NVDC Town Forum: SFPD, Whole Foods & More

This month's edition of the Noe Valley Democratic Club meeting was much more crowded than usual. The reason? Likely the community interest in the arrival of Whole Foods on 24th St. Over 150 people attended a meeting that usually has 12-20 participants. The panelists included representatives from the SFPD, the NVA, Whole Foods and a surprise representative of the shuttered Real Foods -- all MC'd by Bevan Dufty.

SFPD Mission District Captain Stephen Tacchini

• Victim of a theft or break-in? Report it! Resources are allocated to a police area based on the number of reports and the department maps trends. You can report online here.
• Only 1,000 reported incidents in Noe the last 6 months (vs. 200,0000 per year in the Mission)
• There has been an increase in burglaries in the last year which is finally starting to decrease – you can help by locking windows and keeping valuables out of your parked cars (laptops, cameras, cell phones are the big targets)
• There have been a few armed robberies – and they’ve recently made some arrests
• Got a rogue garage business to report? Officer Miguel in code enforcement can help

When the floor opened to questions the biggest concerns were:

• Can I park my SMART car perpendicular to the curb? (No)
• How do I get the Examiner to stop littering my doorstep - and so people don't break into an obviously empty building? (Bevan actually said to call or email him for help)
• When school is out MUNI is hell (Deputy Chief Tony Parra monitors MUNI for the SFMTA)

Whole Foods

The info was much the same as previously reported, but with the following new tidbits:

• The Campanga family (that owns the property at 3950 24th St) donated $5,000 to green the front of the lot
• Whole Foods will break ground mid-March with a projected September 1st opening
• They are committed to a one-day-a-week shuttle to the Potrero location, with more possible if demand requires and/or justifies it
• The recycling center will remain, but will be more “aesthetically pleasing” and "suit the neighborhood"
• Considering opening the lot for a farmer’s market one day (midweek) during construction
• Whole Paycheck? “38% cheaper than Bell Markets on produce; 25% cheaper store wide.” (Based on apples-to-apples comparison.) “Meats and seafood are competitive, but quality is higher.” - Joe Rogoff, VP for Whole Foods Market Northern California
• Hours: 8am-10pm; delivery receiving to maintain existing hours, but with smaller trucks/box vans, and will continue to load on 24th St (not Elizabeth St)
• Employees will not be allowed to park in the lot [Ed. -- which means more parking will be available than when Bell was operating], and will be encouraged not to drive to work
• The 24th St Cheese Co is the only merchant that has expressed concern about competition, and the NVMPA and WF are working to allay concerns
• BONUS: Joe Rogoff confirmed that Whole Foods has signed a contract to open in a new development at Market and Dolores –- which should alleviate traffic to Noe Valley (if built)

Suggestions:

• Add recycling bins to the front of the empty lot during construction
• Senior discount? No
• Hire laid off union employees from Bell (They’ll have first dibs to interview)
• Will there be food for lazy vegans? Yes

Real Foods Neutraceutical, represented by Sergio Diaz of Fresh Organics

New:

• Reached a settlement agreement with Real Foods workers yesterday and so “now we can talk about this.”
  
• Have gone through various design and planning phases over the last five years, but now don’t have enough money to do what they wanted so will start the process over with “scaled back” plans
• They do not have a Conditional Use permit [Ed -- which means a hearing in front of the Planning Commission and probably 2 years until anything happens]

Old:

• Unrepentant about the process, but “I do apologize to the neighborhood for five years of this.”

Suggestion:

• Sell, and get the _____ out while you can. (“We want to prove we can have a good store.”)
  

UPDATE: Cooks Boulevard has a more thorough account of Sergio's appearance.

Noe Valley Association, Deb Neimann, President

Very brief:

• We did: Crosswalks, planters, street furniture
• Got ideas or feedback? Call/email

[NVSF: Whole Foods Responds]
[NVSF: Update: Whole Foods]
[NVSF: Blight: Real Foods]

690 Stanyan St: Approved!

Curbed SF is reporting that the Planning Commission yesterday gave unanimous approval to the development at 690 Stanyan St. Why do we care? Because the anchor tenant is Whole Foods, and it replaces a Cala (Bell) Market. Sound familiar?

