Since 1971, WWD honors an international treaty to protect a group of waterways, and it reached a new level of poignancy this year for the Bay Area when the San Francisco Bay estuary and several associated wetlands in Marin were officially added to the list.

On Saturday, those Bay Area locales officially became the country’s 35th “wetland of importance” under the treaty known as the Ramsar Convention, putting it in the company of protected wetlands in 163 countries. The treaty seeks to limit development along ecologically important waterways and hopefully increase conservation and restoration efforts. Take that, hungry real estate developers.

Of course, we can’t get ahead of ourselves and say the Bay Area shorelines and waterways are safe from any urban encroachment.

Legally speaking, the designation doesn’t signify new protections for habitat and wildlife in the bay, but it symbolically elevates the importance of the wetlands at a time when funding for restoration and wildlife rehabilitation is sorely needed. Furthermore, it shows that the country is actively committed to not promoting projects that alter designated ecosystems.

So while it’s not technically illegal, pretty much anyone looking to threaten these now internationally recognized treasures with development plans is going to come across as seriously jaded and calloused.

Besides, who wouldn’t be inspired to ramp up their efforts to protect the San Francisco Bay Estuary? At about 400,000 acres, it’s the largest on the Pacific Coast and is widely recognized as one of the country’s most ecologically valuable estuaries. It makes up 77 percent of California’s wetlands, is home to a diverse range of plants and animals, and provides a host of ecological services such as flood protection.

Additionally, numerous waterways and wetlands in Marin are part of the designation, including Richardson Bay, Angel Island and China Camp, which all have their own points of pride.

While pressures to facilitate economic growth and a swelling population may persist, this designation can serve as a reminder that conservation, responsibility and restoration will keep our wetlands worth celebrating.

Article source: http://sfbay.ca/2013/02/04/bay-area-wetlands-now-even-more-special/

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San Francisco Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting announced Thursday that the value of the City’s real estate grew by nearly $2 billion in the past fiscal year, a contrast to decreasing property values in most other parts of California.

The total roll assessment value, a combination of residential and commercial property values, grew by 1.3 percent to $163 billion during the fiscal year that ended June 30.

“We’re very, very fortunate in San Francisco,” Ting said. “We still have the strongest real estate market in the state.”

He said many homeowners are still worried about the real estate market but predicted “we’re going to see a continued resurgence” in the coming years.

Daniel Cressman, executive vice president of the commercial real estate company Grubb Ellis, said the value of the city’s commercial properties are doing particularly well.
   
San Francisco is “one of the very few markets in the entire country where investment demand for commercial office space is far outstripping the available supply that’s for sale,” Cressman said.
   
That has led to property value increases of up to 40 percent in recent years, he said.

John Lee, the former president of the San Francisco Association of Realtors, said the residential market is not doing as well, particularly for middle-class homeowners.

“People worried about jobs can’t commit to a long-term financial obligation,” Lee said.

He said, “I think the worst is behind us,” but predicted the next few years for the market will probably be about the same as the past one.

About 18,800 owners of single-family homes received a one-year temporary reduction last year in the assessed value of their properties, saving them a combined $27 million in taxes, Ting said.

Copyright Bay City News

Article source: http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/SF-Real-Estate-Strongest-in-the-State-126021233.html