Pearci “PJ the Poolman” Bastiany III

✊🏾 POTRERO POWER PLANT REDEVELOPMENT: A LEGACY OF ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE | PART 2

Inside the lobby of the Sophie Maxwell Building—the first building delivered as part of the Potrero Power Plant redevelopment—I saw a mural honoring former District 10 Supervisor Sophie Maxwell and the community’s history of environmental advocacy.

The story behind this site matters.

For years, the power plant was part of a larger struggle over pollution, public health, and the disproportionate environmental burdens placed on communities of color. Its eventual closure represented a major milestone in that fight.

Now, redevelopment presents another question: What does meaningful reparative development actually look like?

Is it simply building new housing on former industrial land? Or does it mean creating lasting opportunities for the Black community that helped fight for environmental justice in the first place?

That means asking who benefits from new investment, whether longtime residents can afford to stay, whether Black families have meaningful opportunities to live here, and whether the neighborhood’s cultural identity will survive its transformation.

We should honor Supervisor Sophie Maxwell’s legacy not only through a mural, but through measurable commitments to environmental health, housing access, economic opportunity, and community power.

The history of this land should shape the future of this neighborhood.

🎥 Part 2 of my on-site series examining the Potrero Power Plant redevelopment.

#EnvironmentalJustice #BlackHistory #BlackCommunity #HousingEquity #CommunityReinvestment