The latest reporting in the Noe Valley Voice is that:

Bell Market...has lost its lease and will be closing in February 2009. However, the space will be occupied by a new Whole Foods Market, going in sometime after April 2009.
...
Mark Campagna, spokesperson for property owner Anchor Realty, told this Voice reporter last month that there were no plans to demolish the 16,000-plus-square-foot structure, although the 24th Street store is small by Whole Foods (and Kroger) standards, where the average size is twice to three times as large.

Campagna said he did not know how long it would take Whole Foods to reopen the store, but he estimated it would be a matter of several months.

FWIW, there is no record of a permit application on file with the Planning Department for the location on 24th St. So if they're actually planning on opening next spring they better get on it. At least the decision re: 690 Stanyan St. shows that if Whole Foods is subject to a large-scale review of any project on 24th St, they have a sympathetic ear at the Planning Commission.

While we'd prefer to see housing over retail and the elimination of the parking lot, we agree with the decision to keep the building as is and move in as soon as possible.

Now we have to see if Whole Foods continues to have faith in San Francisco in light of the recent economic downturn.

[Curbed SF: Approved, with love: 690 Stanyan's Mixed-Use Whole Foods]
[NVV: Rumors Behind the News - Market Fluctuations]

Whole Foods: Senior Shuttle

Following up on neighborhood concerns, Whole Foods will begin a weekly shuttle service for seniors and other Noe Valley residents without easy access to a grocery store.

This is an announcement that the shuttle for seniors and/or Noe Valley residents with limited access will be starting on Tuesday March 3rd. The hours will be from 9:30 to 1:00 pm.

The first shuttle will leave 3950 24th St.(site of the future Whole Foods Market Noe Valley) at 9:30 am and travel to Whole Foods Market Potrero Hill on Rhode Island St. The shuttle will make continual loops until approximately 1:00 pm when the last shuttle will depart Whole Foods.

The shuttle will be available every Tuesday morning for this schedule until the Whole Foods Market Noe Valley opens.

Previously, WF has indicated they'll increase service if the demand is there.

[NVSF: NVDC Town Forum: SFPD, Whole Foods & More]

Sign Of The Times: St. Clair's Liquors

A reader sent this note highlighting yet another business feeling the pressure Whole Foods is exerting on neighborhood businesses to step it up a notch:

So I started out today dropping off a pair of boots at Mike's Shoe Repair. Then picked up a nice bottle of scotch and some wine at Plumpjack followed by some fresh seafood and produce at Whole Foods. On my way to 24th St Cheese Co I passed the attached sign at St. Clair's Liquors. I stopped shopping there years ago because of high prices and mediocre selection -- long before Whole Foods moved in.

What's this all about? According to the ABC, Whole Foods is pursuing an off sale liquor license.

The sign reads:

Whole Foods Market is hurting many businesses in Noe Valley. However, they are not done yet. Whole Foods Market is determined to hurt more businesses in our community. Call supervisor Scott Weiner [sic] at (415) 554-6968 or email him at Scott.Wiener@sfgov.org and let him know that you are against Whole Foods Market selling LIQUOR in Noe Valley. Please, protest to the Department of Alcohol Beverage Control by filling a protest form.

Hmmm...Bell/Ralph's/Delanos sold beer/wine/liquor and St Clair's survived. And St Clair's has its own predatory history.

Meanwhile, Urban Cellars, Bell Market and GrayStone (24th/Castro) are all gone. Given that there are fewer places to buy liquor in Noe Valley than 10 years ago we're not buying St Clair's protest.

Update: Whole Foods

A reader passed on notes from the Upper Noe Neighbors meeting last night at the Upper Noe Rec Center. We didn't have the group on our radar, as they've been quiet for months, but here's a description of who they are: "For 18 years, UNN has helped champion and improve their neighborhood. Whether the challenge is oversized development, screeching Muni tracks or calming traffic, the UNN has been dedicated and effective." If you attend a neighborhood meeting, please pass along your notes so that we may share them with the community.

On the agenda: Whole Foods and Congestion Pricing (yet ironically unrelated).

Whole Foods:

In brief:

• Bell Market closes on Valentine's Day
  
• Whole Foods takes over lease March 1
  
• Filed Change of Use on 1/29 (no details online yet)
  
• Community open house at St. Philips on February 18 (details as we get them)
  
• Planning Commission hearing on Feb 19
  
• Projected opening October 2009

Space:

• keep building structure and parking lot
  
• fix up and remodel interior
  

Products:

• Core goods only -- no Whole Body, no cafe, no kitchen stuff
• yes bakery, yes supplements, some prepared foods

[Trivia: the Mill Valley WF is about the same size and a good example of what to expect for product mix. For reference, the Franklin and Soma locations are twice the size of 3901 24th St.]

