Review of Rebuild Potrero master planning process

[Evan Goldin]

On March 16, the team behind Rebuild Potrero met to review the planning process for residents who have missed out on the opportunity to get involved in the project to rebuild the Potrero Terrace and Annex.

The Rebuild Potrero team presented the plans for the project so far, and discussed a number of issues with residents.

Groceries.

Potrero Terrace resident Chris Jackson raised the concern voiced by many residents — that the plans so far don't include a grocery store of a size significant enough to enable residents to remain in the area for most of their food needs.

The Rebuild Potrero team acknowledged the concern and the popularity of the concern, but noted that many residents have voiced fears that putting in too large a grocery store would bring excess traffic to the neighborhood. Rebuild Potrero did say that space for a grocery co-op was being discussed, though nothing has been finalized yet.

Jackson urged Rebuild Potrero to add the ability to house a grocery store, especially considering how the goal of sustainability would be hampered by residents needing to drive to purchase groceries.

Environmental

The Rebuild Potrero project is aiming for LEED gold in energy design, making the project very energy efficient. The project aims to be sustainable, with built-in power generation features and other sustainability improvements.

Physical concerns

While the Rebuild Potrero project has access to all the land owned , by the San Francisco Housing Authoritythere was concern about integrating the project with nearby buildings, such as the San Francisco Food Bank. Currently, most land around Potrero Terrace and Annex is privately owned and typically inaccessible from the Potrero Terrace and Annex.

There are other physical concerns about the site, most notably, that "We have to continually stress is this site is steep," Chris Sensenig said. In 1905, a street grid was plotted over all of Potrero Hill, but the grid did not get built. Instead, the project has winding diagonal streets that don't connect well with the surrounding street grid.

Density vs. open space

Sensenig dove headfirst into the sometimes controversial issue of density of the Rebuild Potrero project.

Primary, he sought to explain the connection between density and open space. If the density of the rebuilt area is low, the open space will minimal, if it exists at all. However, higher density allows for the much more green space, though it results in higher buildings that could potentially block views. Blocked views, Mohr noted, could be minimized in this development because of the steepness of the topography.

Presenters also mentioned some numbers that might be of interest to neighborhood residents. They confirmed that about 550 units are occupied in the Potrero Terrace and Annex right now. However, as multiple people occupy units — even if they're not on the lease — the Rebuild Potrero team estimated the current number of residents of the Potrero Terrace and Annex at around 1,200.

Under current plans, that number would almost triple after Rebuild Potrero is completed, with about 4,000 people occupying the rebuild area.

Rent-to-own?

Many residents voiced support for a program to transition residents from the people in affordable housing to market-rate rental units. Jackson urged Rebuild Potrero to develop an incentive program for people to move to market-rate housing and homebuying.

In Oakland, they have a rent-to-own program, where residents who have lived and paid rent in a public housing project for years can eventually pay enough to own the homes outright.

Jackson raised the point that people right now are essentially forced out if they make too much money. Instead, we should be incentivizing people who live in affordable housing to rent at market rate or buy homes.

Market rate units

Rebuild Potrero's market-rate units won't actually be built by Bridge Housing. They'll be sold to individual developers, who will then construct the individual buildings.

For those concerned about developers having free reign over the design of their buildings, Sensenig said, "There will be guidelines for the design."