Presidio Trust Prepares For Trump Order Drastically Shrinking Its Size

San Francisco’s Presidio Trust is placing its faith in a congressional act passed more than 30 years ago to head off any efforts at developing 1,500 acres of protected land after an executive order from President Donald Trump last month.

Trump’s order characterizes the trust as an “unnecessary governmental entity,” which follows the downsizing of federal agencies around the U.S. since he took office. He also asked the Presidio Trust to eliminate all nonstatutory functions.

The belief is that Trump would rather see the coveted public land used for development, an idea that has been squashed time and time again since it became a national park in 1994, as the land is safeguarded by strict legal protections that prevent unwanted development.

The Presidio Trust, the federal agency Trump’s order targets, was established in 1996 and manages the Presidio in collaboration with the National Park Service and with support from the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.

Under the powers that came along with the agency’s formation, the Presidio Trust has the financial flexibility to operate as a private enterprise. It is also able to retain and use all the profits for the betterment of the public, which keeps the Presidio open and free as a national park site.

The Presidio Trust has compiled evidence in a new fact sheet to demonstrate the value that the Presidio, which is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, provides to the federal government.

The report was created in response to Trump’s executive order looking to disband the existing governance structure for the Presidio.

In the fact sheet, the Presidio Trust highlighted that every dollar spent there is reinvested in the park. This revenue is used to preserve the more than 700 historic buildings, maintain more than 80 miles of trails, and care for open space.

“The report attempts to clarify any public misconception about the trust’s financially self-sufficient model with the facts,” Lisa Petrie, a spokesperson for Presidio Trust, told Bisnow. “The Presidio could be an innovative model for other government agencies, as it is run like a business without relying on ongoing federal appropriations.”

The Presidio Trust generates revenue by renovating and renting out historic military buildings. It also earns funds through the operation of historic hotels, a vintage Army golf course and most of the utilities in the Presidio. 

In showing the Presidio Trust’s ability to earn revenue and ability to participate in public-private partnerships, the report shows the trust has generated more than $1.1B in value to taxpayers since it stopped taking annual appropriations in 2013. In 2024, it achieved record operating revenue of $182M.

The report also highlights that the Presidio Trust provides more than 9.5 million free visits annually and has secured more than $750M in private funding to enhance the park’s buildings and land.

Efforts to develop the land commercially date back to the early 1960s when Thomas Frouge, a prominent Pittsburgh real estate developer, looked to create “Marincello,” which he envisioned as an “oceanside metropolis” that would be home to 30,000 people in apartments and single-family homes, as well as retail and hotel entities.

While his plan was initially given the go-ahead by the Marin County Board of Supervisors, a six-year battle with environmental groups led to its demise, and federal legislation established and protected the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in 1972.

“The statute was passed in response in part to fears that the Marin Headlands and other beautiful areas would get developed and wanting them to stay as public open space,” Dave Owen, a professor at UC Law San Francisco, told KQED.

KQED also reported that one of Trump’s campaign plans in 2023 was an idea for a competition to create 10 “freedom cities” on federal land, and some believe that the Presidio is a perfect location for this vision. 

Nancy Pelosi, the former speaker of the House, was an advocate of the trust at its outset, and her office told The San Francisco Standard that “the Presidio Trust Act was passed in a bipartisan way when Republicans held the majority in Congress, and has retained bipartisan support ever since,” adding that it was looking into Trump’s order more closely.

Petrie said the Presidio Trust believes this federal protection will ease fears that development could be on its way.

“The Presidio Trust Act was an act of Congress. Only Congress can overturn the law, as it was written with the spirit of preserving and protecting the land for public use, as it is today,” Petrie said. “The Presidio will continue to operate as normal, welcoming visitors and serving all who live and work here.”

The trust is complying with all executive orders that apply to it as a unique federal agency and will submit a report to the Office of Management and Budget by March 5 as requested.