Rumors:

• Possible shuttle to other markets for eldery while under construction
  
• Possible temporary leases (perhaps Streetlight) for basic groceries while under construction
  
• Bevan Dufty and City have fast-tracked the permit process
• WF has tried, but been unable to secure a deal to take over the Real Foods space
  
• Confirmed they're in talks with the developer at Dolores/Market, but would not say more

Community Wishlist:

• Stroller lane for checkout, dog zone outside store -- "This is Noe Valley"
• Use of parking lot while shopping at other 24th St locations (not likely to happen)
• Shuttle/delivery service for neighborhood residents
  

The community liaison for this project lives in Noe Valley, and works at the 4th/Harrison location. His name is Andrew Calabrese, and his email is andrew.calabrese@wholefoods.com. He's fielding all questions and suggestions from the neighborhood.

Also feel free to discuss in the comments and we'll make sure he's reading.


Congestion Pricing: Principal Transportation Planner Zabe Bent gave a presentation explaining the hypothetical plans for charging automobile drivers to cross in and out of parts (or all) of San Francisco. She emphasized that the study is still in the early phase, and hopes to learn from trials in London, Stockholm and Rome. For information on the project, upcoming meetings or how to get involved visit the San Francisco County Transportation Authority website, or send comments/questions to Zabe Bent or mobility@sfcta.org. Most useful concern expressed: don't let Noe Valley become a park and ride for downtown commuters.

[Side note: Bevan Dufty is the new chairman of the SFCTA.]

Notables in attendance: Gwen Sanderson (NVMPA President), District 8 Supervisor hopefuls Rafael Mandelmann and Scott Wiener, as well as representatives from the Transit Authority and Whole Foods. 15-20 residents and members of UNN also attended.

[NVSF: Bell Market: Winding Down]
[SFCTA: Congestion Pricing]

Whole Foods: "First Week Of October"

Greetings!

I’m Jennifer Dobrowolski & here’s just a quick note to introduce myself as the Marketing Team Leader of Whole Foods Market, Noe Valley. I am delighted to be a part of such a dynamic and vibrant community and I look forward to working with you to develop successful programs that connect Whole Foods Market to its customers and community in San Francisco.

Many of you have been in touch with Andrew Calabrese, who has done a fantastic job as Community Liaison and we are lucky to have him as our In-Store Educator. Whole Foods Market, Noe Valley has an awesome team of dedicated Store Leaders and Team Leaders that are passionate about our products, foundations, core values and sharing our store with customers.

We are on track with store construction and looking at being open the first week of October-we will keep you updated with any changes.

Please note a couple of important dates:

• The last day for the Tuesday Noe Valley Farmers Market in our parking lot will be today. (Saturday Farmers Markets will continue: 8am-1pm at 3861 24th Street, between Sanchez and Vicksburg Streets and across from Martha and Bros. Coffee Co.
• The last day for shuttle service to our Potrero Hill store will be Tuesday, September 22nd.

We encourage you to follow us online! We will provide updates/information whenever possible, as well as vendor profiles, events, etc:

• Facebook: Whole Foods Market Noe Valley
  
• Twitter: /WFMNoeValley

My e-mail address is Jennifer.dobrowolski@wholefoods.com

Please feel free to forward specific questions for us and & we will do our best to get back to you as soon as possible.

Looking forward to meeting you soon!

Best regards,

Jennifer Dobrowolski
Marketing Team Leader
Whole Foods Market, Noe Valley
3950 24th Street
San Francisco, CA 94114

mail: jennifer.dobrowolski@wholefoods.com

Forget Whole Foods - Noe Needs a Parking Lot

At least that's what some commenters over at The Front Steps would have you believe. They seem to think that the only way to keep Noe Valley vibrant and a "charming little neighborhood" is to tear down Bell Market and pave it over so that more people can drive here and shop. Given that the Noe Valley Merchants Association has long fought for more parking, we're going to go ahead and postulate that they are behind the campaign to keep Whole Foods far away from here. They're not against Whole Foods - they just don't want it in our back yard. A parking lot would be better.

Also claimed: Whole Foods is evil because they are a large chain store. Good thing we don't have any of those here.

