Crime Beat: Armed Robbery On Sanchez

Information is from Mission and Ingleside District San Francisco Police Station newsletters.

March 5

Robbery -- 11:00pm, Sanchez/27th St. Officers Dominguez and Carrasco responded to a robbery. They met with the victim who stated he was walking on Church Street when he noticed a male looking into a parked vehicle. The male asked him if he had a light and the victim said no. The victim then noticed that the suspect had a gun in his right hand and pointed it at his abdomen and said, “What do you have for me then?” The suspect reached into the victim’s pockets, removed a cellular phone and turned around and walked down Sanchez Street. The victim does not know the suspect but believes he could identify him if he saw him again. He was not injured and refused medical assistance. He was provided with follow up information. The officers dispatched a description of the suspect and various officers searched the area unsuccessfully for him.

This Week At The Planning Commission

A look at Noe Valley projects in front of the Planning Commission this week. Information is provided by the Planning Commission, and taken from its published agenda. All hearings are on Thursday at 1:30pm, Room 400 in City Hall.

4028 24TH STREET - on the north side of 24th Street between Noe and Castro streets; Lot 011 in Assessor’s Block 3656 - Request for Conditional Use Authorization, pursuant to Planning Code Sections 303 and 728.44 to allow a small self-service restaurant (d.b.a. Easy Breezy) within the 24th Street – Noe Valley Neighborhood Commercial District and a 40-X Height and Bulk District.
Staff Analysis: Approval with Conditions

Preliminary Recommendation: Do not take Discretionary Review and approve

While the application in the window states a dba of "Sweep Shop," the application cites "Easy Breezy" as the proposed business name. More:

The Project is not a Formula Retail use, defined under the Formula Retail provisions of Planning Code Sections 703.3 and 703.4, but rather an independent, locally owned business. The Project is designed to mainly serve residents from the surrounding neighborhood and patrons of other businesses on 24 1h Street. The Project will create up to three job openings. The proposed operation includes self-serve yogurt machines and a check-out counter to pay for the sale of yogurt prior to consumption. Patrons will have the option for take-out or dine-in at the on site seating area with up to eleven seats. The proposed hours of operation are between 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 P.M. Sunday through Thursday and 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

The full staff analysis contains the application, proposed floorplan, and letters of support from five residents and seven merchants.

[SF Planning: 4028 24th St (PDF)]
[NVSF: Tidbits: 24th St Happenings]

Tuggey's Is Struggling

Five minutes of despair on Twitter from Tuggey's Hardware:

Yah. Rumors are true tuggeys hardware is struggling.Seems like #noevalley has forgotten about the oldest store on 24th st. #fact
— Tuggeys hardware (@Tuggeyshardware) March 2, 2012

Hope #noevalley enjoys shopping at lowes or home depot next year!!! #sad
— Tuggeys hardware (@Tuggeyshardware) March 2, 2012

@NoeValleySF sad to see how much my neighborhood has changed the past 10 years.Yuppies have forced the working class out of #noevalley
— Tuggeys hardware (@Tuggeyshardware) March 2, 2012

@NoeValleySF hope all the homeowners who moved to #noe for a "shopping district" enjoy coffee shops, nails salons, realtor offices and banks
— Tuggeys hardware (@Tuggeyshardware) March 2, 2012

How about it Noe Valley? Is it that the neighborhood has changed? Or is it that Tuggey's hasn't kept up with the neighborhood. What is your experience shopping there, and what could Tuggey's do to get your business?

Update (3/3/12): The Tuggey's Twitter account has been suspended.

It Must Be The Weather

Blue skies and seventies. Great day for a walk in the nude:

At the intersection of 24th Street, a heavyset woman stood wrapped in a blanket, surrounded by medical personnel. A J-Church train was stopped, with passengers crowding and trying to see what was happening.

Suddenly, the woman whipped the blanket off and threw it at the medics, revealing that the only item of clothing she had on was a pair of closed-toe shoes, Knight said. And then she turned around and noticed Knight, still stopped and now shocked behind the wheel, about 50 feet away.

