“The Potrero Hill [power] plant, one of the dirtiest in California, will cease operations on Jan. 1, state officials are expected to announce today. The plant, operated by Houston-based GenOn Energy Inc., formerly Mirant Corp., could be fired up in the event of a dramatic power emergency before being decommissioned permanently on Feb. 28…”
I’m sure many Potrero Hill residents thought this day would never come, but it is a good thing, for residents, the environment and development. Im sure not seeing the steam from the cooling tower will be an odd sight at first, but i do look forward to seeing what may get developed (in time) on that large plot of land, and what it will add to the Dogpatch area.
Potrero Hill is a very interesting area, with the neighborhood of mission district development; I see some younger professional moving into the area. The houses are very old all around near the projects and Pier 70 but you could spot new modern fixtures of housing development. And occasionally, you could see young moms walking their new born and pet through the rough pavement street.
Will this possibly be the new up and coming neighborhood? There is no fix plans for Pier 70 development and what will the huge piece of power plant land going to be? Is this a safe place to live? I haven’t checked out the area at night yet but this is one of my condo hunt consideration. How is the transportation to downtown?
Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
I’m sure the entire area is a toxic waste dump, which history tells us means that subsidized housing developers are chomping at the bit over this gold mine.
Ron, there is no cooling tower at the plant, never has been.
SFHunter, Potrero Hill and DogPatch are different neighborhoods with different feel. PH is almost all residential and it is already up and came, expensive and getting more so; while DP is 50/50 houses and warehouses and still a work in progress. PH already has a large group of yuppies while probably less so in Dogpatch. Both neighborhood is very safe unless you’re right next to the project.
Will this possibly be the new up and coming neighborhood?
I used to think so, but the Eastern Neighborhood Plans put a lot of restrictions on development of the neighborhood.
For those who don’t want to live in densely populated areas, such restrictions might be a good thing.
SFHunter,
Like Sam said, PH and Dogpatch are very different neighborhoods. Potrero Hill is mostly residential and has two main drags being 18th and 20th streets, however those mostly serve as spots for eating, however each has quaint little shops/salons that serve the neighborhood well. Dogpatch is definitely a mix of residential/industrial and will likely stay as such, but is in fact developing with restaurants and and with residential developments. Having been in Dogpatch at night quite often i do not really see the impacts of the projects at all which may be different if you are right up against them. The projects sit well up on the hill above Dogpatch and are not exactly walking distance, so much of the crowd in Dogpatch tends to be neighborhood residents, and nearby residents from PH and Mission Bay. As for convenience to downtown, well if you have a car its a quick drive right down Third St. into the heart of downtown and the T light rail gives you full access the light rail system.
The future of Dogpatch remains to be seen. The Eastern Neighborhoods plan will have restrictions and Im sure there will be some issues surrounding developing the Power Plant facility, and Pier 70 however it is waterfront property that could be grand or mundane. In my opinion i doubt that it will be entirely subsidized since so much is already going in the Hunters Point. It would seem more likely to me that the area will be an extension of Mission Bay, minus any luxury developments and scaled more to mesh with the larger buildings/business tenants. Of course im just guessing. Time will tell.