Wednesday, April 24, 2024
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Potrero Yard Project Reaches Major Milestone – Learn How Your Feedback Helped
By John Angelico
A rendering of the Potrero Yard Modernization Project. Learn more about our plan to replace a 100-year-old bus yard with new transit infrastructure and up to 465 affordable housing units. (Arcadis IBI Group)
Maintenance and repair work are key to your smooth rides on Muni. That's why we're working hard to improve infrastructure at the Potrero Yard. Recently, we reached a major milestone.
Mayor London Breed and the Board of Supervisors approved legislation that lets us move forward with the Potrero Yard Modernization Project.
Learn why the legislation could spell big wins for transit and housing. See how your feedback shaped its success.
Understanding Entitlements: the path ahead for Potrero
Potrero Yard was built in 1915 to serve 100 streetcars. The 4.4-acre site is bordered by Bryant, 17th, Hampshire and Mariposa streets.
We plan to replace it with a new facility to maintain and store our electric trolly buses. The project site could also include up to 465 units of housing above and beside new transit infrastructure. No other development is set to combine a working bus facility with new affordable housing. That makes this initiative the first of its kind in the nation.
Entitlements are the green light from city lawmakers to proceed with the Project as proposed. To facilitate development of the Project, they include Amendments to the General Plan, the creation of a Special Use District and amendments to the Planning Code and Zoning Map.
Securing entitlements allows us to continue with the project development. Now, we can move closer to creating final designs. With this legislation, city lawmakers have allowed us to:
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Build transit infrastructure and housing units in the same space. We’ve created a Special Use District for the project site. It includes public transit infrastructure plus commercial spaces and residential housing units. The entitlements allow the site to expand beyond its current “public” use as a transit facility to also include housing and commercial components.
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Define structure height and bulk limits for the zone. Before, structures on the site could only be 65 feet tall. Now, with the new Special Use District, we can exceed that limit. The transit facility will reach 75 feet and proposed housing will reach up to 150 feet. Also, the legislation describes the size, shape and placement of buildings on the site, which are the bulk requirements.
We want to thank Supervisors Hillary Ronen and Shamann Walton, who sponsored the legislation. Each played a leadership role, and we’re grateful for their partnership.
Rendering of the new bus yard and trolley bus entrance on Mariposa and Hampshire streets. (Arcadis IBI Group)
Community feedback has been essential
As we celebrate this milestone, we’re grateful for the community feedback that helped make it possible.
Since the project started in 2018, our agency and city partners have worked closely with the community. During the approval process for the Entitlements, lawmakers and others noted our extensive outreach efforts. They include:
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140 community meetings, tours and events held by our project team and partners over the last six years
As city leaders reviewed the legislation, individuals and organizations showed their support by submitting letters on behalf of the project to the Recreation & Park and SF Planning commissions. You can read them on this SF.gov repository for letters submitted on behalf of the Potrero Yard Project. We want to thank everyone who wrote in for their support.
Infrastructure and housing possibilities
With the green light to continue planning, we’re excited to share more about our vision for Potrero.
Modern and spacious transit facility
Public transportation is one of the best tools we have to fight climate change. It's crucial that we replace our outdated facility with one that will make it easier to service and store our electric trolley buses. This work is key to maintaining our fleet, the greenest of any major city in North America.
The new facility is designed to:
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Have capacity for 54% more electric trolley buses
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Help crews be more efficient with maintenance and repairs
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Give more than 800 SFMTA staff the space and tools they need to keep Muni running
Affordable and workforce housing
The proposed housing would also add more affordable rental units in the Mission. These units and commercial spaces would sit next to and above the bus facility. You can learn more on our Potrero Yard Modernization Project - Proposed Housing and Commercial Component webpage.
Area Median Income (AMI) will determine who is eligible to live in the new housing units.
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Affordable housing: Households with incomes between 30 and 80 percent of the AMI will be eligible.
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Workforce housing: Households with incomes ranging from 80 to 120 percent of the AMI will be eligible.
Many staff at our agency, including operators and maintenance staff, have incomes that would qualify for the workforce housing component. We’re working to create a preference for our staff for the workforce housing units.
We’re glad to partner with the Potrero Neighborhood Collective (PNC), our developers for the project. The city selected a proposal from this consortium because it offers technical expertise and global experience. The PNC team includes affordable housing developers with local ties.
