Below are some frequently asked questions relating to the campus at 203 Cotter Street. Please browse through the website for more information about the school's philosophy, values, tuition policies and more.
1. What is your relationship to Little City Gardens?
In the short term, Little City Gardens will remain operational on the property through a rent free lease agreement with Golden Bridges School until June 1, 2016.
Once Little City Garden departs, the school will preserve at least over 70% of the site as green space. About one-third of the land will be used for intentional, edible planting and another one-third of the land for green space including trees and decoratives.
Our school community is in awe of the work Farmer Caitlyn and her volunteers have done over the past few years and we intend to carry on the inspirational quality that she has embedded on the land. The school is dedicated to offering a vibrant outdoor education, which not only includes spending time in the larger green spaces of San Francisco, but also on the school campus.
Golden Bridges School intends to offer community programming to local educational organizations with possible topics as planting and maintaining edible gardens, beekeeping, etc. Our hope is that the "farm" on our campus is a resource to the community as well as the school.
In the short term, Little City Gardens will remain operational on the property through a rent free lease agreement with Golden Bridges School until June 1, 2016.
Once Little City Garden departs, the school will preserve at least over 70% of the site as green space. About one-third of the land will be used for intentional, edible planting and another one-third of the land for green space including trees and decoratives.
Our school community is in awe of the work Farmer Caitlyn and her volunteers have done over the past few years and we intend to carry on the inspirational quality that she has embedded on the land. The school is dedicated to offering a vibrant outdoor education, which not only includes spending time in the larger green spaces of San Francisco, but also on the school campus.
Golden Bridges School intends to offer community programming to local educational organizations with possible topics as planting and maintaining edible gardens, beekeeping, etc. Our hope is that the "farm" on our campus is a resource to the community as well as the school.
2. How many students and staff will be at Golden Bridges School when the campus is complete?
Golden Bridges School will have approximately 80 students when it moves to its new home on Cotter Street in 2017 but will continue to grow by one class per year until our founding class reaches 8th grade.
Completed campus will accommodate between 160-200 students:
16 children per class for 2 kindergartens
Approximately 16-20 per class for grades 1 - 8.
Staff of 15-20, some full-time and some part-time.
3. How will the building of this school impact the flooding in Mission Terrace?
Many neighbors shared their experiences of flooding and concerns that any development on this site would increase run-off and further burden the sewer system. Per city planning code and the SFPUC, any new development on this site will be prohibited from exceeding the pre-development conditions for the 1 and 2 year 24-hour design storm. We will be preparing a preliminary Storm-water Management Plan and the SFPUC will review and approve our development plans prior to construction.
Aside from complying with the code requirements, we are working with civil and structural engineers to actually improve upon the existing conditions. Several considerations of our design include:
Essentially the site would be built to hold the water that falls onto it and release it slowly. Water that is collected may be put into the toilet and laundry system and other water may be used for irrigation. Therefore, when it rains for days, most of the water that falls on the site, will stay on the site, to be released in smaller amounts over time, relieving the sewage system.
4. How will the building of this school impact traffic in Mission Terrace?
We are working with a Traffic Consultant to explore some of the following options:
As a school and new development, we may also be able to assist in overall improvements and changes to the traffic in the area. We are happy to advocate for speed bumps, stop signs, “school zone” signs, parking limits (to reduce BART commuter parking) and any other needs that the neighborhood suggests.
As part of our permitting process, we have developed a comprehensive plan for both parking and traffic. This has been created with CHS Consulting - a traffic consulting firm recommended by the SF City Planning office.
5. How might the school be a benefit to Mission Terrace and the Excelsior?
If you are a resident of the Excelsior, you know what a special neighborhood it is, one of the last bastions of San Francisco. Golden Bridges School brings the innovative, outdoor-loving, equanimous spirit of the city into it's very heart. Schools in general act as great neighborhood centers. They bring increased safety to the immediate residences, bring customers to local businesses, and attract residents. Golden Bridges School will offer it's space as a community meeting room and offer workshops and educational activities to local youth organizations. Community festivals will be enjoyed to mark the changing seasons. As it becomes age appropriate for our enrolled population, the children will engage in service projects in and around the Excelsior.
