Last month we reported on the Upper Yosemite Creek daylighting project the SFPUC is planning for the Portola. Part of this project had local Portolans excited because there was an opportunity for SFPUC to extend the creek into an area of ground that is the last remaining evidence of nurseries in the Portola. For those of you not familiar with the history of the Portola, there used to be around 19 nurseries in our neighborhood that would grow flowers. SF Curbed did a great article on this history of the last remaining plot, which used to grow roses.
So driven by the possibility that SFPUC funds could be used to save this area of land from a massive housing development, there is a petition asking for support to use the land in a manner that reflects the history and provides an open space for residents to use. When the leader of the SFPUC project was asked how this land could be used, he said they could integrate the daylighting of the creek with education resources and a public park. I think many of us would agree this would be a more desired use of our land in our neighborhood.
The Portola Planet is fully behind this idea and if you also want to improve the quality of our neighborhood, please sign up right here… Below is the letter the petition is sending to the SFPUC.
To: San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, Sewer System Improvement Program, Upper Yosemite Creek Daylighting Project
For seventy years, commercial greenhouses characterized the vibrant urban-agricultural heritage of the Portola, once known to all as “San Francisco’s Garden.” Today, the neighborhood still prides itself on being San Francisco’s “Garden District,” yet the University Mound Greenhouses, built in 1922, are the last of its greenhouses.
We, the undersigned, who have a deep interest in the historic…For seventy years, commercial greenhouses characterized the vibrant urban-agricultural heritage of the Portola, once known to all as “San Francisco’s Garden.” Today, the neighborhood still prides itself on being San Francisco’s “Garden District,” yet the University Mound Greenhouses, built in 1922, are the last of its greenhouses.
We, the undersigned, who have a deep interest in the historic University Mound Greenhouse property, seek the San Francisco Public Utility Commission’s support for a design for the Yosemite Creek Daylighting Project that includes acquisition, for development as a community asset. Inclusion of the property in PUC’s design will help meet four priorities of the neighborhood: urban agriculture, self-sufficiency, leadership, and blight removal.
Sincerely, [Your name]