So what do you think? Should Noe Valley lobby for a parking lot in the middle of the strip? (We could be just like Burlingame.) How 'bout we make 24th St. a pedestrian and bike mall?

Update: An NVPMA board member let us know that they are not organizing this campaign at this time: "While I don't believe that we've taken an official position on Whole Foods, the general consensus among the NVMPA board and members seems to be that Whole Foods' arrival is, to borrow Martha's line, a Good Thing."

[The Front Steps: Battle Royale: Cole Valley Vs. Noe Valley]

Approved: Whole Foods in Noe Valley

On February 19, 2009, the Planning Commission approved the conditional use application for Whole Foods in Noe Valley. There was a short public hearing, after which the Commissioners indicated how impressed they were with the project and the outreach to the community. The project includes standard conditions of approval. The Commission vote was unanimous.

Andrew Calabrese will continue to serve as community liaison for Whole Foods, but he's asked that all questions/concerns are sent to Noevalleyinfo@wholefoods.com. This address will forward to him. (We wouldn't be surprised if he'd like to tidy up his inbox.)

[NVSF: NVDC Town Forum: SFPD, Whole Foods & More]
[NVSF: Whole Foods Responds]
[NVSF: Update: Whole Foods]

Tidbits

Closing: Simply Chic. And it's for real this time - there's a big sign out front announcing up to 80% off. Guess the agreement with the landlord fell through.

Another retailer fighting a landlord is Mabel Chong. We stopped in to talk with partner Mark Welte last week when we noticed a For Rent sign in the window. The upshot? Their lease is up, and the owner wants to raise the rent. If someone is willing to pay the higher advertised rate, then Mabel Chong will hunker down at the Sacremento St location. We'll be watching to see if this works out better than another jewelry store that fought with its landlord.

Washington Mutual is now Chase in more than name - the signs are up on the building. Senior account rep Russell Chang told us that the most annoying aspect of the change is the requirement that he wear a tie. Noe Valley is going corporate. This morning we saw him standing in front of the entrance to the Farmer's Market handing out cards. In the hot sun. In formal dress. Bummer.

Speaking of the Farmer's Market, there's now a mushroom vendor who will try and be there every other weekend. We forgot to ask, but we think it might be Far West Fungi. Can anyone confirm that?

Also at the Farmer's Market: advertisements for the Whole Foods shuttle. The presence of the signs tells us that Whole Foods is continuing to work with the neighborhood.

And finally, Andrew Calabrese has posted a sign in front of the future Whole Foods with his email so the whole neighborhood (and not just those searching online) can ask questions and express concerns.

[NVSF: 24th St Rumors: Simply Chic Not Closing]
[NVSF: Opening: The Jewelry Box]
[NVSF: Whole Foods: Senior Shuttle]
[NVSF: Approved: Whole Foods in Noe Valley]

Whole Foods Responds

We sent a note to Andrew Calabrese, community liasion for the Noe Valley Whole Foods, asking him to keep an eye on comments related to the 24th St location. He just sent this update:

I’ve been reading the blog and will keep reading in order to investigate and find answers for any questions or concerns that arise. I’ve met with NVMPA, the Farmer’s Market, Upper Noe Neighbors and the Dolores Heights Improvement Club. So far most of the questions that have come up have been the same as listed from the Upper Noe Neighbors.

The primary concern, it seems, from most meetings was the access to food for the elderly during the construction. I can say that our Development Team has approved a limited service shuttle to take folks to other markets during this time. Currently we’re researching for a service to handle this and pricing for review and approval. NVMPA, along with Peter Gabel and Leslie Crawford from the Farmer’s Market, are also working on other options such as encouraging other local shops to carry additional items and setting up a smaller farmer’s market on another day during the week for a few hours in the afternoon/early evenings.

I did pass some of the other questions on as well and Glen Moon, our VP of Store Development has confirmed that the store aisles will be built wider to make stroller access easier. Also, regarding the parking lot will be for Whole Foods shopping only, but will not be so strict as to disallow customers from briefly visiting other local shops in addition. As far as an ongoing shuttle service once the store is open and/or a delivery service (to make it easy for customers to walk to the store without having to carry home multiple bags), we’re open to both of these ideas and will research.

As mentioned, the Planning Commission hearing is scheduled for February 19th. We are asking for members of the neighborhood to come and speak on our behalf to make the transition as smooth as possible.

As always, please post comments/concerns/suggestions in the comments.