6. How will the school effect the property value of neighboring homes?
Answered by Steve Dells of Zephyr Real Estate:
Over the years as a successful real estate agent, I have clients who purchased homes across the street from schools who wanted to be in that specific neighborhood and sometimes their kids attended the nearby school and other times they attended other schools. When we bought our first home in San Francisco, we lived one block from the school our daughter attended for 5 years, and for us that was a great value. None of our neighbors, those with children and those without, ever complained about living near the school. In all my experience, the only complaints I ever heard about living near a school were from neighbors who lived near large high schools whose students could leave campus for lunch and would sometimes sit on their stairs during the break and leave debris behind.
In today's real estate market, where a buyer is lucky to successfully buy a home, the property values continue to rise in every neighborhood, and we don't know a buyer who decided not to make an offer or purchase a property because it was near a school. The current major construction of Children's Day Middle school on 19th and Dolores has been a long process with all the attendant issues of any new construction. The values next to and near this school have continued to break all records. My wife Debbie and I just sold three Classic Victorians vintage 1877 to 1886, at 23rd between Mission and Bartlett, all three within 6 weeks, for an average of $2 million dollars. These properties were a half block from the hustle and bustle of commercial Mission Street and across the street from Horace Mann Middle school and Buena Vista school, both large, public schools. The values of all the properties next to and around these two schools continue to set new records.
In today's market I would argue that for a motivated buyer, the purchase of a home near a school is not an obstacle and at best creates even more value for a family whose children might attend the school. A school with a good reputation, a good faculty and administration will attract good families and their children and will contribute positively to the neighborhood and the continued increased property values around the school. In this city and this market, in vibrant neighborhoods, to my experience and active participation in the selling of homes, buyers will come and pay top dollar whether or not their new home is near a school, and if its next to a good school consisting of a good community, it will be a real plus. If there's a property owner concerned about their property values because they live near a school or a school is about to land near them , they can call me for a market analysis.
Steve Dells
Zephyr Real Estate
415 385 8497
Golden Bridges School will have approximately 80 students when it moves to its new home on Cotter Street in 2017 but will continue to grow by one class per year until our founding class reaches 8th grade.
Completed campus will accommodate between 160-200 students:
16 children per class for 2 kindergartens
Approximately 16-20 per class for grades 1 - 8.
Staff of 15-20, some full-time and some part-time.
3. How will the building of this school impact the flooding in Mission Terrace?
Many neighbors shared their experiences of flooding and concerns that any development on this site would increase run-off and further burden the sewer system. Per city planning code and the SFPUC, any new development on this site will be prohibited from exceeding the pre-development conditions for the 1 and 2 year 24-hour design storm. We will be preparing a preliminary Storm-water Management Plan and the SFPUC will review and approve our development plans prior to construction.
Aside from complying with the code requirements, we are working with civil and structural engineers to actually improve upon the existing conditions. Several considerations of our design include:
- Bioswales - Landscape elements designed to remove silt and pollution from surface runoff water. They consist of a swaled drainage course with gently sloped sides and filled with vegetation or compost
- Green Roofs - To absorb water
- Water collection mechanism - As in a cistern, which will funnel collected water into our toilet, dishwasher and laundry systems, and irrigation
- Permeable Pavement throughout
- Incorporating into the curriculum the importance of water (especially in drought years) and respect for the natural hydrology of the site
Essentially the site would be built to hold the water that falls onto it and release it slowly. Water that is collected may be put into the toilet and laundry system and other water may be used for irrigation. Therefore, when it rains for days, most of the water that falls on the site, will stay on the site, to be released in smaller amounts over time, relieving the sewage system.
