I just got back from supporting a neighborhood beautification day at the Burrows Pocket Park in the Portola neighborhood. This is one of the neighborhood projects that I’ve been fortunate to work with during my time at San Francisco Public Works.
The Burrows Pocket Park was created at the end of a dead-end street and was a collaboration between the Portola Neighborhood Association, Caltrans, San Francisco Public Works, and Architecture for Humanity. This area used to be an overgrown, weedy lot that attracted illegal dumping and homeless encampments. A quick online search of the project will show you images of what the site used to look like. Due to the success of this project, the neighborhood was able to secure Four Barrel Coffee to open up on the street which has been a huge element to activating the space. Projects like this work because they have a strong community group to help maintain and coordinate programing within the space. Beautiful spaces need strong organizations behind them to keep them active.
My favorite component to this park is the mural which compliments the planting area and the muted colors of the coffee shop. This park is a hidden gem in San Francisco, but you can check it out at the corner of San Bruno Avenue and Burrows Street.
