After several months of debating, the Presidio Trust revealed a surprising announcement early this month: it would no longer pursue any of the three proposals for developing an 8-acre site in Mid-Crissy Field in The Presidio, the 1,500 acre park on the northern tip of San Francisco. Instead of choosing a winning proposal for the plot of land currently occupied by Sports Basement, there are undisclosed plans to develop a site elsewhere in the park.
"Their proposals are all excellent. We thank each of them for their vision, time, talent, and the resources they’ve put forth. However, after careful consideration and much deliberation, the Presidio Trust Board of Directors has unanimously decided not to pursue any of the proposals for the Mid-Crissy Field site. We simply do not believe any of the projects were right for this location," said the Presidio Trust Board of Directors in a statement.
The board had invited the three teams–The Bridge/Sustainability Institute by WRNS Studio/Chora Group, The Lucas Cultural Arts Museum by Urban Design Group for filmmaker George Lucas, and The Presidio Exchange by the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and EHDD–to further refine their concepts.
Delaying their initial vote this past November, the board cited issues with each proposal, including unclear funding sources for the Sustainability Institute, design issues with the Lucas Museum, and lack of a unified program for the Presidio Exchange. "Such is the importance of the site that we take seriously our duty to do right by it, even if that means waiting,” the board said.
The three teams submitted their revised proposals on January 17 in front of a board meeting that drew more than 500 people. The Presidio has expressed interest in exploring a different site for Lucas’s museum, as well as possibly implementing ideas from the Presidio Exchange and The Bridge/Sustainability Institute.