[NVSF: Update: Whole Foods]
[NVSF: Confirmed: Noe Valley Whole Foods To Preserve Existing Building]
[NVSF: Noe Valley Democratic Club Town Forum]

NVV: We Read It So You Don't Have To

The Noe Valley Voice is published ten times a year and has been a neighborhood fixture since 1977. Here are highlights from the latest issue. Links are to stories we've covered here on NVSF.

November 2009

Front page: Supervisor candidates faced off early at a forum at the Noe Valley Recreation Center on Oct. 22 – and William Hemenger of Diamond Heights has also just entered the race; Omnivore cookbook signings; Billy Goat Hill gets $50,000 for trail and habitat restoration from the Measure A Parks Bond passed by voters in 2008.

Feature: Tough times for 24th Street and upper Noe merchants continues – although the Whole Foods opening has brought some life and foot traffic back for many. Retailers hurt by Whole Foods are 24th St Cheese Co. and Drewes Meats. Whole Foods employs 100 workers--nearly 4 times as many Bell Market.

Letters: A poem to honor the passing of Noe Valley resident Bruce Sherman; a 7 paragraph tangent from the owner of Chloe's Café about working as a caterer on the set of Dirty Dancing with Patrick Swayze.

Op-Ed: A reader in a moss-green hemp-based hoodie ogles the faux ground beef, imitation sausage and fake chicken nuggets at Whole Foods – and decides the store is an OK addition to Noe after all.

Cost of Living in Noe: Average sales price 1.16 Million. Rents: down a little but still expensive.

Short Takes: Noel Stroll and a hay ride return to 24th Street on Dec. 5 from 4:30 – 7:30PM, and Santa will be at Zephyr from 11-2 for more family fun. [Ed. -- for now the link to Noel Stroll on last year's post redirects to Cooks Boulevard]. Ladybug Gardeners are at the Upper Noe Rec Center on Nov. 14 at 9AM planting and trimming- volunteers welcome.

Store Trek: Curator; Green11.

Rumors: Bevan Dufty proposes "removing conditional use criteria for full-service restaurants and permit small self-service restaurants and self-service specialty food establishments with conditional use" (Ed.--Translation: more restaurants on and around 24th Street assuming it passes through lengthy planning process and endless community meetings); Noe Soup will never open-–the owners abandoned the idea when they heard Whole Foods was coming and oh, because of a "complicated vent system;" the fusion restaurant on Church Street is stalled because of the "downturn in the economy;" Bistro 24 closed and is for sale for only $198K – although it may reopen (again!?) with a different partner if a buyer isn't found; Mi Lindo Yucatan closed and the space is under construction; La Boulange will open this month; Just Awesome Games reopens in West Portal after running from high rents in Noe (old space owned by Carol and Bill Yenne); Phoenix building (owned by Sue Bowie) still for sale for $2.25 million and the Streetlight building is listed for $2.2 million.

[The Noe Valley Voice]

Whole Foods Secret Pre-Opening Celebration

We've received a copy of this email from about a dozen people already, so we're passing it on. Many of you have had some strong opinions about Whole Foods opening and have made it to various community meetings.

We are eagerly awaiting our opening next week on Wednesday, September 30th ! We have been working hard and are so delighted that we’re almost there! Further, we feel incredibly grateful for the support, well wishes, humor, smiles and hospitality that our new community has shown us! As a very small token of our thanks, we’d like to invite you to join us at our very own “Whole Foods Market Tapas Truck” on Saturday, September 26th from 11a-2p (really it’s a Taco Truck, but we’ll be serving Spanish Tapas—but you can’t miss it in our parking lot.)

This is a special invitation ONLY event for our neighbors in the associations that we have been working with.

Have a look at the attached & either print a copy of this to bring with you or contact me so that I can get you printed copies that I have here at the store.

Any question, please ask—we’ll see you very soon!

Best regards,

Jennifer Dobrowolski
Marketing Team Leader
Whole Foods Market, Noe Valley

Click the image for a full-size invitation.

Noe Valley Democratic Club Town Forum

As mentioned earlier, there is a meeting on February 18th that (among other things) will give Noe Valley residents another chance to hear what's going on with Whole Foods and express concern or support.

