LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
V. FEI TSEN

V. Fei Tsen stands as one of the Bay Area's most visionary leaders in urban development and community transformation. She brings almost five decades of distinguished experience across the private, nonprofit, and public sectors.

Fei’s commitment to community is perhaps most evident in her deep roots with San Francisco's Chinatown. Her pioneering work at Chinatown Community Development Center began in 1978, as its first Director of Housing Development. She led the acquisition and rehabilitation of the organization’s first single-room occupancy hotel, secured policy changes and financing that made such projects possible, and helped Chinatown CDC earn a Governor’s Award for Appropriate Technology. She later negotiated the nonprofit–private–public partnership that created Wharf Plaza Apartments for seniors, introducing a first-of-its-kind financial structure that ensured Chinatown CDC’s long-term sustainability and ultimately led to the creation of the Legacy Fund. Today, she serves as Board Chair of the Chinatown CDC Legacy Foundation.

Groundbreaking of Wharf Plaza in 1981.

Throughout her career, Fei has demonstrated an exceptional ability to reimagine urban spaces. Her transformative work includes converting industrial and waterfront properties into thriving mixed-use developments as Director of Real Estate for the Port of San Francisco and Director of Redevelopment for the City of Emeryville. As a Commissioner of the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency, she played a pivotal role in creating the iconic Yerba Buena Gardens.

Currently serving as President of the Board of Directors of the Treasure Island Development Authority, Fei presides over one of the nation's most ambitious sustainable redevelopment projects. The transformation of the former naval base into a new district featuring 8,000 homes, 300 acres of waterfront parkland, and innovative sea level rise solutions has garnered international recognition.

Her civic leadership extends far beyond real estate development. As past Chairperson of San Francisco SPUR and former Executive Vice-President of the Greenbelt Alliance, she has shaped regional policies on housing affordability, transportation, and smart growth. In 2021, SPUR honored her exceptional contributions with their Silver SPUR Award for lifetime civic achievement.

Fei's influence on education and the arts has been equally profound. She founded Zeum (now the Children's Creativity Center) at Yerba Buena Gardens, assisted in selecting the architect for the new De Young Museum as a trustee of the Fine Arts Museums, and guided public artwork selection for Treasure Island as the Art Steering Committee Chairperson. Her educational leadership includes serving as President of the Loeb Fellowship Council at Harvard University Graduate School of Design.

As a civic leader, urban planner, and visionary developer, Fei has shaped the Bay Area for over four decades, championing sustainable revitalization in multi-ethnic, inner-city neighborhoods.