“She walks directly to me,” he said. “She walks up the hood of my car. And she begins stomping on my windshield, completely naked.”

Update (2/24): SFist received a NSFW photo of the lady in action from a Noe neighbor.

[SFGate: Heavy crime in the naked city]

Tidbits: 24th St Happenings

SEAN opened two days ago at 4080 24th St (quite a makeover of the old Accent on Flowers space). What is SEAN? "SEAN is the only US retailer providing men of all ages timeless contemporary fashion choices designed exclusively by French menswear designer Emile Lafaurie."

The Planning Commission will consider issuance of a Conditional Use Permit on March 8th for a cafe called "Sweep Spot" at 4028 24th St (formerly Cosmic Wizard). Grub Street believes it's actually a "Pinkberry-esque frozen-yogurt shop moving in called Sweet Spot." More details when we get them.

Posters have popped up in windows around 24th and Church announcing the efforts of The Noe Valley Traffic Safety Project "to work with the community and city government to implement short and long-term solutions aimed at making the intersection safer." Check it out.

4027 24th St (formerly Hot Headz) is under wraps, the For Rent sign is down and painters are inside. Anyone know what's going in there?

Haven't been able to find a new iPhone case since Radio Shack shut due to fire/water damage? Problem solved: iPhone accessories are now available at Pete's Cleaners & Laundry (3859 24th St).

Finally, Cookie Time Truck found out last week that they aren't allowed to block a federally-mandated handicapped parking space and is now located at the back of the parking lot. Considering the lawsuits filed against other Noe Valley merchants for ADA violations we'd say Cookie Time got off easy.

Home Buyers Heart Noe Valley

Feeding the Facebook millionaire frenzy, SFGate follows this story in the NY Times about the California real estate market bracing for higher home prices with a story titled "Yes, Yes, Noe Valley." And yes, yes, it's a love letter to Noe. The article is full of observations like: "In a still-moribund real estate market, Noe Valley stands out as a neighborhood buoyed by positive fiscal forces," citing "its fortuitous location for Peninsula, South Bay and downtown commutes" as well as the fact that the "private bus routes sponsored by tech firms are a draw." Lots of local name-dropping, and stories of multi-million-dollar homes going for over asking with a zillion all-cash offers. Some of the photo examples (like 725 Elizabeth, above) are from properties that sold (or didn't) in 2010 and earlier - but whatever. You get the idea. Noe Valley real estate is red hot.

Snark aside, the money quote came from Carol Yenne, 36-year Noe resident and owner of the children's store Small Frys: "When we bought our (Noe Valley) house in 1975, it cost nothing compared to nowadays. But my mother back in Montana cried because we could have bought 10 acres and a ranch house there for the same price, and here we got a 25-foot-by-100-foot lot with an old, crummy house."

[SF Gate: Yes, yes, Noe Valley, say eager S.F. home buyers]
[NY Times: California Housing Market Braces for Facebook Millionaires]

Rebirth Of Cool

In 2009, Gerry and Lisa lost their newly-constructed house to fire while on vacation. No one was hurt. "The first thing Lisa and I realized is that within the grand scheme of things, we have lost little.... Our children are here and well today. The rest is stuff, and most of it can be replaced, and of what cannot, we have memories."

And boy did they replace. All the details that bothered them from the first go-round were fixed: plaster instead of drywall, marble and granite instead of quarzite, a fire-vulnerable master suite moved to a lower level.

Today the New York Times profiles the rebirth of the 27th St house:

Gerry Agosta, who has spent 30 years in the Bay Area as a general contractor and developer, said there’s a hard truth in his line of work: “You never get a chance for a do-over. Every site commands a different design, so you’re always doing things for the first time.”

[NYT: From Ashes, Upgrades]
[NVV: Love Eases Heartbreak After Fire on 27th Street]

Closing: Ladybug Ladybug

Via Twitter we learned today that Ladybug Ladybug at 3870 24th St is moving to Sacramento: "Super sad that this cute gift store is leaving Noe Valley." FWIW, the Sacramento store has been open since November of 2010 and the owner lives there. At the time it was reported that she "wants to focus on the Sacramento store and eventually make it the base store."