Potrero Terrace and Annex Needs New Master Developer

After nearly two decades serving as lead developer of Potrero Terrace and Annex reconstruction, BRIDGE Housing Corporation (BHC) wants a new master developer to manage future phases.

According to Anne Stanley, Communications Manager for the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD), the change is intended to ensure the project’s long-term success.

“BRIDGE is not stepping away from Potrero,” Stanley said. “They will remain a long-term stakeholder, continuing to operate the first two affordable housing communities and participating in sitewide decisions.”

The process of Terrace-Annex renovation began in 2006, when the Mayor’s Office and Board of Supervisors secured $95 million in bond funding to launch HOPE-SF, an initiative to upgrade four affordable housing communities: Alice Griffith, Terrace-Annex, Sunnydale, and Hunters View. In 2008, BHC was selected as Terrace-Annex developer. The project was branded as “Rebuild Potrero,” to the irritation of some community members, who believed Potrero at-large didn’t require rebuilding.

Nonprofit BHC traces its origins to the San Francisco Foundation (SFF), a grantmaking charity founded in 1948 by Marjorie de Young Elkus of the Columbia and Leslie Ganyard of the Rosenberg foundations. In 1982, an anonymous donation to SFF to create a Housing Task Force resulted in establishment of the Bay Area Residential Investment & Development Group (BRIDGE) to build quality affordable housing on a large scale.

Its first project—the 32-unit Pickleweed complex in Mill Valley—was completed in 1986. Two years later, BHC had 635 apartments in five properties across three Bay Area counties.

BRIDGE expanded to Southern California in 1998 with construction of Villa Loma in Carlsbad; and headed north in 2013, building a 142-unit complex in Portland, Oregon.

BHC now houses more than 30,000 residents in 14,000 units across 130 properties, including Terrace-Annex’s first phase, completed in 2019, with 72 units opened for residents at 1101 Connecticut Street. Late last year, BHC replaced Block B, adjacent to the Annex, with the EVE Community Village.

Work on Rebuild Potrero’s next phase has been delayed due to challenges relocating Annex residents, which must happen before demolition of existing structures—and new construction—can begin. Questions about the validity of tenant leases were allegedly created as a result of mismanagement by the former property manager, Eugene Burger Management Corporation (EBMC). Although an investigation by the City Attorney’s Office found no corroborating evidence for allegations against EBMC, the company was replaced by Bell Properties.

Annex tenants faced with eviction notices sought help from Ora S. Prochovnick, Director of Litigation and Policy for the Eviction Defense Collaborative (EDC).

 “I can share that all of the people we directly represented who were residing in the Potrero Annex have now been relocated, with reasonable settlements,” Prochovnick said, adding that she cannot speak on behalf of other residents who didn’t seek help from the EDC.

Stanley said BHC’s decision won’t impact the project’s timeline. 

“The redevelopment will continue on schedule, with all resident services and current obligations proceeding without interruption,” she said.

When Rebuild Potrero was officially launched the expectation was that it’d be fully finished by 2029. The final phase is now estimated to be completed by 2034.

In a statement to The View, Prochovnick said she hadn’t heard anything about the change in BHC’s role. 

“So, I guess that is one way of saying that our work and our clients are not directly impacted,” she said

According to Stanley, a Request for Qualifications has been issued to developers by BHC in conjunction with MOHCD and the San Francisco Housing Authority (SFHA). Once a new master developer is selected, with MOHCD, SFHA, and U.S. Housing and Urban Development approval, BHC will transfer its rights under the Development Agreement to the new company. 

“In the meantime,” Stanley said, “BRIDGE remains fully responsible for existing commitments, including operations, resident services, rehousing, and safe demolition activities.”

A statement provided by Randy James, a BHC spokesperson employed by Los Angeles-based Sugerman Communications Group, was a near duplicate of Stanley’s remarks, calling the move a way to “bring fresh new thinking to the remaining phases of the Potrero Master Plan.”

As for why BRIDGE made it decision to withdraw from its project role, Stanley deferred to BHC and James declined to answer the question. Affordable housing projects in California are often difficult and expensive to complete.

At a November 20, 2025, community meeting, BHC officials said they hoped to begin demolition of the Annex buildings in early 2026. According to TJ Brice, BHC Senior Manager of Community Development, updated information about the Annex demolition schedule will be provided in late March, after the View has been sent to print.