Board committee forwards two Treasure Island infrastructure ordinances, holds third for more review

The Land Use and Transportation Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted Jan. 29 to send two ordinances accepting public infrastructure on Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island to the full Board and to continue a third for more discussion.

Staff from the Treasure Island Development Authority (TIDA) presented the three companion ordinances, which would accept streets, sidewalks and utilities into the city system and recognize acceptance actions taken by the TIDA board for elements of parks and ferry infrastructure. Emery Rogers, deputy director at TIDA, told the committee the private developer TICD is building roughly $2,500,000,000 of infrastructure that the city will own and that the system underpins a development planned for about 8,000 homes.

Why it matters: The ordinances are the final municipal steps to fold newly built infrastructure into the city's maintenance and liability system, and to set how certain park acceptances are processed so residents can access completed parks more quickly.

What staff said: Rogers summarized major systems the city will accept, including a new electrical switch yard to improve power to the islands, potable water tanks and a purple‑pipe recycled water network for irrigation, and underground wastewater connections timed to the Public Utilities Commission's new treatment plant. She also described street lighting, sidewalks, shared streets and bicycle paths now visible in the field and said multiple city agencies have reviewed the work for consistency with adopted plans.

Committee concerns: President Aaron Peskin pressed staff about park staffing, lighting and backup power, and whether Rec and Park practices would apply to parks owned by TIDA. Rogers said parks will generally follow existing Rec and Park code while the title board and subsequent ordinances establish final rules, and mentioned nonprofit partners (Rubicon) and Rec and Park support for on‑the‑ground maintenance.

On the delegation ordinance (item 3), Peskin raised a constitutional and governance concern about delegating final acceptance authority without clearer ties to the development agreement or a time limit. He proposed language to limit delegation to decisions made pursuant to the existing development agreement or to add a sunset. Rogers and staff offered to continue the item for a week to refine language and coordinate with the city attorney; the committee approved sending the first two ordinances to the Board with a positive recommendation and continued item 3 to the next Land Use meeting.

What happens next: Items 1 and 2 will appear on the Board of Supervisors agenda for Feb. 6, 2024 with the committee's positive recommendation. Item 3 will return to committee for further drafting and counsel review.

Sources: Committee presentation by Emery Rogers, TIDA; committee discussion and committee motion recorded in the Land Use and Transportation Committee transcript of Jan. 29, 2024.