Burgum Says Presidio Land Will Not Be Sold

Burgum sought to reassure the public that the Presidio, a 1,491-acre part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, would not be sold or privatized. He made the remarks after a closed meeting with the Presidio Trust board, as fears about a possible federal land sale had grown around his visit.

Burgum’s Presidio Assurances Leave Development Concerns Unanswered

The Presidio is public land, and residents came to a meeting of its board worried it could be sold or privatized. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said there would be no sale, but his promise did not resolve concerns about development. Asked about building in the park, he described an opportunity to strengthen its preservation mission without specifying what that would mean.

The stakes are heightened by the Trump administration’s exploration of selling part of Yosemite National Park for a road and by House Republicans’ earlier push to reduce federal land holdings in Utah and Nevada. Democrats in Congress have also criticized Burgum over efforts to develop data centers on national park grounds. The Presidio itself is overseen by a trust whose board members were replaced by Trump in May.

Residents also raised a direct affordability concern: rent increases of 7% to 10% in recent years, with one tenant describing a cumulative 40% rise over five years. More than 1,000 people live in homes on Presidio federal land, beyond San Francisco’s tenant protections. Residents asked the board to cap increases at about 3%, pointing to the trust’s projected $87 million reserve.

The assurances against a sale matter, but they do not answer whether development or rent policies will protect the public character of the Presidio. The trust is interviewing candidates to replace its former chief executive and expects to make a choice early next year.

Burgum Rules Out Selling Presidio as Residents Press Board

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum delivered a clear assurance about San Francisco’s Presidio: the federal government will not sell any of its 1,491 acres. His statement counters public fears that the park, within the Bay Area’s federally managed recreation lands, might pass into private hands after his meeting with the Presidio Trust board.

The concern reflects a broader dispute over federal land, including the Trump administration’s exploration of a sale of part of Yosemite for a road and a past House Republican push to shrink federal holdings in Utah and Nevada. But Burgum said the Presidio would remain protected, and described development only as an opportunity to do more to preserve and expand its existing mission.

The public meeting also exposed a separate challenge for the trust: residents complained that rents had risen 7% to 10% in recent years. One tenant said her rent had climbed 40% over five years. Residents called for a cap near 3%, while citing the trust’s forecast of an $87 million reserve. Presidio tenants live on federal land and do not receive the protections of San Francisco’s strict tenant laws.

The trust is also seeking a new chief executive after Jean Frazier resigned in February following a decade in the role. Board chair Lynne Benioff said the search had completed a second interview round and that a hire was expected early next year. Burgum’s statement rules out a land sale, while the board still faces residents’ demands on rents and the park’s future.