A proposed six-story apartment building in Potrero Hill will irreparably change the face of the neighborhood by towering over nearby buildings and blocking sunlight, says a group of residents. They are accusing the Planning Department of pushing through the project and ignoring the environmental impact from construction.
Category: Neighborhoods
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Law & Justice, LGBTQ+, Neighborhoods
Gay Rights, San Francisco and the Media
The coverage following the two Supreme Court rulings for same-sex marriage reflects the jubilant celebration of gay rights advocates, eclipsing dissenting opinions on the Supreme Court decision.
Posted inCity Hall, Land use, Muni, Neighborhoods, Transportation
A Central Subway North Beach Station? Not So Easy, Planners Say
A proposal to pull out tunnel-digging machines in North Beach has spurred debate about the prospect of building additional stations to extend the Central Subway project north of Chinatown. But transit officials say that’s not in the current plans, and such a move would take years more planning.
Posted inCity Hall, Neighborhoods
Alexandria Theater Site Could Get New Life
The dilapidated Alexandria Theater might actually get renovated by early next year, saving at least the facade of the Richmond District landmark. But the new building would not look much its predecessor on the inside, with entertainment giving way to needed housing and retail.
Posted inMuni, Neighborhoods, Transportation
Geary bus rapid transit project poses design challenges for city transportation planners
Bus rapid transit, which is meant as a cheaper substitute to light rail by using special buses in dedicated traffic lanes, is set to debut on Van Ness Avenue in 2016. However, design challenges and funding are slowing down plans for the Geary route.
Posted inArts & Culture, City Hall, Community, Homelessness, Neighborhoods, Public Safety
Most Haight merchants say nothing changed on street after ‘sit-lie’ prohibition
A majority of retailers surveyed last November in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood said the enactment of San Francisco’s sit-lie law hasn’t worked as expected: Homeless people still hang out in front of their businesses. An independent research report commissioned by the city found that 58 percent of the merchants in the district — the focus of a political battle that led to voter approval of the ban in 2010 — say the same number of people or more continue to park themselves on sidewalks. Sixty-one percent said they encountered sidewalk sitters at least three times per week.
Posted inCity Hall, Neighborhoods, News, Transportation
Express bus eyed for Caltrain to mid-Market run
Muni officials want to start an express bus route to speed workers from the downtown San Francisco Caltrain to a revitalized mid-Market jobs hub. The rush-hour service would cater to what the city anticipates will be a growing technology business cluster near the new headquarters of social media giant Twitter.
Posted inEconomy & Business, Land use, Neighborhoods
Neighbors hope to quash plans to open Chase bank branch on Valencia St.
Chase Bank’s plans to open a branch on Valencia Street this fall will face an appeal by neighbors who are organizing to derail the project. Chase might be one of the last banks to benefit from what District 1 Supervisor Eric Mar calls a loophole in the planning code, which allows banks to open without neighbors’ input. Last month, the San Francisco Planning Commission voted 6-1 in support of an amendment that would close that loophole.
Posted inLand use, Neighborhoods
S.F. Bayview’s food renaissance: Third St. welcomes Radio Africa restaurant
Radio Africa Kitchen is one of a growing list of city-supported food businesses on Third Street in San Francisco’s Bayview neighborhood. It’s all part of a calculated redevelopment strategy to drive foodies to this long-neglected corner of Southeast San Francisco. Yes, there is plenty of the mouthwatering barbecue and soul food you’d expect to find, but Bayview has a lot more to offer now, including at least three places to get a latte. (Is it just me, or is that a key indicator of foodie culture?)
Posted inMedia, Muni, Neighborhoods, Transportation
Rerouted bus through heart of Mission District hurts business, neighbors say
Riders and businesses in the Mission District say the rerouting of major Muni bus lines is causing confusion and hurting commerce. The 14-Mission, 14L-Mission and 49-Mission/Van Ness, which usually travel along Mission Street, have been rerouted to South Van Ness since the beginning of March because of a repavement and infrastructure project by the Department of Public Works and Public Utilities Commission. The project affects Mission Street between 16th and Cesar Chavez streets.