No Final Answer for Presidio Project

SAN FRANCISCO-The Presidio Trust board of directors delayed giving final approval yesterday to a blueprint guiding the future of the former Army base as it is molded into self-sufficient national park.

Trust spokesman Ron Sonenshine says the final plan will likely be voted on in August or September. “They did not take a final vote today but the board, in effect, reaffirmed their support for the plan,” Sonenshine says. “They asked staff to come back and give some more documentation so they can take a final vote in several weeks.”

Created by Congress in 1996, the Presidio Trust is charged with preserving and enhancing the park’s natural, historic and scenic resources while becoming financially self-sufficient by 2013.

The Final Presidio Trust Management Plan lays out the framework guiding the future of the 1,491-acre park. The plan is designed to help the park become financially self-reliant. It seeks to increase the amount of open space in the Presidio by about 100 acres, reduce the amount of building space by about 300,000-sf and restore forests, enhance wetlands and protect native species. Total costs for the plan over 30 years are projected at $550 million.

Environmentalists have argued that the plan includes too much development. Don Green of the Sierra Club said this afternoon that the plan appears headed for approval. “It’s disappointing,” he said. “They’re not interested in considering any new comments or meeting with us.”

Sonenshine says that, in the coming weeks, Presidio Trust staff members will prepare a document called a “record of decision,” which is the document upon which the board will ultimately vote and which, if approved, would be published in the Federal Register.