Today City and community leaders joined representatives from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) to celebrate the groundbreaking of Potrero Block B, a 157-unit, 100% affordable housing development for low-income families. Potrero Block B is the second affordable housing project to break ground as part of the Potrero Hill Master Plan, a comprehensive effort to rebuild 619 units of distressed public housing and create another 1,000 new homes with a range of affordability, as well as community facilities, retail, open space, and neighborhood services.
"This new housing is another step in our commitment to transform Potrero Hill in a way that supports the existing community as we make lasting change,” said Mayor London Breed. “Not only will this new project provide badly needed housing for Potrero residents it will also serve our families by creating a new on-site childcare facility. The residents put their faith in us with HOPE SF, and we are going to continue to do the work to deliver on our promise to them.”
Potrero Block B will provide 157 affordable homes for households between 30-60% of the Area Median Income (AMI), including 117 homes reserved for existing Potrero residents living in former public housing; 38 homes for low-income households who do not currently reside at Potrero Annex/Terrace; and two manager units. The property will include a childcare center operated by Cross Cultural Family Center that will serve approximately 52 children, with 45 slots reserved for children from low- to moderate-income households.
Additionally, planned amenities include a landscaped courtyard for residents, community room, teen room, on-site parking, and a public mini park for residents and community members.
“This 100% affordable development demonstrates that we continue to fulfill promises to make San Francisco more affordable, while improving the conditions in communities that have had to deal with neglect and dilapidated housing,” said Board President Supervisor Shamann Walton. “We said we would continue to provide quality housing for families, and we are keeping the commitment of HOPE SF for our residents in Potrero Hill. We are looking forward to the day all 157 units are occupied with families and residents that have been waiting for this opportunity for years.”
Potrero Hill is one of four former public housing sites that comprise San Francisco’s HOPE SF initiative, the nation’s first large-scale community development and reparations initiative aimed at creating inclusive, mixed-income, and thriving communities without the mass displacement of existing residents. All HOPE SF projects aim to center residents first and change systems and shift power to ensure San Francisco is a racially and economically inclusive city. Once completed, the re-envisioned Potrero Hill community will be a mixed-income, service-rich neighborhood developed according to the non-displacement principles of the Mayor’s HOPE SF initiative.
Potrero Block B is expected to welcome its first residents in fall 2024 and will be the second new affordable housing project to break ground as part of the Potrero Hill Master Plan. The first project in the Plan, 1101 Connecticut Avenue, consists of 71 new homes and opened in May 2019. Once the final of five construction and development phases is completed in 2034, the Potrero Hill Master Plan add between 1,400 and 1,700 new homes to the neighborhood, 65% of which will be affordable.
The master developer for Potrero Hill is BRIDGE Housing, which, in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD) and the San Francisco Housing Authority (SFHA), was selected to transform Potrero into a vibrant, unified mixedincome community. Local firms HKIT Architects, Y.A. Studios, Cahill Contractors, GLS Landscape Architecture, and others are also enlisted on the project. Potrero Block B will pursue LEED Gold certification, which authenticates that the project was designed and constructed using strategies aimed at improving energy savings, water efficiency, and overall indoor quality.
“Breaking ground on Block B is the next step in transforming the physical environment and creating new opportunities for current and future residents of the Potrero community,” said Ken Lombard, President and CEO of BRIDGE Housing. "We're grateful to our partners for collaborating on this dynamic development that will deliver affordable homes along with a childcare center and amenities for residents and neighbors.”
The $189.6 million project is made possible by funding from the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD) and the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) through the California Housing Accelerator fund, a state program tasked with reducing the backlog of affordable housing projects that are stalled in the funding pipeline, and the State Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) program.
“I am happy to see San Francisco break ground to add 157 affordable homes to the Potrero community,” said California Housing and Community Development Director Gustavo Velasquez. “This type of mixed income project will advance the State’s goals of fair housing and community revitalization in an area of the city with a history of segregation. The thoughtful amenities like a teen room, onsite childcare, community room, and onsite services will ensure that residents in San Francisco receive the housing and support they need to prosper.”
For more information about the City's HOPE SF Initiative, please visit www.hope-sf.org.