A call to action sent out by the Filipina Women’s Network underscores the intense political maneuvering underway as the city moves rapidly towards the April 15, 2012 deadline to redraw the lines separating the Board of Supervisors districts in San Francisco. Continue reading
Warren Hellman: Slims, Great American Music Hall, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival … R.I.P.
Emmylou Harris on Warren Hellman: What are your favorite things about Hardly Strictly?
Harris: Warren is a great host — everybody is treated equally, but in a great way. It’s for the people, but it really celebrates musicians. So many people want to play it, because it’s like going to music camp, you get to see a lot of friends who you don’t get to see because you’re always on the road — and then you get to see performers that you may love, but have never gotten to see. You get to sit in with different folks.
Filed under entertainment
Folsom Fair bumped up a week by Oracle event next year
The organizers announced a date change for next year’s Folsom Street Fair, marking the first time since 1992 that the event will not take place on the last weekend in September. In 2012, the fair will be pushed up one week from its regular date to Sunday, September 23 in order to avoid a scheduling conflict with Oracle Open World. Continue reading
Filed under Uncategorized
Progress Report on the Food Park
Artist's rendering of the SoMa "Streat" Food Park
Got a note the other day from the architect for the project: “Despite everyday being another day in the Continuing Education of Bureaucracy, we are not going to be dissuaded form completing this project. We are months behind our original schedule, who would think parking trucks in a parking lot could require so much Municipal oversight? Continue reading
Filed under community services, entertainment, quality of life
8 Reasons why an entertainment zone won’t help 11th Street
The Western SoMa Task Force worked long and hard on its Arts and Entertainment element and overall I think we produced some very positive changes for the entertainment industry. But some people are not satisfied with what we achieved and are arguing, once again, for the establishment of an entertainment zone (a so-called “special use district”) to be established along the 11th Street corridor.
There’s gonna be a little meeting to plot strategy on Wednesday night at the Beat Box, and guess what? The neighbors aren’t invited. How ironic. Gavin Newsom did the very same thing to us about fifteen years ago, for the very same reason, at the very same location. Continue reading
Filed under entertainment, meetings, planning, politics, quality of life
TODCO response to the Central Corridor Plan
“That is not to say there isn’t real and positive potential to expand the City’s emerging technology economy substantially in the Central Corridor. But it is vital that you and the Department keep in mind the reason that the technology industry first located in SOMA during the 1990’s was because it was very different from Downtown. And still is today.”
(excerpt from John Elberling’s letter to Planning Director)
Filed under Uncategorized
Healthy development standards in WSoMa Plan recognized by the American Planning Association
Senior planner Paul Lord, the Planning Department’s Western SoMa Task Force representative, and the Treasure Island planning team, have been recognized by the American Planning Association for their innovative use of an evaluation metric known as the Healthy Development Measurement Tool, which inserts health considerations into land-use proposals. Continue reading
Filed under Uncategorized
Speculation abounds in the Transbay “neighborhood”
The $400 million Transbay Transit Center
The developer of one of the five “modest sized” towers planned for the area surrounding the new Transbay Transit Center is holding a community meeting on Wednesday night, November 30 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the Courtyard Marriott, 299 Second St. (at Folsom Street). 41 Tehama Street is expected to rise 32 stories, scaled back from the original proposal to build 54 floors, on the block bounded by 1st and 2nd Streets between Mission and Howard Streets.
Filed under meetings, open space, planning
SFMOMA expansion plans challenged again
The W Hotel shot off a letter to the Department of Public Works opposing the closing of a little SoMa alley as the expansion of the Museum of Modern Art prepares to argue its case before the Land Use Committee of the Board of Supervisors. Recent objections to the relocation of a fire station failed to deter the Planning Commission from supporting the project. The San Francisco Examiner traces the bumpy road traveled by the Yerba Buena Gardens institution in an article titled “W Hotel gives MOMA expansion a bad review.”
Filed under Uncategorized
soma leadership council 