The green area at the southern end of Prospect Avenue, between Cortland Avenue and Santa Marina Street, is often referred to by the city as an "unaccepted street" or a "paper street."  These terms come from the 19th Century and usually mean that the city found that it was not feasible to convert the right of way into a street because of the topography of the land.  The most common reasons were that the land was too steep or too narrow to function as a street.  Nevertheless, pedestrians found the unaccepted streets to be convenient and the city installed steps on some of these rights of way.

In 1987, one of the city's first community gardens was built on the eastern side of the unaccepted street and named the Good Prospect Community Garden (GPCG).  Over time, a long wait-list developed for community members interested in a garden plot showing the popularity of the garden.  

The western side of the unaccepted street remained undeveloped.  Unfortunately, it was a frequent target of dumping.  The steps and the pathway became overgrown and filled with litter.  Graffiti became a recurring problem on the retaining walls.  

It was not until the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) took action to replace the aging water pipeline that ran down from the College Hill Reservoir through the unaccepted portion of Prospect Street that an opportunity was made to expand and improve the GPCG.  Once the new pipeline was installed, it left a clean slate on the western side.

The GPCG received a Community Challenge Grant to expand in 2023