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San Francisco Recreation & Parks outlines plan and $3.9M staffing ramp to manage Treasure Island parks
Summary
San Francisco Recreation and Parks presented a two-year operational plan to assume maintenance of Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island parks, proposing 15 positions and an estimated $3.9 million first-year-to-second-year ramp tied to a July 1, 2026 operational start.
San Francisco’s Recreation and Parks Department told the Treasure Island Development Authority on Feb. — during a staff presentation and Q&A — that it plans to absorb stewardship of Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island parks beginning July 1, 2026, with a two‑year ramp-up of staff and resources to support 86 acres of parkland.
Phil Ginsberg, general manager of Recreation and Parks, and Eric Anderson, the department’s director of operations, said the city will deploy a park service area model that creates an on‑site manager and a dedicated crew to maintain the islands. Anderson said the department’s analysis, based on national parks standards, produced a staffing need of 15 positions when Rec and Park becomes fully operational: a dedicated parks manager, on‑site custodial and groundskeeping staff, natural resource specialists to maintain native plantings, and access to city trades (painter, plumber, arborist) for infrastructure support.
The departments estimate the personnel and operating transition will cost roughly $581,947 for onboarding and early hires in the first ramp year and about $2.9 million in year two once all staff are on board, with additional materials and supplies budgeted at $50,000 (year one) and $200,000 (year two). TIDA staff presented consolidated two‑year authority cost projections of about $2.12 million in the first budget year and $3.88 million in the second for parks staffing, maintenance and related contracts.
Board members pressed for detail on near‑term oversight: which entity will supervise horticultural maintenance before Rec and Park’s full takeover and how plant health issues will be handled. Anderson and TIDA staff said Rec and Park has been involved in site meetings since January, will place a park manager on the island early in 2026 to lead onboarding and recruitment, and that monthly memos from field staff will document plant health and corrective actions. Staff confirmed that some problematic trees (cypress on Panorama Park) have already been removed and that ongoing spacing and replanting assessments are underway.
The plan does not finalize a permanent management agreement now; staff said a draft memorandum of understanding (MOU) between TIDA and Recreation and Parks will be presented to the board in the fall for formal review and board approval. The department described the two‑year budget as an initial “ramp” that will be revisited as additional park acreage comes online and as staffing needs evolve.
Next steps: Rec and Park will begin hiring a park manager and begin phased onboarding in 2026; staff will return to the board later this summer with a more detailed phasing plan and, in the fall, a draft MOU for board consideration.
