October 3, 2005

Hillside Property to Remain Undeveloped

By Clifford Agocs
Special to the Neighborhood Newswire

The Henry Hillside will soon regain its open space protection. On September 20th the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance transferring the property, located at the corner of Henry Street and Roosevelt Way, from the Mayor's Office of Housing to the Recreation and Parks Department, shielding it from future development.

According to the Buena Vista Neighborhood Association, the Department of Public Works had mistakenly transferred the parcel to the MOH under the Surplus Property Ordnance so that it's potential for building affordable housing could be explored. The BVNA, one of the city’s largest neighborhood associations, with approximately 400 members, asserted that the property's prior designation as open space on city planning and zoning maps - a high priority designation in the city's General Plan - should have prevented it from being identified as surplus property and transferred to the MOH.

To return the Hillside to open space status, the property had to be legally transferred out of the MOH. Supervisor Bevin Dufty, together with Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval, authored the necessary ordinance. The presence of a historic stairway, featured in the book Stairway Walks of San Francisco, was a key factor in the property’s re-designation. "Supervisor Dufty deserves an incredible amount of credit for being a great leader," said Richard Magary, BVNA steering committee chair. "It wasn't so much a win as correcting an error."

However, Supervisor Chris Daly opposed the change. He believes that once the parcel had been designated as surplus property, the city's highest priority should be to develop it for use by the city's homeless population. "I'm not trying to knock open space, I'm just saying we have a homeless problem. All the city's surplus property could have another use, but the first use should be housing for the formerly homeless."

"This is not a NIMBY action," Magary countered. According to Magary, after the MOH surveyed the property they found that it wasn't economically feasible to develop it. Instead, they proposed selling the parcel and using the proceeds to develop other more feasible tracts for affordable housing. Securing a buyer would have been the MOH's next step had Supervisors Dufty and Sandoval not stepped in with the support of the BVNA, the Hillside Neighbors Committee - comprised of neighbors specifically concerned about the property’s future - and citywide groups like Friends of the Urban Forest, San Francisco Beautiful and the Neighborhood Parks Council.

The two supervisors presented the ordinance to the City Operations and Neighborhood Services Committee, a group of three supervisors that vets proposals before they are sent to the full board. It passed the Committee, and it was adopted by the board on a second vote. The ordinance now goes to the mayor for final approval.

Once the property has been officially transferred to the Rec and Parks department, an agreement will be developed between the department and concerned neighbors about how to maintain the park. This “Memorandum of Understanding” will shield the city from spending extra dollars from its already tight budget on the parcel. "We expect that the MOU will name the Henry Hillside Neighbors Committee as one responsible party," said Magary. The Committee has regularly provided volunteers to help clean-up the park, and has worked with the Department of Public Works to have trash picked up and irrigation installed. According to Magary, local residents have been maintaining the property all along and the BVNA has the tools and infrastructure to continue to do so. "There's nothing new here. We're just putting it down on a piece of paper," he says adding that it shows "the important role that a good neighborhood organization plays in helping the city run better."

According to Magary the remaining question will be who will take responsibility for the staircase. "It's in pretty good shape right now," but the MOU will have to determine who is going to clean-up graffiti and maintain the structure.