The Process
Community Design
Through a comprehensive community design process, the Rebuild Potrero team will create a final master plan for the redevelopment of the 33-acre site. Elements of this plan will include block layouts for the various housing components, open space amenities, community facilities for recreation and services space.
Since August 2008, the team has been holding a series of community meetings and focus groups to engage residents of Potrero Terrace and Annex along with the larger Potrero community. Among the topics for discussion and input have been safety, opportunities and constraints, sustainability, building types, and community/open spaces. We will continue to engage with the community as plans for the redevelopment effort continue to evolve. Please see the Master Planning schedule for details. Once the master plan has been finalized, we will submit the plan for city approval.
Click here to view details and materials from community design events we have held in the past. For information about upcoming community design events, visit our events page.
Community Building
One of the HOPE SF principles is to “develop a strong sense of community.” But what does it mean to develop or build community? And, more importantly, how is it done? While the physical environment plays an important role in facilitating community, ensuring opportunities for individuals to come together — to grow, learn and inspire one another — is also critical to building a strong, vibrant, and sustainable community.
In order to help achieve these goals, we have hired a full time “Community Builder” to help develop and implement a wide range of events and programs to engage residents and neighbors of Potrero Annex and Terrace. The Community Builder’s role is to work with volunteers and leaders to broaden and strengthen social networks throughout the community, both within Potrero Annex and Terrace and between Potrero and the larger neighborhood. The Community Builder’s role will also support the team’s efforts to assess the need for, and effectiveness of, the social services that can be made available to the community, including linking residents to employment opportunities.
In partnership with the leadership of the Potrero Residents Council, our community building team plans to implement a series of programs that will foster resident leadership and increase the number of residents and neighbors who are actively engaged in the rebuilding process. Opportunities for community building will be explored in a series of workshops. Some examples of community building activities might be: a day of tree-planting, having a participatory public art project on site, or developing youth engagement strategies, such as an oral history documentary done with the assistance of outside professionals. We will send notices to residents and neighbors for each of the workshops and future community building events. They will also be posted here on the website in the events section.
The community building process is about stitching a new social fabric by instilling hope, creating connections, and fostering a commitment to individual and shared responsibility. We strongly encourage neighbors of Potrero and Potrero residents to get involved in the Community Building process and help ensure a healthy and vibrant future for the rebuilt Potrero community.