Isn't this one of the areas that are mapped to be underwater with sea level rise? Given rapidly rising ocean temperatures, is this a wise long-term investment, especially if the plan is to use it for a very expensive water processing plant?

A map would have improved this article

It is true that this area is impacted by climate change including sea level rise, but mitigation work is underway. Nonetheless one hopes and expects that risk factors including vulnerability to climate events will be factored into the purchase price. Hopefully common sense and good business judgment will prevail if COPA undertakes these negotiations, despite the fact that certain members of City Council have virtually given to developers and billionaires extremely valuable land or changed zoning to accommodate wealthy companies' maximization of revenue (Castilleja, AJ Capital/President Hotel, Sobrato, etc).

Despite the many risks that seem evident in this scenario, if the price paid is a responsible and fair one, I personally think that the community is benefitted when land is in the hands of the City instead of the hands of private developers. As bumbling and sometimes poorly executed the commercial transactions conducted by the city are (latest example: the problem-rampant new "public safety building" near Cal Ave), the worst, most irresponsible, and most harmful to quality of life are almost always the private profit-seeking companies (e.g. industrial polluters, and e.g. Castilleja's in-development re-construction, especially its underground parking garage that will cause massive traffic and pollution problems for neighbors for years). At least when the city owns land, it doesn't face lawsuits from billionaire landlords, tech giants, and expensive private schools when it expects these third parties to comply with the law.

TLDR I hope that the City pays a fair price and buys the land. MHO

Thanks Gennady Sheyner for your diligent reporting on this story and others like it. I always look for articles with your byline!

Clever bait and switch?

Switch PA from top Hetch Hetchy water supply, which is also SF water supply, which we have also paid into to improve infrastructure to “toilet to tap?”

Expect a fight.