Past Events
Focus Group #7
March 16, 2009
For Spanish, Cantonese and Mandarin Speakers
We gathered back at Starr King Elementary Monday night for a final Focus Group advertised specifically for Spanish, Cantonese and Mandarin speaking residents of Potrero Terrace and Annex. After introductions by Charmaine Curtis of our team and translators -- thank you Mabel Cheung and Alejandra Sosa Siroka, our dedicated translators -- we settled in for a short presentation by the master plan architect, Fred Pollack of Van Meter Williams Pollack. Fred walked us through the Focus Group meetings held to date: Safety, Sustainability, Community Space, Open Space and Circulation, Building Prototypes and Unit Plans. We looked at the goals and principles derived by the residents and neighbors from these meetings.
Following the presentation, VMWP introduced an exercise to plan the commons based on a game from the Community Space, Open Space and Circulation Focus Group. The object of the exercise was to prioritize which community amenities would be most important in the redeveloped Potrero. Similar to mapping unit plans, everyone was given a maximum of 34 points and a list of all types of amenities, each assigned a point value. We prioritized which types of amenities were most critical to locate on the hill, such as a senior center, a teen center, or an edible food garden. Small tables of 6-8 residents worked together discussing their priorities and the trade-off’s between different types of community spaces. After much discussion, and compromise for some, groups arrived at their 34 points. A representative from each table shared the final group maps over an abundant dinner of Goat Hill Pizza. Thanks to Chris Rosenberg for hosting us once again for this great conversation!
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