homes.

Anyone know the latest on this?

mayorhaggar · 12-22-2010, 01:27 PM

Well right now as far as I know it's like 80% abandoned derelict Navy buildings and the rest is a small area of apartments that are kind of grubby and have a lot of low income people so it's not exactly ritzy. SF is notoriously incompetent at doing anything even when there aren't 10,000 NIMBY neighborhood groups blocking anything the city does, so it will probably 100 years before anything happens there.

You'd think that an island in the middle of the Bay would make for great real estate, but not until they really get it fixed up and develop it a lot. Even if it was fixed up, it's pretty isolated from everywhere, there's a lot of traffic on the bridge a lot of the time so it makes it inconvenient to get off the island even if you have a car, and it's very windy and chilly there in summer.

CityOnDown5250 · 12-22-2010, 01:35 PM

How come there are no ferries that go to Yerba/Treasure Island? Could you imagine if it got developed, become "ritzy", and the people had to take a ferry to SF everyday? That is actually a pretty possible reality if it got built up.

sonarrat · 12-22-2010, 02:17 PM

There is already 24 hour bus service to Treasure Island. There wouldn't be enough demand to run a ferry as well, I don't think.

Gentoo · 12-22-2010, 02:28 PM

Treasure Island is a completely different beast than Mercer Island and could never truly be on the same level. Mercer island is a naturally occurring island in a large freshwater lake. It has soil and bedrock underneath and is pretty stable. Treasure Island on the other hand is a lower lying, man made landfill island in the middle, almost smack in the middle of a large saltwater bay. The ground is unstable and water likely seeps into it. During earthquakes, Mercer Island will do well. Treasure Island will turn to mush.

Also as mayorhagger said, Treasure Island is rather islolated as it was intended to be. Should anything happen to the Bay Bridge during a large quake, there will be virtually no way on or off the island. Also as mentioned, it's windy and cold there year round. I've been on boats in that part of the bay and couldn't imagine wanting to live out there.

mayorhaggar · 12-22-2010, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CityOnDown5250

How come there are no ferries that go to Yerba/Treasure Island? Could you imagine if it got developed, become "ritzy", and the people had to take a ferry to SF everyday? That is actually a pretty possible reality if it got built up.

Sure, if there were enough people on the island. But I don't think anyone will be able to build a lot of condos or whatever there anytime soon because nothing ever gets done in SF. And the weather just doesn't make it very palatable.

nullgeo · 12-22-2010, 04:18 PM

Heh ... how's that song go: "Memories ...." ... spent my last few months in the service on Treasure Island in '67, after several months recovery in Oak Knoll Naval Hospital. Used to commute in and out of the city, where I had a place up on Haight

... contrast of the century between the two places and cultures!

Anyway, I was there in winter ... and it wasn't so bad, weather-wise, compared to Mercer Island, WA ... I later lived in Seattle for many years ... but, Gentoo is right: not a lot of similar potential ... and MayorHaggar is right: not to expect much will happen, whatever will eventually happen, anytime this century. Most of the plans I have read about seem to point at mixed civic use, not private residential focus.

Drove over there just recently to jog my brain and look at the marina ... the place still gives me the creeps. If ghosts and spirits are real, there's plenty nasty down there -- and the feeling carries over to the present, bizarre, use. What a dump!

Ultrarunner · 12-22-2010, 04:29 PM

Most of the plans indicate SF has mixed use in mind.

Oak Knoll has become a dumping ground full of deteriorating structures... sad, the Government poured a lot of money into the Hospital and now is is in ruins.

nullgeo · 12-22-2010, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ultrarunner

Most of the plans indicate SF has mixed use in mind.

Oak Knoll has become a dumping ground full of deteriorating structures... sad, the Government poured a lot of money into the Hospital and now is is in ruins.

Yes, I read also that mixed use will likely include some residential ... but that is not expected to be the focus of the conversion ... what I meant was that residential developers are not in the driver's seat (at least not at this time -- and I doubt will be given the lead). It is a difficult place to come to terms with, despite its proximity to the cities. Event use -- concerts and such being considered -- will really tie up the traffic, if that consideration is pursued ... and there is awareness of that. Any active density will be a challenge.

Oak Knoll

... it was kind of a mixed bag back in the 60's - 70's even. The ward I was in was a converted WWII wood barracks on pier blocks

... though the main hospital was fairly modern, as I recall. I remember some of the guys I shared time and space with grew a helluva pot garden along some fencing right outside our windows

Part of the hospital grounds were kept up -- and part neglected. Long-term recovery amputation, burn, hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, brain-trauma patients lumped in a corner a ways from the big building ... what a strange mix of guys ... we had almost no supervision and the smoke was thick.

Ultrarunner · 12-22-2010, 06:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nullgeo

Yes, I read also that mixed use will likely include some residential ... but that is not expected to be the focus of the conversion ... what I meant was that residential developers are not in the driver's seat (at least not at this time -- and I doubt will be given the lead). It is a difficult place to come to terms with, despite its proximity to the cities. Event use -- concerts and such being considered -- will really tie up the traffic, if that consideration is pursued ... and there is awareness of that. Any active density will be a challenge.

Oak Knoll

... it was kind of a mixed bag back in the 60's - 70's even. The ward I was in was a converted WWII wood barracks on pier blocks

... though the main hospital was fairly modern, as I recall. I remember some of the guys I shared time and space with grew a helluva pot garden along some fencing right outside our windows

Part of the hospital grounds were kept up -- and part neglected. Long-term recovery amputation, burn, hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, brain-trauma patients lumped in a corner a ways from the big building ... what a strange mix of guys ... we had almost no supervision and the smoke was thick.

Shortly before closing, a few years at most... the Navy spent a lot of money on up-dating the Hospital... Base Closings eliminated the need... go by it everyday... use to buy at the PX