Megaprojects Approved in San Francisco

Two major redevelopment projects - Treasure Island and Parkmerced - have been approved after a lengthy process by San Francisco's Board of Supervisors.

1 minute read

June 16, 2011, 5:00 AM PDT

By Tim Halbur


Treasure Island is a 400-acre former military base built on a manmade island in San Francisco Bay. Plans have been in the works for years, and will result in "a mix of 8,000 low rise and high rise housing units and a denser core made of mid-rise buildings and skyscrapers..." according to The Architect's Newspaper.

Parkmerced, on the other hand,is a planned neighborhood of high-rise apartment towers and low-rise garden apartments in southwestern San Francisco, California. Lydia Lee reports that Parkmerced "will be updated with local retail, a MUNI stop, and a fine-grained network of streets and pedestrian pathways. It will also be made 4 times denser, replacing the low-rise apartments with new low and mid-rise buildings.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011 in The Architect's Newspaper

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

October 28, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

A car drives through a puddle, making a large splash. Rain pours down.

California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour

If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.

October 28, 2026 - Grist

A pencil rendering of Foundry Park, which shows skyscrapers and public green spaces.

Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment

The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.

October 23, 2026 - Chicago Sun Times

A rendering of a high speed rain station in California, with wide platforms and a sleep train with yellow highlights.

California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO resigns after $600,000 scandal

Under Ian Choudri, the authority used taxpayer dollars to fund first class flights and trips to nightclubs.

5 hours ago - Cal Matters

 A bridge stretches across the Missouri River at Chamberlain, South Dakota.

Want to study the Missouri River? Soon, you may need unanimous approval from 10 states

Legislation would require 10 governors’ permission to study or build projects moving water outside the basin.

7 hours ago - South Dakota Searchlight

Lake Powell with much of the water evaporated.

Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River

Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.

October 30 - Yale Environment 360