It's getting closer to the time when Treasure Island is going to be largely demolished to make way for a massive redevelopment project that has been in the works for over a decade. The first phase of the demolition began in March 2016, but now, as the Examiner reports, comes the awkward phase of evicting about 1,800 people from existing housing on the island, with promises to a portion of those evicted that they'll eventually have the option to move back to brand new housing — once it's complete, in 2021. To that end, the Board of Supervisors approved a contract Tuesday to the tune of $1.25 million with Associated Right of Way Services, Inc., who will be helping conduct outreach to residents and explain what everyone's options are.

Basically it goes like this for the 675 households on the island, per the Ex:

Those living in 220 market-rate households at the time when The City signed an agreement with the island’s development team in 2011 are entitled to new replacement units at their current rent or a lower rent if they qualify for below-market rate units. They will also have the option to take in-lieu payments under the The City’s rental laws and move away from Treasure Island.

The current in-lieu payment amount is $6,286 per adult tenant, and an additional $4,191 for each elderly, disabled or minor tenant.

Those formerly homeless living in the 250 affordable homes on the island are entitled to relocation into newly built units, “regardless of when those households became residents on Treasure Island,” said the Budget Analyst’s report. “However, the affordable households are not entitled to in-lieu cash payments.” These units will be constructed by four nonprofit housing providers that currently house them.

The remaining 205 market-rate households do not have rights to either replacement units or in-lieu payments since they moved there after the development agreement was enacted.

Now, this could get ugly, as it already did when the city went about evicting 40 households on the adjacent Yerba Buena Island in 2015. Yerba Buena Island is also part of the redevelopment scheme, and residents there were given in-lieu payment offers as well as promises of the option to move back to Treasure Island once those units are complete. But former residents filed suit against the city last November for wrongful eviction, with their attorney claiming the city reneged on an offer of replacement units and instead "offered inferior rental units on the toxic Treasure Island on a take it or leave it basis or a one-time payment of $5,000."

The "toxic" reference has to do with a decades-long cleanup effort by the US Navy, which had called Treasure Island home between 1941 and 1997, to deal with soils contaminated with various chemicals as well as radioactive materials like radium-226.

Ultimately, over a 20-year period, including after the Navy's efforts are set to be complete in 2022, Treasure Island will be home to 8,000 new housing units, 25 percent of which will be below-market-rate units for those who qualify, as well as 40,000 square feet of commercial and retail space, 100,000 square feet of office space, three hotels, and 300 acres of parks, primarily on the northern and eastern ends of the island.

Previously: Treasure Island Will Need Completely New Street Names Following Development