Potrero Hill was mostly used as pastureland by European settlers during the 19th Century. The earthquake and fire of 1906 triggered mass migration into the community from adjacent neighborhoods, including South of Market, with newcomers establishing modest dwellings. As Dogpatch industrialized, the Hill’s population increased, with residents commuting to shipyard and canning companies.
The Great Depression and World War II led to another wave of immigrants to the Hill, drawn by employment along the Central Waterfront and development of what would become the Potrero Annex-Terrace public housing. The lower cost of living and proximity to Downtown attracted artists to the area. The neighborhood emerged as a center of affordability for a diversity of residents.
Today, the Hill is no longer affordable. A one bedroom, one-bath apartment fetches an average $3,100. The trend towards higher housing prices began during the Dotcom era of the 1990s and early 2000s, which brought a highly educated, well-paid demographic to the area. According to City Real Estate, the Hill is now home to roughly 14,000 people, with a median age of 35, the majority of whom are college-educated, earning a median salary of more than $100,000 a year.
With 5,700 people per square mile, the area is significantly less dense than the citywide average of 18,700 people per square mile. The availability of former industrial land has induced a plethora of market-rate residential construction over the last decade to accommodate demand from techies and those working at the Mission Bay health care hub. The View spoke to several residents who reside in recently erected buildings about their backgrounds and the area’s appeal.
It’s been a year since Prachi Kulkarni, a product manager in her late-20s, first moved to Avalon at Mission Bay from Chicago.
“I also looked at apartments such as The Gateway, NEMA, 500 Folsom, 33 Tehama, Modera Rincon Hill, Trinity Apartments, and AVA Nob Hill,” said Kulkarni. “The deal breakers with those apartments were that they were either too expensive for the unit size or the neighborhood they were in didn’t seem very safe and walkable. I chose to continue staying at the Avalon because it was the most spacious studio I found within my budget, and I really liked the amenities. I also liked the convenience of having grocery stores, spas, workout places, within walkable distance of the apartment, and how safe and walkable the area is.”
“I usually see people in the late 20s to early 40s age range in my community,” Kulkarni continued, who fits into this sdemographic. “A lot of residents seem to be younger working professionals, some with kids in the two-to-four-year age range. In terms of ethnicities, I have primarily seen residents who are white or Asian.”
Ryan Findling toured almost a dozen places before finding the Madelon, a six-story, Class A, apartment building constructed four years ago in Mishpot.
“I had just gone home to Michigan after finishing school in Boston. I wanted to live somewhere long term and had the dream of living in the Bay Area since I visited at 12 years old. So, I decided to move to where my heart was in San Francisco. I did an extensive search and was struggling to find a place that wasn’t in rough areas. I knew I wanted to be in neighborhoods like Mission, Potrero, Mission Bay, or Dogpatch. I was originally interested in a place on Mission Street and was in the area when my aunt and uncle and I walked by Madelon. I saw that it was very lively with restaurants and bars. I also talked to some guy outside the building, and he noted that a lot of people moved to Madelon as a first landing place in the City until they figured out where they would want to live. I haven’t met many people in the building yet. Many of the cars in the garage don’t have California license plates, so there is a mix of people with lots of working professionals that are mostly in their late 20s and 30s.”
Findling was able to secure six weeks free rent for a studio at the Madelon, making it financially viable for him to choose the building.
Mason on Mariposa is located between Arkansas and Carolina streets. Constructed in 2020, the complex boasts a two-story gym, free coffee, and multiple lounge and work areas. Danny Pham, a 35-year-old tech worker raised in the Bay Area, recently moved in.
“I moved to Mason in February of this year after unfortunately being flooded out of my previous apartment in the SoMa area stemming from the San Francisco winter storms,” said Pham. “The staff are super friendly, and I love the amenities here. Potrero Hill is also a great location. It still has the City vibe to it but is also tucked away enough to have a homey, neighborhood feel as well. There’s a mix of young professionals and families here, I’m assuming most are in tech or health care. I’ve really enjoyed living here. Three new eateries just opened up in our building, so I envision the area to become even more lively in the future as more people visit this part of Potrero Hill.”
Pham wasn’t as concerned about safety as Kulkarni or Findling but highlighted the importance of facilities and neighborhood liveliness.
The Landing, which opened in Dogpatch in 2019, offers an array of amenities, including a coding room, fitness classes, and daily housekeeping. The building has an arrangement with Airbnb that gives tenants the right to rent out their units using the online homestay marketplace, a generally restricted practice with rentals due to liability issues, since short-term lessees have no legal responsibility to take care of the unit and can disturb neighbors.
“The people I see are mostly Asian and Caucasian that are young professionals, although there are a few young families,” mentioned Tiffany Pan, who grew up in the Bay Area and works in biotech. “I was in Daly City before moving in with my boyfriend. We looked at a few places around Potrero Hill and other neighborhoods. The Landing was in a good location for my boyfriend and myself, and everything was fairly new, clean, and modern in the building. They were also offering promotions that made it more attractive such as six months free parking and one and a half months free rent. We also have nice amenities such as a game room, gym, theater room, and dog relief area.”
Sandra, who preferred using only her first name, was born in San Francisco and grew up in the Bay Area. She’s now in her early 30s and a Potrero1010 resident, securing a Below Market Rate (BMR) unit in a lottery through the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development.
“I was lucky enough to get into affordable housing, but I was not making much money at the time, working full time and as a part-time student. That’s how I qualified. I moved here in 2016 and back then it was still a quiet industrial waterfront. Tents were lined up on Seventh Street next to the train tracks. There was plenty of parking. Potrero1010 had just opened and as a BMR resident, most tenants at the time were part of the same housing situation as me and it was primarily Black and Brown people. It’s been eight years and we’re still here; we can’t afford to leave. When I’ve looked at our housing in the neighborhood recently, I don’t see them as options for me or anyone I know because the prices are wild. If I ever left my unit, I would never be able to come back to the City and that’s discouraging.”
Sandra has noticed a shift in neighborhood demographics toward wealthier Caucasian and Asian American sprofessionals.
“Now that they’ve built the California College of the Arts and Chase Center, and really developed the surrounding neighborhood, people you’d never think to live here before are here,” she said. “I’m not sure if these groups directly influence housing in the neighborhood, but there has definitely been a change in the makeup, culture, and sense of community. I was lucky enough to have experienced the wave of authentic San Francisco spirit before it became what it is now.”
When the View asked Sandra what changes she’d like to see in the neighborhood to return it to affordability, she wasn’t optimistic.
“This is hard because it just feels too late and seems impossible to solve,” she said. “In the end, it’s up to the leadership but when you see local, small businesses closing, the crime, the open drug use, the homelessness, and people pleading for change and support from leadership throughout the entire City, but nothing improves, it’s discouraging to believe they even care about protecting natives from these types of changes.”
Danny Pham 
Jessica Zimmer