soma leadership council

June 12, 2013 · 8:14 am

S.F. approves condo conversion deal despite objections

by JOSHUA SABATINI
San Francisco Examiner

Thousands of tenancy-in-common owners will be able to convert their units into condominiums by paying a fee under legislation approved Tuesday that ended a bitter political debate that dragged on for years.

The approval comes after complaints from tenancy-in-common owners about the higher-than-normal mortgage rates they have to pay and the years of having to wait in The City’s annual lottery process. That lottery selects just 200 units for conversion each year. More than 2,000 units were in the recent lottery.

A proposal to address these concerns was introduced a year ago by Supervisor Mark Farrell. But Board of Supervisors President David Chiu then amended it while working with tenant advocates and put in provisions Farrell opposed. On Tuesday, Farrell said his proposal had “become a mess” and that he was no longer supporting it.

Exhibiting the strength tenant advocates maintain in San Francisco politics, the board approved the legislation in an 8-3 vote Tuesday, making it able to withstand a mayoral veto, which takes eight votes to override. Supervisors Farrell, Scott Wiener and Katy Tang opposed it. Read more →

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June 10, 2013 · 5:14 pm

Bike sharing kicks off in SF

(Click to enlarge)

from MATT LASKY
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency

The Sustainable Streets Division of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) is proposing the placement of 35 bicycle sharing stations in San Francisco as shown on this map. Please review the map, forward it to other interested parties and respond to me if you wish to receive more details about specific station information including the size and location. Stations shown as green on the map will be presented at an SFMTA public hearing on Friday, 6/14/2013, at 10:00 AM, in Room 416 (Hearing Room 4), City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco, CA 94102. Continue reading →

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June 10, 2013 · 3:39 pm

Lawsuits fly as SoMa Grand residents settle into “luxury-serviced” condos

soma grand

The much maligned SoMa Grand, a 22 story glass tower of expensive condos at 1160 Mission Street, was hit with a lawsuit in San Francisco Superior Court for numerous construction defects and building standard violations. Owners of the luxury units are seeking damages in excess of $4 million as a result of the construction defects.

SoMa Grand was the first “luxury-serviced” condominium project in the Mid-Market neighborhood, offering “visual excitement, rich textures, and a polished sense of design” in a “transitional neighborhood,” according to a brochure promoting the project which sold out all units despite the economic downturn of the housing market. Continue reading →

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June 10, 2013 · 3:01 pm

Competing condo conversion measures go to full Board tomorrow

Legislation to ban condo conversions for at least the next decade and to then prohibit conversions of 5+ unit buildings seemed headed for passage by the full Board of Supervisors tomorrow but just days before the vote Supervisor Scott Wiener used a parliamentary maneuver in a last ditch effort to stop it. Continue reading →

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May 1, 2013 · 6:42 am

Organizers tout “bigger and better” 30th anniversary of the Folsom Street Fair

from FOLSOM STREET EVENTS

Folsom Street Events, the Bay Area-based nonprofit group that creates the world’s biggest and most notorious leather and fetish events, has announced an array of enhancements to its existing events in honor of its upcoming 30th Folsom Street Fair®. Among the upgrades to the fair itself are 30 additional minutes of fair time (so that the fair will end at 6:30pm instead of the traditional 6:00pm). In addition, the erotic artists’ area will celebrate by relocating to 8th Street north of Folsom in a new configuration and adding a small performance art stage. Continue reading →

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April 30, 2013 · 10:01 am

TODCO offers an alternative to the city’s Central Corridor Plan

The TODCO Group, long-time non-profit housing providers in the Yerba Buena neighborhood, has released their Central SoMa Community Plan. It is intended to be an alternative to the city’s Central Corridor Project. It is based on decades of community building experience in SoMa and involved the many community voices of SoMa. They have created a website at (http://www.todcocentralsomacommunityplan.org) to present their “EIR Draft” Continue reading →

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April 29, 2013 · 11:20 am

Video for folks who don’t think PDR* fits into their San Francisco

from JAMIE WHITAKER

There are manufacturers who actually “make stuff” other than software in San Francisco. Who would’ve thought?!? Click here to watch.

* PDR = Production, distribution and repair, i.e. service and light industrial jobs

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April 17, 2013 · 2:25 pm

Busiest fire station set to open on Folsom Street

Station 1 Open House - For Neighbors

Fire Station 1 will be holding an open house for the neighbors in the vicinity of the new facility on the evening of Thursday, April 18 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The new station is located at 935 Folsom Street.

The current station, which serves the Tenderloin and Sixth Street area, is the busiest in America, said Monica Fields, deputy fire chief for administration. In 2010, firefighters left the station 9,924 times, which averages 27 times a day, she said. The new station will likely be just as busy.

The city moved the 13 firefighters from their current home on Howard Street to the brand new station in order to make room for the new wing of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

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April 9, 2013 · 9:44 am

Public meeting to discuss Moscone expansion plans

A Yerba Buena neighbor writes that Moscone center is looking to expand and that means they’re asking to take over part of the Children’s Playground (since it sits on top of the building). The meeting is on Tuesday April 16th at 6:00 pm at Moscone Center South, Esplanade Bldg., Room 300. It’s an opportunity to learn about the plans for the expansion. Click here to see the flyer for the event.

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