Sponsors present Potrero Power Station master plan proposing housing, parks and partial demolition; commissioners and preservationists push for creative reuse

Project sponsors and City staff presented a broad informational overview of the Potrero Power Station Mixed-Use Project at the Aug. 1 Historic Preservation Commission hearing. Office of Economic and Workforce Development project manager John Lau described the site's scale and the project’s program and public-benefits package; project sponsor Enrique Landa and legal counsel Jim Abrams followed with technical details and preservation analysis.

Sponsors described the site as roughly 28–30 acres with a complex industrial history and significant remediation needs. Presentation materials and staff remarks referenced a program that includes a large housing component (John Lau described “over 2,000 units” while sponsor materials and later sponsor remarks referenced 2,600 units), about 22% open space (~6 acres), approximately 1,100 linear feet of parks, childcare, soccer facilities, substantial remediation and infrastructure investments (sponsors referenced more than $300,000,000 for infrastructure and remediation), and a public-benefits package to be negotiated with the City (SEG 2469–2561).

Preservation questions were central. Counsel Jim Abrams explicitly flagged the sponsor’s proposal to demolish three individually eligible resources—Station A, the Compressor House and the Meter House—while indicating the sponsor proposes to rehabilitate and preserve the 300-foot chimney/stack in perpetuity and to study reuse of Unit 3 (the Unit 3 Power Block) as a hotel if feasible (SEG 2598–2706). Presenters said they had analyzed multiple preservation alternatives (two full-preservation alternatives plus four partial-preservation alternatives in their EIR) and that a full-preservation approach would push program square footage to other parts of the site and increase building heights.

Public commenters and preservation advocates urged greater preservation. Peter Linenthal (Potrero Hill Archive) and other speakers called for retaining brick buildings—Station A, gas meter shop and compressor house—arguing they are critical to the industrial character of the neighborhood and can be incorporated into the design (SEG 2813–2831). Sponsor and staff described structural deterioration, roof removal and water damage at Station A and said portions of some buildings have lost integrity; sponsors also emphasized the cost and complexity of rehabilitation and the need to create an urban street grid and public access across the formerly industrial site (SEG 2616–2650; SEG 2919–2930).

Staff and commissioners discussed preservation trade-offs and creative solutions such as incorporating facades or moved elements as interpretive features. Commissioners asked for clarity on public outreach and the project schedule; sponsors said the draft EIR would be published in mid-September with hearings to follow and that they would release the draft design-for-development document alongside the draft EIR. Project sponsors also reiterated their commitment to preserving the stack and preparing an interpretive master plan to document site history.

Next steps: sponsors plan to publish a draft EIR and draft design-for-development document in mid-September and will return to commissions for public hearings on the draft EIR and design documents; the project team intends continued outreach and site tours for the public.