SF’s hidden housing gem: Treasure Island
In every group of friends, the same question inevitably comes around: “and where do you live?”. After listening to my answer and squinting their eyes, every person seems to follow one of three distinct reactions.
Reaction #1 (50% of people): Do people actually live there?
Even folks who’ve lived in SF for a quite while, are quite surprised to find out that people actually live at Treasure Island. In fact, around 2,800 residents live in Treasure Island today. It has 1 (free) gym, 1 barber shop, 1 grocery store, 1 cafe, 1 restaurant, 1 beach and 1 sailing club. Very recently, an old aircraft hangar was converted into the only padel club (pickleball plus walls) with 6 courts on the island, two of which are outside overlooking the bridge.
Reaction #2 (30% of people): But transportation must really suck…
Compared to living in the center of SF, it sure isn’t the most convenient location. However, compared to any other location outside of the center, it has solid transportation routes. First, bus service is 24/7 every 15mins and takes 15mins to go from Treasure Island to the Salesforce Tower, where it meets the rest of the SF public transport network. Second, ferry service is 7am-8pm every 30mins that takes 5 mins to get across. Third, with free and ample parking on the island, it also makes sense to have your own car without needing to circle around your block ten times every night.
Reaction #3 (20% of people): I’ve heard it’s a radioactive landfill.
Touché. This island was owned and operated as a US Navy base until 1997. During that time, the Navy housed nuclear war academies that used radium, plutonium, and cesium 137 in their training courses. Also, the USS Pandemonium was being decontaminated at Treasure Island, since it had been anchored at Bikini Atoll during the nuclear showoff. The disposal of training materials, while regulated, often fell short of safety guidelines, meaning that it’s highly likely that an unknown amount of radioactive waste was buried at the garbage dumps on the island. In 2009, the Navy sold the island to the City of San Francisco for $105 million. In the environmental cleanup that followed, around 16,000 cubic yards of soil were removed and environmental studies were conducted. Some argue that the studies were inadequate and have today produced whistleblowers, arguing for coverups and strategically not testing for radioactivity under existing homes which were built on top of landfills. One neighbor remembers a kid finding a nugget-sized radioactive waste in the local playground.
Having crunched the actual numbers mentioned on available reports following the soil cleanup and having walked holding a Geiger counter around the neighborhood, it seems to me that it’s rather safe to live there. It’s highly likely that ten feet under my home’s soil there’s tiny piece of radioactive waste, but its realistic health relevance is rather insignificant. I certainly wouldn’t plant potatoes or let my dog graze, but I definitely sleep worry-free on the second floor. Also, running water on the island is the same as that of SF, coming from melted Yosemite snow (in case you’re wondering).
Reaction #4 (0% of people): Wow, I should move there.
I can understand why young unmarried folks with a $100k+ salary would not move here. It’s because their friends aren’t here. In the bus every day, I can count maybe one or two people under the age of 30.
What remains a mystery to me and is pending further investigation, is why every person who works in the city and makes less than $80k salary doesn’t live here. I’m talking about the Uber driver or the bartender, who has to commute and work in SF. How on earth does it make sense to live in SF and pay 3x rent or commute from Oakland daily and pay 2x rent? TBD — still looking for the answer to this one.
Here’s three reasons to move here:
#1: Rent. Because the houses are all owned by the City and are under local rent control, the rent that master lease-holders pay is less than $3k for 1,000sqf, 4-bedroom, 2-floor home with a backyard. So for a given room, rent never exceeds $1.2k, specifically because the master lease-holder legally cannot make a profit from subletting. FYI, this applies only to the old homes and is likely to change after 2025 with demolitions and new constructions.
#2: View. Most people know treasure island, because they pop over from the city to watch July 4th fireworks. Needless to say that the view remains equally joggable, dateable and mesmerizing the other 364 nights and 365 days of the year as well. Even from your living room, bedroom, porch or backyard hottub.
#3: Tranquility. Before COVID, residents from the city used to come to Treasure Island once a week for yoga. Perhaps surprisingly, you have to really struggle to hear the sound of the cars on the bridge, yet you might get awakened by the seagull orchestra. If you’re into sea-watching as a hobby, you’ll see seals, dolphins and maybe even whales!
Summarizing, living in Treasure Island is not for everybody and suffers from many misconceptions. But any rational thinker can agree that it is an inexpensive, scenic and under-appreciated tiny island, staring all San Franciscans right in the face. It’s an oxymoron, being both far and near the Golden City.
