Developing the Transbay Transit Center in San Francisco has been a nearly two-decade crusade for Maria Ayerdi-Kaplan, executive director of the Transbay Joint Powers Authority. She spearheaded the agency's method for funding the project, which, in turn, lifted real estate development in the so-called South of Market area.

The plan got a boost when the State Dept. of Transportation transferred 19 acres to the authority at no cost—including 12 developable acres and seven acres for the transit center. DOT's stipulation is that proceeds from property sales would fund Transbay's hard construction costs.