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SFPUC staff say Bayview wants new Southeast community center at Third & Evans; commissioners give support
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Summary
After nine months of outreach, SFPUC staff reported the majority of Bayview respondents prefer building a new Southeast Community Facility at Third & Evans and a grants-funded interim greenhouse program; commissioners signaled support and staff will proceed into program and design pending budget approvals.
SFPUC staff told commissioners on Oct. 11 that community outreach in Bayview Hunters Point shows strong local support for building a new Southeast Community Facility at Third and Evans and for a grants-funded interim greenhouse program.
Renee Ouellette, who presented the agency's outreach background, said staff explored whether to renovate the existing center at 1800 Oakdale or build a new facility on a five-acre SFPUC-owned site at Third and Evans. She said structural constraints at the Oakdale site left staff and community partners considering relocation as a viable long-term option.
DJ Brookton, executive director of the Southeast Community Facility, summarized nine months of outreach that included more than 1,000 survey responses, more than 2,400 door knocks and 20 community meetings. Brookton said 71 percent of respondents preferred a new facility at Third & Evans and 63 percent favored an interim, grants-funded greenhouse program that would support existing Bayview organizations.
Community speakers who addressed the commission largely endorsed the recommendation. Shirley Jones and Gwen Jackson Fagan, descendants and longtime participants in the center's history, urged staff to preserve the site's legacy and to secure clear written commitments for educational programming. Multiple community groups, including the Bayview Merchants Association and the Public Housing Tenant Association, called for the project to advance quickly while protecting local hiring and small-business opportunities.
Staff said they have a signed letter of intent from City College of San Francisco to provide space in the new center and that initial conversations are underway with San Francisco State University and the San Francisco Unified School District about additional educational partnerships. Julia Ellis, assistant general manager for external affairs, recommended following the community recommendation and beginning planning and design in January, then refining the educational partner commitments and issuing an RFP for an interim greenhouse grants program.
Commissioners expressed broad support for the direction and urged strong green-building practices, measurable program goals, and prompt movement through the capital budget process. The presentation and public comments did not include a formal action; staff said any official approvals or budget allocations would proceed through the normal capital and Board approval processes.
The immediate next steps, according to SFPUC staff, are to develop a program-and-design phase beginning in January, complete an environmental review schedule, finalize education-partner commitments and issue an RFP for the interim greenhouse grant program. The commission's expressed support is advisory; formal budget authority and contract approvals will return to the commission for action.
