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Potrero residents view plans for Rebuild Potrero

A series about the rebuilding of southern Potrero Hill

Note: This is the first in a series of posts about the Rebuild Potrero project. If you'd like to share your own thoughts, simply post a blog post. To read more posts, be sure to join the network!

On Oct. 27, residents from all across Potrero Hill and the Dogpatch piled into the Potrero Neighborhood house to see and discuss the plans for the Rebuild Potrero project. The project, scheduled to begin by 2013 at the earliest, will replace the 70-year-old Potrero Terrace and Annex public housing complex with a mix of market-rate units, low-income units, businesses, parks and public amenities.

The meeting, one of neighorhood group Potrero Booster's monthly gatherings, focused on presenting the newest plans and allowing residents to ask questions of the staff working on the plans. Tony Kelley, president of Potrero Boosters and member of SFPotrero.com, kicked off the meeting.

Bridge Housing, the project's developer, presented the latest plans for the rebuild, including artistic renderings of what the rebuilt neighborhood could one day look like. But first, it's important to remember how they came to be in the first place.

The sweeping Potrero Terrace and Annex public housing complex was built in 1940 to accommodate the massive influx of workers in the w.... At the time, the buildings were intended to be little more than temporary housing to last through the war. However, despite deteriorating housing and declining occupancy, the buildings still stand today.

Bridge's vision for the complex is a grand one for the often-neglected south side of Potrero Hill. This project is more than just a simple remodel of the units. Along with creating a beautiful, economically integrated neighborhood — the project will fundamentally the topography and streets of Potrero Hill. Here's a idea of what the project will look like:

Potrero Terrace Map and Renderings:

Bridge staff spent the first hour of the meeting presenting the latest plans for Rebuild Potrero. The plan now includes an outline for 1,400-1,700 homes, street and open space locations and building massing and heights. For those who didn't make the meeting, you can check out the presention here:

Oct. 22 Presentation (10/27 — .pdf)

After the presentation, the meeting took a recess so residents could examine the artistic renderings which had been around the room in close detail. Residents also crowded around the star attraction, a scale model of the rebuilt Potrero Terrace and Annex, in full topographic and architectural detail.

As the recess came to an, staff opened the floor up to questions from residents. Potrero residents aren't known for holding back their opinions, and Bridge staff addressed resident questions on a number of issues:

Concern over the height of the buildings. Two large apartment buildings in the center of the plans call for eight-story heights, and residents expressed the desire to see buildings of smaller height, around five stories. They were specifically concerned that the buildings would physically dominate the new development.
In response to a question about what services would be provided at the rebuilt complex, Bridge staff said they are looking to "Figure out what the Hill does not provide, and provide it there." They cited examples such as music, art or computer programs.
One young mother on the Hill stressed the importance of not just focusing the new units on 1-to-2 bedroom apartments. She urged Bridge officials to include 3-4 bedroom units, which would appeal both to San Francisco's younger, less well-off renters as well as families who want to stay in the city and need housing for a growing family. As a young, not-too-wealthy resident myself who lives in 1/3 of a three-bedroom, I'd have to agree with her.
Bridge staff said that they "need to have conversations with Muni to make there are Muni transportation connections. But we have no idea where bus stops will go yet."
Lastly, residents urged Bridge to utilize multiple building and architectural styles, so it doesn't like one, giant, monolithic project. Bridge staff responded that they plan on using multiple architects, for that exact reason.