4. How will the building of this school impact traffic in Mission Terrace?
We are working with a Traffic Consultant to explore some of the following options:
- A chaperoned “walking schoolbus” where some portion of the students are dropped off at Balboa Park and then walk to school. The San Francisco School in Portola and the San Francisco Waldorf School in Pacific Heights both have variations of this program. The Excelsior is also home of the first Walk-n-Roll Hub, walking students to their respective schools in the neighborhood.
- A drop-off circle to accommodate up to 6 vehicles at a time for drop-off.
- Developing a comprehensive carpool arrangement with the enrolled families and setting “quotas” for the actual number of families’ cars allowed to enter Cotter Street during drop-off and pick-up.
- Exploring partnerships with neighboring schools - Corpus Christi, Balboa High, James Denman, St. Johns - to offer some parking options for teachers
- Extensive and secure bicycle parking facilities
As a school and new development, we may also be able to assist in overall improvements and changes to the traffic in the area. We are happy to advocate for speed bumps, stop signs, “school zone” signs, parking limits (to reduce BART commuter parking) and any other needs that the neighborhood suggests.
As part of our permitting process, we have developed a comprehensive plan for both parking and traffic. This has been created with CHS Consulting - a traffic consulting firm recommended by the SF City Planning office.
5. How might the school be a benefit to Mission Terrace and the Excelsior?
If you are a resident of the Excelsior, you know what a special neighborhood it is, one of the last bastions of San Francisco. Golden Bridges School brings the innovative, outdoor-loving, equanimous spirit of the city into it's very heart. Schools in general act as great neighborhood centers. They bring increased safety to the immediate residences, bring customers to local businesses, and attract residents. Golden Bridges School will offer it's space as a community meeting room and offer workshops and educational activities to local youth organizations. Community festivals will be enjoyed to mark the changing seasons. As it becomes age appropriate for our enrolled population, the children will engage in service projects in and around the Excelsior.
6. How will the school effect the property value of neighboring homes?
Answered by Steve Dells of Zephyr Real Estate:
Over the years as a successful real estate agent, I have clients who purchased homes across the street from schools who wanted to be in that specific neighborhood and sometimes their kids attended the nearby school and other times they attended other schools. When we bought our first home in San Francisco, we lived one block from the school our daughter attended for 5 years, and for us that was a great value. None of our neighbors, those with children and those without, ever complained about living near the school. In all my experience, the only complaints I ever heard about living near a school were from neighbors who lived near large high schools whose students could leave campus for lunch and would sometimes sit on their stairs during the break and leave debris behind.
In today's real estate market, where a buyer is lucky to successfully buy a home, the property values continue to rise in every neighborhood, and we don't know a buyer who decided not to make an offer or purchase a property because it was near a school. The current major construction of Children's Day Middle school on 19th and Dolores has been a long process with all the attendant issues of any new construction. The values next to and near this school have continued to break all records. My wife Debbie and I just sold three Classic Victorians vintage 1877 to 1886, at 23rd between Mission and Bartlett, all three within 6 weeks, for an average of $2 million dollars. These properties were a half block from the hustle and bustle of commercial Mission Street and across the street from Horace Mann Middle school and Buena Vista school, both large, public schools. The values of all the properties next to and around these two schools continue to set new records.
In today's market I would argue that for a motivated buyer, the purchase of a home near a school is not an obstacle and at best creates even more value for a family whose children might attend the school. A school with a good reputation, a good faculty and administration will attract good families and their children and will contribute positively to the neighborhood and the continued increased property values around the school. In this city and this market, in vibrant neighborhoods, to my experience and active participation in the selling of homes, buyers will come and pay top dollar whether or not their new home is near a school, and if its next to a good school consisting of a good community, it will be a real plus. If there's a property owner concerned about their property values because they live near a school or a school is about to land near them , they can call me for a market analysis.
Steve Dells
Zephyr Real Estate
415 385 8497
