AP: "Manmade Treasure Island provides rare but controversial chance for San Francisco expansion"

By Robin Hindery, The Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Created in the 1930s in San Francisco Bay, Treasure Island is said to have earned its name from the gold some imagined was hidden in dredged materials that form its foundation, as well as the exotic valuables displayed there for the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition.

Developers have continued to view the 400-acre former Navy base as a precious commodity, and a proposal to turn it into a bustling residential and commercial enclave recently cleared a major hurdle when it was narrowly approved by the city Planning Commission.

The plan includes nearly 8,000 new homes, 140,000 square feet of retail space and 300 acres of public open space -- a drastic change to a neighborhood that now has fewer than 2,000 full-time residents and just two restaurants. Supporters say the 15-year project would finally tap the island's potential and provide a rare expansion opportunity for a city surrounded by water on three sides.

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