Volunteer every Wednesday from 3-5 pm amd Saturdays 2-5 pm, corner of Campbell Ave and Rutland St Description:
The Visitacion Valley Greenway is a linear series of six publicly owned parcels (each a block long), cutting a verdant swath through the heart of Visitacion Valley. Over a period of 16 years it has been developed by the members of the Visitacion Valley Greenway Project in partnership wit
h the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department (SFRPD) and the Trust for Public Land. Originally a PUC easement, it took 5 years of negotiations to gain permission to build the Greenway. The Visitacion Valley Greenway is a Parks Partner of the San Francisco Parks Alliance. In its entirety, the Greenway is an outdoor classroom and recreation area beautifying the landscape and uniting the diverse groups and generations of Visitacion Valley. This hillside park land with its vistas of the Bay and the surrounding Visitacion/Guadalupe Watershed incorporates a native plant garden, children's play garden, various fruit and street trees, public art made by community members, agricultural crops, herb garden, and a Senior Pavilion. Horticultural and propagation classes are planned in the near future and job training is planned for a later time. The Hans Schiller Plaza opening onto Leland Avenue - the neighborhood commercial area - is the southern gateway to the Greenway and initiated revitalization of Leland Avenue, as well as, the entire neighborhood. Recently completed Leland Avenue Streetscape Improvements under the auspices of DPW incorporate VV Greenway design elements. The Visitacion Valley Greenway functions as a corridor of native and other beneficial plants that attract insect and avian pollinators. Pathways provide a pedestrian connection from the lower to the upper Valley. Soil erosion prevention, water wise irrigation, and drought-resistant planting methods are practiced. Thematic design of gates and fencing and sidewalks create a beautiful visual unity throughout the entire Greenway. The ultimate goals are to establish a dialogue within the community so that, eventually, the entire neighborhood will be greened by incorporating methods practiced and promoted in the Greenway and provide educational and recreational opportunities for the residents of Visitacion Valley and beyond. The Visitacion Valley Greenway Project represents an outstanding model for using public and private sources for funding its capital improvements (over 6 million dollars including grants, in kind donations and volunteer labor)) and creating a sustainable program for the future. The SF Recycling Company has generously funded construction of the Greenway's gates (designed by Jim Growden and Fran Martin) and contributed materials, such as compost and urbanite. Beautification of the neighborhood has been a spur to economic development and revitalization of the long neglected Visitacion Valley community.
