Slammed Treasure Island -

It was an art deco masterpiece—a "fairy city" of white towers and neon lights. But as soon as the fair ended, the treasure chest slammed shut. The Navy took over the island, using it as a naval station for 50 years.

The current $5 billion redevelopment plan calls for raising the entire island by 3 to 7 feet using compacted fill. Critics have slammed the plan as a "leaky band-aid." Sea-level rise experts argue that by the time the last condo is sold in 2035, the data will already be outdated.

One thing is certain. As the bay waters climb and the next earthquake rumbles beneath the Pacific Plate, the world will be watching. Whether it sinks or swims, —by the tide, by the earth, and by the court of public opinion. slammed treasure island

During the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, the island suffered significant soil liquefaction, cracking roads and tilting buildings. The new plan fortifies the ground with 1,300 stone columns driven 60 feet into the bay floor.

"Building hundreds of millions of dollars of luxury housing on a landfill in a rising bay is insanity," said Dr. Helena Marks, a coastal geologist. "Treasure Island is going to be slammed by storm surges before the mortgage is paid off." San Francisco is earthquake country. Treasure Island is entirely built on "hydraulic fill"—loose, sandy dredge that turns to liquid jelly during a major quake. It was an art deco masterpiece—a "fairy city"

That military legacy left a curse. When the Navy departed in the 1990s, they left behind a Superfund site: radiological contamination, lead paint, asbestos, and barrels of unknown chemicals buried in the sandy soil. For decades, the island sat in limbo—affordable housing for the working class, but a poisoned chalice for developers.

The only treasure left on this island is the lesson it teaches us about hubris, climate reality, and the high cost of building paradise on borrowed land. Are you planning to move to Treasure Island, or are you a former resident with a story to share? Contact our editorial team at [email protected]. The current $5 billion redevelopment plan calls for

For potential buyers, the gamble is immense. Will this be a brilliant investment in a rising waterfront, or a financial tomb when the sea rises?