Pacific Heights Residents Association

February 2003

PHRA Raises Many Questions About Presidio Watershed

PHRA supports the restoration of the Tennessee Hollow Watershed in the Presidio, but needs more information to comment on specific points of the plan.

The watershed is an area of 210 acres that extends from the southern edge of the Presidio to the lagoon/marsh at Crissy Field. Most of the runoff has been diverted into culverts and concrete-lined canals.

Among the questions PHRA is asking the Presidio Trust:

To "daylight" the natural stream beds, how much fill will have to be removed and where? What are the remediation issues involved? We have heard that in some places the stream is 25 feet below the surface. What would be the grading impact on adjacent land uses and pedestrian access?

Three tributaries have been identified in the watershed. Are all three stream beds covered? What are the restoration plans for each of them?

How would the removal of the MacArthur Avenue housing impact the mandate of achieving financial self-sufficiency and how would its demolition be staged? Will any historic housing be demolished? Are there plans to replace the housing units? PHRA opposes the banking and eventual replacement of demolished structures in another location. Since the Presidio Trust Act calls for balancing the preservation of "natural, historic, scenic, cultural and recreational resources" and the protection of the Presidio from development, we consider unnecessary new construction antithetical to the Act and a threat to this balance.

Would the two playing fields that would be removed be replaced? Where and when?

How many trees will be removed and, specifically, where and what kind? Where a tree removal is proposed, what would be the effects on wind and climate change and how will those changes affect the public’s enjoyment of the watershed area?

What will be the parameters for public access to the restored stream(s)? Will the public be able to meander or picnic along the stream, play in it, or jump across it?

What are the estimated costs for this project?

How would the project be staged? How would it be integrated with the Presidio Trust Management Plan and the Vegetation Management Plan? What are the plans for coordinating the watershed project and the redevelopment of Doyle Drive?