The Dogpatch and Northwest Potrero Hill Green Benefit District (GBD) has its annual board elections this month, in advance of a year in which the organization will work to convince taxpayers to renew its charter for another 10 years, and launch new projects, including potentially to “clean and green” Dogpatch’s freeway underpasses.
There are five open seats, each with three-year terms. Two seats are set aside for Dogpatch property owners, and one each for a Dogpatch tenant or property owner, Northwest Potrero Hill property owner, and Northwest Potrero Hill tenant.
Matt Lewis is the sole candidate for the Northwest Potrero Hill property owner seat. Joyce Lavey is the only contender for the Northwest Potrero Hill tenant slot. Rebecca Groves, Barb Fritz, Michael Joseph Spain, and Katherine Doumani are competing for the two Dogpatch property owner spots. John Litster and Tabita McCallum are vying for the single Dogpatch property owner or tenant seat.
Candidates must own or rent within the Dogpatch or NW Potrero Hill district or be an authorized representative of an owner or renter in these areas. Dogpatch and NW Potrero Hill property owners who pay the GBD assessment will receive a ballot in the mail providing a code to vote online by March 29. Results will be announced April 2, with the new board expected to convene on April 17. Election turnout has historically been low.
There are 15 people on the GBD board, five elected annually in rotating three-year terms. The board meets monthly in-person on the evening of the third Wednesday, normally at the Dogpatch Hub. Directors are asked to serve on at least one committee or project, averaging about five hours a month on behalf of the organization. The GBD is usually busier between the spring and fall when it holds events.
“This is an organization that creates a community benefit. We all work together,” said Andrea Bañas, GBD executive director, who was appointed to the position last fall.
Bañas hopes that property owners will recognize the spaces in Dogpatch and Northwest Potrero Hill that were GBD created and/or maintained. For instance, in 2020 the Vermont Greenway, near Interstate 280’s Mariposa Street exit, was awarded a roughly $150,000 Community Challenge Grant to beautify the 400 block of Vermont Street. The GBD is working with nearby residents, the Yerba Buena chapter of the California Native Plant Society, and Field Collective, a women-owned, San Francisco-based landscape architecture firm to select native plants for a 1,000-square foot sidewalk garden that’ll showcase vegetation that grows well in local backyards and urban spaces.
“This area was built by the GBD in summer and fall 2023. Potrero Hill neighbors and Field Collective helped design and plant an “Eco patch” of native plants in the space. We are taking steps to prepare the area for planting in the fall. We’d like to develop programs for it, for example speakers to explain the importance of having a “checker” site to encourage butterfly reproduction,” said Bañas.
Last year the GBD continued the Dogpatch Music Series, a four-event program at Woods Yard Park that took place August through October, drawing upwards of 250 attendees. The concerts were funded by an Avenue Greenlight grant. Numerous businesses, including Bar Piccino and Longbridge Pizza, sold food and drinks, PREFund and Potrero Kids held a kid’s sing-along, the Museum of Craft Design brought a mobile MakeArt van, and the View distributed free sand art to children.
Property owners will vote on whether or not to continue to be taxed to support the GBD in March 2025. An endorsement by more than two-thirds of sowners is needed to extend the district for another 10 years. The GBD is working with a consultant to determine if it’ll propose to raise assessments.
The GBD assessment appears as a separate line item on annual property tax bills, with monies collected by the San Francisco Treasurer and Tax Collector and transferred to the nonprofit corporation that manages the GBD. Assessments are based on property size and use, collected twice a year on the same schedule as property taxes. The GBD also receives monies through grants and donations.
“These projects, the renovation of Esprit Park and the development of the Potrero Gateway and Vermont Greenway Park, will allow people to see that the GBD is capable of truly transforming our community,” said Donovan Lacy GBD board president, who holds a Dogpatch property owner seat.
San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department expects to complete Esprit Park’s renovation by this summer, with the GBD finishing the Potrero Gateway Park, beautifying space under and adjacent to Highway 101, this month.
According to Lacy incoming board members can help the GBD identify and initiate new projects, like sidewalk gardens, small parks, and volunteer plantings.
“We’ve creating a strong foundation by putting the right processes in place. We are now an established entity, with an eight-year track record of starting and maintaining green spaces and parks,” said Lacy.
J.R. Eppler, Potrero Boosters president, agreed that the GBD was at a “wonderful place” in its development. “It would be excellent to see improvements in the freeway overpasses that connect Potrero Hill and Dogpatch and the areas around and underneath them. Then these could be open for community programs, when possible.”
“I’ve learned so much from being a part of the board. Now I can talk about how the City’s processes work. I’ve met more locals and learned more about the history of Dogpatch,” said Shawn Troedson, board secretary and Dogpatch property owner seat holder.
“Those experiences helped me understand how to relate the funds that the GBD collects to its impacts on the community,” said Sarah Miers, board vice president and holder of a Dogpatch property owner seat, who previously worked in international development and is presently in venture capital. “The GBD Board is composed of members who hold very different skill sets. One of the great things about serving on the board is you will learn from others with expertise in a wide range of industries.”
Barb Fritz, another Dogpatch property owner seat holder, said becoming a member has taught her about the composition and costs of materials used in parks, including plants. She’s now familiar with what flora grow well in the area. knows which vegetation is drought-resistant and understands the pros and cons of growing native and introduced plants.
“I have been living in Dogpatch since 2014. This is my first term on the GBD board. Being a part of the GBD helped me see more of what the area has to offer, in terms of these beautiful green spaces and the benefits of being outside with neighbors. I’ve made many friends from the board through our community involvement together,” said Fritz.
Keith Goldstein, Potrero Dogpatch Merchants Association president, said the GBD has been beneficial for businesses, created “gorgeous new green spaces” and improving existing ones. “These spaces have improved our neighborhoods on many levels, including making (them) more attractive to visit and to shop. On any given day, one can see numerous visitors strolling around Dogpatch and enjoying these open spaces, and at the same time perhaps dropping into a local business.”