We’re thrilled to be part of this unique public private partnership. It allows the city to build the transit infrastructure, while the PNC team finances and constructs housing.
Illustration shows plans for a protected bike lane along 17th Street and vendor kiosks. (Arcadis IBI Group)
What’s next: creating designs, preparing for construction
So far, the modernization project has moved from conceptual design to 100% Final Schematic Design. It also received California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) clearance in March. This step paved the way for the Entitlements stage.
Now, we are able to move the project through the Design Development phase. Then, we can create construction documents for the bus yard. The housing component will have its own schedule and financing structure. The transportation infrastructure will be funded through transportation dollars.
As the project moves forward, we continue to welcome feedback. You can contact us by phone or email:
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415.646.2223
Visit the Potrero Yard Modernization Project webpage for the latest information and events.
Published April 23, 2024 at 11:50PM
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Tuesday, April 23, 2024
Shape Our Vision for a Safer West Portal
By Brian Haagsman
West Portal Station is a busy transit hub served by three rail lines and two bus routes.
This week, we’re hosting pop-ups in West Portal and running a survey to seek your feedback on safety improvement proposals we announced for the area on April 16.
The West Portal Station area includes three Muni rail lines and two bus routes. Together, they serve 50,000 riders per day. It’s also the entrance to a vibrant commercial village where people visit restaurants, shops and offices. Every day, children and families pass through the area to go to local schools, playgrounds or the public library.
With such a high volume of people traveling through West Portal, it’s critical that the space is safe for everyone who accesses it. That means safe connections to transit. It means safe travel between homes, to businesses and to other West Portal destinations.
Tragically, a collision killed a family of four near West Portal Station in March. We have been working with Mayor London Breed and District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar ever since to make changes in the area.
We'll share how you can review our safety improvement proposals. We’ll also cover how to connect with our team in person and online to provide feedback about them.
How to share feedback about safety improvements for West Portal
Our proposals aim to improve intersection safety and create a more welcoming space for people who access West Portal. You can review these proposals on our West Portal Station Safety and Community Space Improvements - Proposed Design webpage.
Here’s how to connect with our teams in person and online to share feedback about the proposals.
Connect with project staff at neighborhood pop-ups
You can ask our project staff questions and share feedback with them at on-street pop-ups:
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Tuesday, April 23, 8 – 9:30 a.m. at West Portal Station (northwest corner of West Portal Avenue and Ulloa Street). Chinese and Spanish interpretation will be available.
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Wednesday, April 24, 4 – 5:45 p.m. outside the West Portal Branch Library (190 Lenox Way). Chinese interpretation will be available.
Fill out our online survey form
You can also fill out our online survey to provide feedback on the proposal and offer suggestions on ways to beautify the entrance to the station.
To complete the form, visit our West Portal Safety and Community Improvements Project -- Community Survey webpage.
The deadline to complete the survey is Sunday, April 28, 2024.
Understanding the proposed designs
The goal for West Portal is to create a safer and calmer intersection where Ulloa Street crosses West Portal. At the same time, we also want to make sure people can easily get to their West Portal destinations. The proposal aims to more clearly define how people move through the space. This applies to people walking, driving or taking Muni. The design would also reduce vehicle traffic on the train tracks.
At the heart of the proposal is more dedicated and protected space for people around the station entrance. Originally used for SFMTA operations vehicles, the new space would be an inviting area for people walking. It could include features like murals, seating, planters, bike share stations or other options. These would support the commercial corridor and neighborhood at large – and reflect its unique character.
Examples of materials that could be used to mark protected space for people walking such as street murals, planters and bollards.
The proposal also includes safety improvements to reduce conflicts between transit vehicles in the intersection and people walking, biking and driving. They include:
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Simplified turns
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A dedicated transit lane
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Converting one block of nearby Lenox Way to one-way traffic
What’s next: feedback review and final proposal
After we carry out this outreach, our project team will review the feedback and consider changes to the proposals. Next, we will bring a final proposal to the SFMTA Board for a public hearing early this summer.
You can track the project by visiting the West Portal Safety and Community Space Improvements webpage. You can also reach out with questions or feedback to: WestPortalProject@SFMTA.com.
Published April 23, 2024 at 06:01AM
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