Slammed Treasure Island

Recently, the island has been slammed by legal challenges. Critics argue that the developer, Treasure Island Community Development (a partnership led by Lennar Urban), prioritized luxury condos with sweeping skyline views over the required below-market-rate (BMR) units.

Housing activists point to a technical loophole: By building infrastructure for the BMR units "later in the timeline," developers have effectively created a luxury enclave first. With construction costs soaring due to inflation, there is a very real fear that the "affordable" phase might never happen. slammed treasure island

The appeal of Treasure Island is geometric. It sits in the middle of the bay, offering a panoramic backdrop of the San Francisco skyline that few other car meets can rival. Photographers flock to the island to capture the aesthetic contrast: the sharp, futuristic lines of the Salesforce Tower and the Bay Bridge against the gritty, ground-level aesthetic of the car culture. Recently, the island has been slammed by legal challenges

It is a photographer's paradise. The golden hour hits the metallic flakes in the paint and the polished lips of the wheels, creating a visual synergy between the industrial cityscape and the industrial machines. With construction costs soaring due to inflation, there

San Francisco is earthquake country. Treasure Island is entirely built on "hydraulic fill"—loose, sandy dredge that turns to liquid jelly during a major quake.

During the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, the island suffered significant soil liquefaction, cracking roads and tilting buildings. The new plan fortifies the ground with 1,300 stone columns driven 60 feet into the bay floor.

Yet, the state’s seismic safety commission recently slammed Treasure Island’s risk assessment as "optimistic." Building massive residential towers (including a 20-story condominium) on this terrain has engineers wincing. One consultant called it "building Versailles on a slinky."