Resolution in Support of the Portola Green Plan and Recognition of the Portola as San Francisco's Garden District.
[Portola Green Plan and Portola as San Francisco’s Garden District]
RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF THE PORTOLA GREEN PLAN AND RECOGNITION OF THE PORTOLA AS SAN FRANCISCO’S GARDEN DISTRICT
WHEREAS, the Portola was once a primary source of cut flowers for the City and widely known as “San Francisco’s Garden,” with flowers grown in open fields and, more strikingly, in many family-owned commercial greenhouses spread throughout the neighborhood; and
WHEREAS, the Portola aided in relief efforts after the devastation of the 1906 Earthquake by providing agricultural resources, such as vegetables and meats, and later a home for many of those relocated from other parts of the City, and
WHEREAS, today, the Portola is overwhelmingly residential and very few physical markers of its agricultural history remain, some landmarks have persisted, including; the original Alemany Farmers Market, the last standing family-owned commercial greenhouses, the University Mound Nursery greenhouses, at 770 Woolsey, and perhaps the last historic windmill in the southeast, once used to draw up groundwater to irrigate crops; and
WHEREAS, The Portola is situated within a unique environment that continues to make it an ideal location for agricultural and horticultural activity; the peaks of McLaren Park create a natural fog break giving the community a sunny climate, a natural watershed in Yosemite Creek which flows through the Portola and continues to feed plant growth and enrich the soil, and residential parcels are often oversized at 3,000 sq/ft or more with structures built to front & side property lines, creating large rear yards protected from wind and ideal for gardening; and
WHEREAS, the Portola prides itself on being San Francisco’s Garden District based on a vibrant urban-agricultural heritage that includes a rich history of commercially operating greenhouses that lives on in community-driven efforts such as the Portola Garden Tour, which will celebrate its tenth consecutive year in 2016, as well as a bee farm, a new pocket park, and a multitude of public art works reflecting the Portola’s rich agricultural history; and
WHEREAS, in 2014, the Portola Urban Greening Steering Committee was formed to convene a diverse group of Portola residents and stakeholders including the Portola Neighborhood Association, The Greenhouse Project, San Francisco Community Empowerment Center, Portola Branch Library, San Francisco School, and Portola and Excelsior Family Connections to promote the Garden District identity, to build community and to advance a broad vision for community sustainability and resilience through greening; and
WHEREAS, in July 2015 the Steering Committee published the Portola Green Plan, a groundbreaking report that provides an environmental history and context for the neighborhood, as well as a roadmap to promote a safe, healthy and enriching public realm based on community feedback and the Portola’s Garden District identity; now, therefore, be it,
RESOLVED, that the San Francisco Commission on the Environment supports the Portola Green Plan and supports the San Francisco Department of the Environment’s efforts to advance the plan both within the neighborhood and before the City as an important statement of neighborhood goals and identity, rooted in urban agriculture, green infrastructure and community greening; and, be it,
FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Commission recognizes the Portola as San Francisco’s Garden District and commends the neighborhood’s environmental, residential, and small business leaders for success in advancing a bold vision of community sustainability and resilience; and, be it,
FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Commission urges the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to formally recognize the Portola as San Francisco’s Garden District.
I hereby certify that this Resolution was adopted at the Commission on the Environment’s meeting on December 14, 2015.
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Anthony Valdez, Commission Affairs Manager
VOTE: Approved
AYES: Commissioners Arce, Bermejo, Omotalade and Wald
NOES: None
ABSENT: Hoyos, Stephenson and Wan