The heavy political guns were out in force for a noon press conference at the San Francisco Flower Mart yesterday.
Former Mayor Art Agnos, President of the Board of Supervisors Aaron Peskin, State Senator Quentin Kopp and District 6 Supervisor Jane Kim lined up in support of the small businesses fighting for their lives against mega-developer Kilroy Realty Corporation, which hopes to develop the property into a SoMa tech campus. Continue reading
Zelda Bronstein, former chair of the Berkeley Planning Commission and author of many articles on the struggles of the service and light industries in San Francisco and beyond, was front and center at yesterday’s Flower Mart press conference and posted the following background piece on Tim Redmond’s 48 Hills online news site this morning. To continue on to “Turn the Flower Mart into tech offices? Say it’s not so,” click here.
Jeremy Schaub from Gabriel Ng + Architects, Inc. has filed an application to build 12 two bedroom units of housing in this lovely alcove abutting the Ninth Street exit of highway 101. Air quality and the potential for flooding are two of the immediate drawbacks that come to mind. Continue reading
Filed under planning, quality of life
by JIM MEKO
MUNI just discontinued the northbound #9 San Bruno bus stop at 11th and Mission Streets. I think that’s about all we’re gonna get from the Transit Effectiveness Project (TEP).
What once sounded so promising went down in flames as the result of arrogant planners and a flawed public process. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) turned a deaf ear to a group of community leaders who had spent more than three years developing a community transportation plan.
While the Planning Department rezoned almost a quarter of the city in the Eastern Neighborhoods process without ever addressing transportation needs, the community planning process here in Western SoMa based its entire plan on transportation improvements. Continue reading
Filed under planning, transportation
Sue Hestor is obviously annoyed by the Planning Department’s less than credible attempts to expedite the conversion of service and light industrial space to office use. She’s currently butting heads with planner Erika Jackson over 340 Bryant Street, an empty building. Turns out one of the former tenants was one of Sue’s associates. Sue writes:
“There is an email dated 4/14/14 from you to developer’s attorney Kevlin where you describe the building rather ‘neutrally’ as being ‘currently vacant.’ Since this is a PDR building and the former industrial tenants were involuntarily moved out, I do not believe this understatement is correct. You have an email from Jim Heron about how he and all other tenants (which were arts or light industrial) were evicted in December 2012. It seems to be the commercial equivalent of residential tenants being evicted, then the apartment building being described as ‘vacant.’” Continue reading
Filed under planning, Uncategorized
from BRIAN WALLACE
Filed under economics, planning, quality of life
from BRIAN WALLACE
Is it ‘Open Season’ on Production, Distribution, and Repair (PDR) in SoMa? Especially active, vibrant small businesses that help dented cars look good, replace broken car windows (no shortage of them in SoMa), provide great tasting Mexican food to locals, and employ hard-working people without college degrees.
Did I miss the memo? Read more→
Filed under community services, economics, planning
from THE BAY GUARDIAN
Under the misleading guise of encouraging the development of more affordable housing in San Francisco, Mayor Ed Lee and Sup. Jane Kim have sponsored a pair of fall ballot measures that actually weaken existing housing policy in San Francisco. It’s a ruse that shouldn’t fool politically savvy San Franciscans. Continue reading →
by JIM MEKO
Memo to the Realtex Group: this would be a good time to invite prospective tenants of your new 57 unit development to come down to Folsom and Dore Alley to meet the neighbors. Well, maybe this time next year.
Today the Up Your Alley Fair made its annual appearance in SoMa. Generally described as a celebration of kink, it is held on the last Sunday of July every year. The Folsom Street Fair, the world’s largest leather and fetish event, is held later in September. Folsom Street and Dore Alley are generally considered the epicenter of both events. Continue reading
Filed under housing, planning, social heritage
President Chiu’s nomination of Kathrin Moore to another term on the San Francisco Planning Commission will be considered by the Board of Supervisors’ Rules Committee on Thursday, July 24 at 2:00 pm. Letters of support may be sent to Alisa Miller at alisa.miller@sfgov.org prior to the hearing for distribution to the members of the Committee, which includes Supervisor Norman Yee, Chair, Supervisor Katy Tang, Vice Chair and Supervisor David Campos.
Reps from the Coalition for San Francisco Neighborhoods, the Neighborhood Network, SF Tomorrow, Housing Action, Tenants Together, SOMCAN, ArcEology and neighborhood representatives from Cathedral Hill, Duboce Triangle, Eureka Valley, Haight Ashbury, Liberty Hill, Middle Polk, the Mission, North Beach, Pacific Heights, Parkmerced, Potrero Hill, Richmond District, Rincon Hill, Russian Hill, South of Market, Sunset District and Telegraph Hill all assisted in gathering signatures for a petition urging the reappointment of Commissioner Moore and Sugaya.
Commissioner Sugaya will be succeeded by Dennis Richards, former President of the Duboce Triangle Neighborhood Association. Bill’s expertise and passion for the neighborhoods of San Francisco have been invaluable.
The final petition report is attached.
soma leadership council 