Projects
Bernal Cut
The Bernal Cut is a grouping of existing and proposed green spaces in the Bernal/Glen Park/Mission neighborhoods. Their current plan is to add rain gardens in their targeted region, which includes concrete removal to add a bioretention swale, as well as the design and construction of a traffic bule, which will serve as a rain garden and provide a traffic calming component. Our work included outlining the drainage sheds feeding into the potential gardens, calculating their areas, and estimating the location and sizes of the new rain gardens.
Bernal Cut Rain Garden
César Chávez Greenway
Located at the southwest corner of César Chávez Street and Highway 101, this 0.25-acre vacant lot is the only piece of property left on this corridor where its namesake can be honored. Additionally, the site will provide much needed green space in this part of the city, as well as a way station on a heavily trafficked bike route. Although the design is still in the conceptual stage, the way station will contain bike racks, benches for convening and resting, along with a designated area to celebrate César Chavez’s life and legacy. Our work includes a site feasibility analysis, outreach, and grant application preparation.
César Chávez Greenway
Good Prospect Community Garden (GPCG)
The GPCG is an unaccepted street in the Bernal Heights District located between Cortland Avenue and Santa Marina Street. Currently, half the site consists of community garden plots and a walkway, which connects Cortland and Santa Marina. The goal of this project is to add more garden plots to the other half of the site, plus create a community gathering area and plant more orchard trees. Additionally, the garden’s main entrance on Cortland Avenue will consist of a sizable rain garden, which will not only capture a significant amount of stormwater runoff, but will also serve as additional landscaping as part of a new gateway landmark for the district.
Good Prospect Community Garden
The Greenway
This 0.5-acre+ parcel is located on a city block bound by Harrison, Treat, 22nd and 23rd streets and was once part of the Southern Pacific Railroad right-of way. The property is currently vacant, but neighbors have been establishing raised gardens with the vision to create a new neighborhood “greenway.” Our work consisted of researching property ownership and potential for purchasing the site; project management, including preparing a project management plan in order to plan, design and construct the greenway. In addition, we provided civil engineering consulting services regarding the potential design options and are currently providing permitting, engineering and managerial services on an on-call basis.
Rendering prepared by Chi Powers
Ogden Avenue Gardens – Rain Gardens
Ogden Avenue Gardens is a project currently under design. The objective of the initial project is to transform the unaccepted street section between Folsom and Gates Streets into a neighborhood garden/park, which will provide a neighborhood green space and a playground for the adjacent daycare center. The rain gardens will be located at both ends of the block (intersections at Ogden/Folsom and Ogden/Gates). They will provide additional landscaping and a way to capture and filter stormwater runoff and then allow it to replenish the groundwater. Our work has consisted of evaluating the watershed dimensions, sizing the rain garden, calculating the amount of stormwater captured, and sizing the rain garden. Additionally, we have calculated the amount of stormwater from the adjacent homes’ roofs, which we can channel and store into cisterns as part of a rainwater harvesting program, and design park paths using absorbent materials that will also capture rainwater through the porous pavement, for example.
Ogden Avenue Conceptual Design
Saint Mary’s Park, Bernal Heights
This project consists of a preliminary hydrology analysis for a two-acre right-of-way section in a Bernal Heights neighborhood. A local neighborhood has been planning a beautification project, including adding landscaping, new pathways and potentially rain gardens. Our work included a conceptual analysis for the feasibility and potential locations for rain gardens; estimating the watershed dimensions that will contribute stormwater runoff to the rain gardens, and recommendations for potential stormwater management options.
Upper Esmeralda Stairs
This small parcel of land, an unaccepted street, provides stair access from the west slope of Bernal Heights to Bernal Hill in a densely treed area. Located between the terminus of Esmeralda Street and Bernal Hill, the stairs are heavily used by dog owners and other individuals who want to take in the views from the top of the hill. Nearby residents provide stewardship for this parcel by landscaping and maintaining the vegetated slopes. Our work consisted of performing a cursory topographic and property line survey to develop a basis for future landscaping, retaining structure construction, and other site improvements.
Vision Blvd | Teardown the Central Freeway | San Francisco, CA
Vision Blvd is a grassroots San Francisco campaign and movement calling for completely removing the Central Freeway. Once the freeway is removed, a vital region of the city will be transformed into a thriving and beautiful neighborhood hub, serving locals and visitors alike.
Vision Blvd | Teardown the Central Freeway | San Francisco, CA
