Ms. Maria Ayerdi-Kaplan was honored for her extraordinary accomplishment in securing more than $2 billion in funding and bringing the Transbay Transit Center Project to fruition. Now under construction, the Transbay project is spurring the extensive development that is taking place in the Transbay neighborhood.
“I am honored and appreciative to have been recognized by this outstanding professional society,” said Ms. Ayerdi-Kaplan.
Maria formed the TJPA in 2001 and has since served as the Executive Director. She negotiated the transfer of 17 acres of state land for the development of the Transit Center, the Downtown Rail Extension, parks, retail, and residential and office towers that will reshape the San Francisco skyline and infuse new economic vitality into downtown.
Ms. Ayerdi-Kaplan also led the negotiations for the historic sale of the Transbay Transit Tower property to Boston Properties and Hines for $192 million in 2013, collecting more than $3,700 per square foot of land – one of the highest prices paid per square foot for a commercial property in San Francisco history.
Maria Ayerdi-Kaplan graduated from U. C. Berkeley and Hastings College of Law and has been widely recognized for her achievements in transit-oriented development and transportation.
In the autumn of 1930, Lambda Alpha was established at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois to help foster the study of land economics. The inspiration for Lambda Alpha was Professor Richard T. Ely (1854-1943), commonly called the “Father of Land Economics.” Lambda Alpha International has chapters in many key cities in the United States, Canada, England, and Madrid with members-at large in many other parts of the world. Its membership is a “Who’s Who in Land Economics” honoring men and women who have distinguished themselves in land economics-related activities.
The Transbay Transit Center, known as the “Grand Central Station of the West coast,” is a revolutionary transportation facility that will transform the South of Market neighborhood into the new heart of downtown. The Transit Center will connect eight Bay Area counties and 11 transit systems, including future High Speed Rail. The Transbay Transit Center is scheduled to open in late 2017. To learn more about the project, check out the website at www.TransbayCenter.org