Save the Presidio

The Presidio Trust is planning a radical transformation of the heart of the Presidio of San Francisco: the construction of a new contemporary art museum, luxury hotel, and multiplex theater on the Main Post. With a rich history that has witnessed Native American settlements, the founding of a Spanish fort in 1776, and the presence of a U.S. Army base from 1848 to 1994, the Main Post is the most historically important part of the Presidios National Historic Landmark District. Other sites that would not alter the most important part of the National Historic Landmark District and National Park are available both within and outside the Presidio.

The Presidio Trust should immediately halt this new construction because:

1. These projects would unnecessarily destroy the most valuable remaining historical site in the Bay Area, the Plymouth Rock of the West, dating from 1776.

2. These projects would convert the National Park into a city within a city, contrary to San Franciscos needs, contrary to good planning practice, contrary to the Presidio Trust Act, and contrary to the Presidio Trust Management Plan, which promised that the appearance of the Presidio would not substantially change over time. The Trust Act requires the Trust to protect the Park and National Historic Landmark District FROM development, not to sell or lease it out FOR development.

3. The Presidio Trusts development plans have generated overwhelming opposition from the people of San Francisco, with neighborhood associations, all major environmental groups, and all major historic preservation organizations strongly opposed. The public will on this issue is clear!

4. The Presidio Trust estimates that the new projects could increase visitation to the Main Post from 650,000 to more than 2 million visitors per year. The additional traffic is projected to require stop lights at the Presidio gates, inside the Presidio, and at multiple intersections in the neighborhoods around the Presidio. The proposed visitor and traffic load on the Main Post, throughout the Presidio, and on the surrounding streets would be overwhelming and detrimental to both the neighborhoods and the Presidio.

The Presidio should be kept as a park, not made into a city within a national park.