The Evolution of the San Francisco Presidio

In a city famed for its' beauty, the former army base known as The Presidio has it all; a park-like setting, trees and open space and a view of the bay and the ocean. San Francisco has established a trust to deal with it, and trust has until 2013 to complete allocation of the land. Not a simple task, and one fraught with pitfalls and land mines. While ex-military bases all over the country are being absorbed back into the surrounding communities in a myriad of creative and mundane ways, the San Francisco Presidio remains a source of extreme in-fighting and controversy.

The Presidio became part of the National Park Service in 1993. It contains 1,480 acres, part of that land at the very entrance to the city. It requires an input of $36 million a year to become self-sustaining, which was why the Presidio Trust was formed. The original buildings left by the army were, in many cases, suitable for rehabilitation, but some had to be destroyed. The issue is further complicated by the division of the land into two parcels; Area A which is under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service (and includes mostly land with no buildings) and Area B which falls under the Trust. It already contains many amenities left by the military, including a golf course, water treatment plant, hospital, commissary, bowling alley, theatre, gymnasiums, maintenance facility, communication center, fire and police departments. Area B contains 600 historical buildings and 1800 housing units. It is, indeed, a self-contained city.

Letterman Hospital occupied 23 acres at the edge of the Presidio, and after a long and bitter battle for supremacy, George Lucas finally secured the parcel in June of 1999. There he will build a digital arts center which will become the headquarters of Industrial Light and Magic, LucasFilms special effects arm. Lucas beat out the Shorenstein Company, which planned to build housing units and office buildings and a new corporate headquarters for CNET Inc.

The LucasFilms deal will bring $5 million in rent to the trust annually, only a dent in the $36 million total. In addition to Industrial Light and Magic, the Lucas complex will include the George Lucas Educational Foundation, much landscaping and green space, a public cafe, a lagoon, and underground parking for 1,500 cars. By 2005 there are plans for 2,500 employees to be working at the complex.

But even this coup is surrounded by controversy. There are allegations that the Trust worked with LucasFilms to 'tweak' its' bid both financially and design-wise. But in the long run, San Francisco will be more concerned with how the complex will benefit the city.

This is also the major concern over the remainder of the Presidio land, a huge chuck of which remains to be allocated. At the forefront of the controversy is the Muwekma Ohlone Indian tribe, the original inhabitants of the area. When the base closed the tribe exercised their 'right of refusal' to claim 435 acres of the Presidio. The tribe is no longer recognized, having been absent from the Federal Register since 1927, but have petitioned to be re-instated. Most of the claimed land has no buildings.

The tribe proposed an educational charter school featuring high-tech and innovative schooling techniques. But while the National Park Service had control of the whole parcel they allowed many of the buildings to fall into disrepair, which the Trust must now renovate or replace. The tribe is still waiting for the go-ahead on their school.

Golden Gate University made a deal for the Wherry Housing complex, which they have turned into student housing. All students from a San Francisco college are eligible, but vacancies are few and at a premium.

The process continues, but is piecemeal at best. Each decision comes under the scrutiny of the people of San Francisco, who want the Presidio area to remain unspoiled. And of course developers would want to make the best use (in their eyes) of the land, so would remove most of the open space and trees. The Trust has thusfar avoided this, and is only considering bids from those willing to utilize the existing structures and leave the natural areas.