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Plaza East residents and advocates press Housing Authority for transparency, local contracting and repairs
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Summary
Multiple residents and community groups told the Housing Authority during public comment on Sept. 12 that Plaza East and other developments face mold, corroded pipes and lack of inclusion in redevelopment. Speakers called for binding local-developer goals, Section 3 opportunities and clearer, timely resident engagement.
During the Housing Authority of the City and County of San Francisco special meeting on Sept. 12, 2025, multiple residents and community organizations used the public-comment period to press the authority and its incoming acting director for immediate action on housing conditions and for more local hiring and contracting in redevelopment projects.
Martha Hollins, tenant association president at Plaza East, described persistent gaps in communication and resident inclusion: "We don't know how our development is going... We are tired, very, very, tired of the way things are going on in that community. And we need answers," she told commissioners. Several other residents and advocates said management changes — the transcript referenced a new management company and the departure of John Stewart management — had not yielded improved transparency.
Dennis Williams, executive director of the Fillmore CDC and a Plaza East resident, and other speakers urged the authority to prioritize local and minority developers and contractors for major redevelopment projects. Williams said the authority's redevelopment work and large budgets necessitate binding local small-business and minority-business enterprise goals. "We want change. We want opportunity," said Ace Davitt (who identified himself as Fillmore Corridor ambassador), urging joint-venture opportunities and subcontracts for local minority developers on large HOPE/Sunnydale-type sites.
Speakers named developers and management firms they said have contributed to poor outcomes, including McCormack Baron Salazar, Related California, Mercy Housing and John Stewart (management). Several speakers called for requirements that master developers issue sub-RFQs for local developers and enforce Section 3 hiring and contracting commitments.
Residents also detailed building conditions. Janice Smith, president of the LaSalle Residence Association, said tenants are living with mold, asbestos and corroded pipes that cause apartment flooding; she described recent renovation work she characterized as incomplete (units returned to tenants with primer rather than paint and incomplete windows). Margaret McNulty described door-locking problems in her building dating to a 2016 construction promise and said she intends to purchase lockboxes at an estimated $600 for the whole building after management refused to pay.
Community organizations participating in the comments included the Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco, the Bayview Hunters Point Coordinating Council and We Are 1. Speakers repeatedly asked the incoming acting director to center residents in planning and to hold follow-up meetings that include residents as equal stakeholders. Several asked for near-term action steps — for example, Evangela Brewster asked what Adams would do in the next 30 to 60 days to address tenant health and contracting concerns.
No formal action on those resident requests was adopted during the meeting; the public comments were entered into the record. Residents said they expect follow-up meetings and more direct engagement as the authority moves forward with redevelopment.
The commission’s next regular meeting is scheduled for Sept. 25, 2025 at 4 p.m.
