On July 2, 1777 Spanish Friars and Soldiers discovered and named the area Visitacion Valley. For many years before the discovery Native Americans inhabited the land nestled beneath the San Bruno Mountains. In 1834, the Mexican Government reclaimed the land from the Spanish, and awarded land to prominent families, such as the Family of Jacob Primer Leese , who married into the family of General Mariano Vallejo. In 1884, the land was annexed by the American Government, and sold off to European Immigrants, such as German Native, Henry Schwerin, who dedicated his land to farms for dairy, honey, and many other goods that served the needs of the blossoming community.

Nearly a century after Vis Valley was discovered, the industrial age dawned. Several factories sprouted throughout the area, providing a consistent flow of jobs to the increasing amount of residents. Housing development was an obvious product of the population boom, housing projects at Sunnydale and Candlestick Cove were built to house the soldiers of World War I. Famed housing developer, Joseph Eichler, had visions of grandeur to build a two twenty story towers of luxury housing in Visitaction Valley. At the time San Francisco made a push to develop public housing city wide, and Eichler took on several projects city wide, one of which being the Geneva Towers of Vis Valley. The neighborhood began to flourish and thrive.

In 1925, the Schlage Lock Company became the major employer in the community and the largest feeder of daytime customers to the Leland/Bayshore Commercial Corridor. Since the discovery of Vis Valley, the Leland/Bayshore Corridor served as the shopping district for the community. The everyday goods and services could be found on the corridor, produce stores, a pharmacy, and a furniture store were some of the stores frequented by residents. Through the years as the population evolved so did the corridor.

After many years of growth the neighborhood hit a point of decline. Many industrial companies relocated out of the community, the one that had the largest impact on the community was the closure of the Schlage Lock Company. Many of the residents that depended on the company for work were forced to find other jobs, or worse were forced to leave the community. Many of the businesses that relied on the steady flow of daytime employees of the company were forced out of business and the corridor has struggled.

In response to the years of disinvestment members of the community sought out the help of several community development Organizations, such as Urban Solutions, Bay Area Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Asian Neighborhood Design, and the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development to initiate an economic revitalization program for the Leland/Bayshore Commercial District. Working with a local steering committee comprised of representatives from three neighborhood-based organizations, this technical assistance team facilitated a series of four community workshops intending to establish an identity and vision for the commercial district. The workshops culminated in the drafting of an action plan that lays out specific improvements and strategies necessary for the realization of the community’s vision, and more importantly brought upon the creation of the Visitacion Valley Business Opportunities and Outreach Merchants Program.

Visitacion Valley has been a community that has been studied a countless amount of times, there are several documents that have been published that have set out a “plan” for the community, but many times these plans are not implemented.

The creation of the Action Plan called for a need for an organization to achieve the stated goals and complete the desired objectives, this lead to formation of the Visitacion Valley Business Opportunities and Outreach to Merchants Program.

The Plan for the Leland/Bayshore Commercial District Revitalization is very different. Organizations, such as the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development, and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation are supporters of the revitalization efforts and have dedicated funding to ensure that the objectives set forth by the VVBOOM Action Plan are attained, the first of which was the hiring of Program Manager, Crezia Tano, in October 2005.

Current State

Since the establishment of VVBOOM, the program has grown. VVBOOM currently has one full time Program Manage, one part time Americorp Intern, and 7 Steering Committee Member, and countless dedicated volunteers. VVBOOM and the Leland Bayshore Commercial Corridor have come to celebrate many successes.

Achievements

Business Awards

Casa Lopez nominated for Urban Solutions Small Neighborhood Business Award, awarded Honorable Mention

Joe Leland Coffee Shop awarded California State Assembly Small Business Award

Business Technical Assistance

Co-Hosted How to Start a Business Workshops with Northeast Community Federal Credit Union

Community Events

Safe Trick or Treating on Leland Avenue

Leland Avenue Holiday Decorating

Small Business Week

Small Business Mixers

Leland Avenue Sidewalk Sales

Boys and Girls Club Art Show on Leland

First Annual Leland Avenue Street Fair

Publications

VVBOOM’s Merchant Newsletter “The Visionary”

New Businesses

Joe Leland Coffee Shop

Hong Kong Hair and Nail Salon

Dragon City Aquarium

Casa Lopez Produce Market

La Loma Produce Market

Hernandez Taqueria

Lucky Hair Salon

La Flue Walton and Associates

Sunshine Garden

Awarded Grants

City of San Francisco $10,000 Community Challenge Grant for Community Banners

San Francisco Arts Commission $3,000 Community Arts and Education Grant for First Annual Leland Avenue Street Fair

Capital Improvements

Bayshore Boulevard Street Banners

The single most important achievement is that VVBOOM has been successful in showing the potential of what the Leland/Bayshore Corridor can be, and leading the effort in making the positive changes happen.