NVDC presents Bevan Dufty in a town forum

Questions, opinions, musings about Noe Valley happenings? Now is the time to share them. Our supervisor, Bevan Dufty, will be here to answer your questions and/or direct you to some of the people who can fill in the details that you’ve been wondering about. Bevan will head up a panel consisting of Captain Stephan Tacchini of SAFE and the San Francisco Police Department, Debra Niemann, representing the Noe Valley Association and the Community Beautification District and Glen Moon of Whole Foods. Please feel free to forward questions in advance to me. Many have already expressed great interest in the fact that Whole Foods will be taking over the Bell Market space after extensive renovations. The speakers will appreciate the extra time to do advance research for your specific questions but of course questions will be entertained from the floor. There will be much to discuss and the panelists want to be prepared.

Our meeting will take place at our usual location and time:
Wednesday February 18 at 7:30 pm
St Philips Church
725 Diamond St. at Elizabeth St.

Again as usual, the meeting is open to the public and refreshments will be served.

Molly Fleischman
Vice-President
Noe Valley Democratic Club
415.641,5838 or molly@ffrsf.com

[Noe Valley Democratic Club (under construction)]
[NVSF: Update: Whole Foods]

Whole Foods Countdown: Shuttle Service Ending

The shuttle service Whole Foods provides once a week to get seniors to other locations while Noe Valley waits for a new grocery store? Ending September 22nd.

Update (8/22): As noted in the comments, the Tuesday Farmer's Market will end this week on the 25th - Whole Foods wants their parking lot back. Today two different vendors told us that the organizers of the FM are not interested in negotiating for more space because they...ahem...disagree with the recent Op-Ed CEO John Mackey penned for the Wall Street Journal regarding health care reform. (That'll teach him.) Rumor is they're trying to organize another market elsewhere. Stay tuned.

[NVSF: Whole Foods: Senior Shuttle]
[NVSF: NVMPA: Help the Farmer's Market Help US!]

PSA: Whole Foods Parking Lot To Close For Resurfacing

This notice from Whole Foods explains upcoming improvements. It'll be interesting to see how Noe Valley deals with less parking in light of recent issues:

To Our Friends & Neighbors in Noe Valley

Beginning Tuesday, August 7 the parking lot at Whole Foods will be under construction. The entire lot is being resurfaced and restriped as part of general property maintenance. The high level of traffic in our lot results in recurring cracks and potholes which we need to periodically address. In addition the lot will have new markings for safer accessibility to the store for our customers with disabilities.

The store will remain open for regular business hours throughout the construction. We are aware of the potential impact this will have on the neighborhood and have taken actions to address some of the effects on the neighborhood.

• The work is being done in sections to maintain maximum accessibility (see schedule below)
• Our suppliers and vendors have been warned of the restricted accessibility during construction so that they may better plan their delivery times and be prepared for restricted loading zones.
• Our contractors have been firmly warned about noise curfews and will act responsibly and with consideration for the neighborhood. We will have an on-site supervisor to oversee the contractor work at all times and enforce these expectations.
• We will have additional personnel available to help direct customer traffic in and out of the lot.
• Our Store Leadership is committed to making this project as quick, quiet and painless as possible for all. If you have any concerns please ask for us at our Customer Service desk inside the store – we are happy to meet with you.

Tuesday 8/7 through Friday 8/10 we plan to have most parking spaces available with normal traffic flow maintained. No weekend work and the lot will be fully available Saturday and Sunday.

Monday 8/13-Thursday 8/16 we will need to block off our West driveway as well as significant sections of the lot. Parking in the lot will be very limited this week. No construction on Friday, Saturday or Sunday with the lot fully available these days.

Monday 8/20 & Tuesday 8/21 will have all driveways in use and most parking spaces available. Wednesday 8/22 & Thursday 8/23 we will close our East driveway and significant sections of the lot. Parking will be very limited these 2 days. The project will be completed Thursday and the lot will be fully opened Friday 8/24.

As any of you who have survived a home remodeling project know, sometimes even the best laid plans can go off track. We are working diligently to ensure we have the best laid plan in place and appreciate your patient understanding as we complete this needed work.

Sincerely
Melanie, Dan, William & Dave
Store Leadership Team
Whole Foods Market, Noe Valley

Photos: Noe Valley Whole Foods Grand Opening

Bread Breaking Ceremony

Parking Lot Stencil

More Reasons to Feel Good for Shopping at WF

Allegro Coffee

The Hoards Hordes Enter

The Ruckus

Across the Street: Real Foods as Anti-Whole Foods Billboard

Room For Double-Wides

There were about 100 people in attendance this morning at the Whole Foods bread breaking ceremony at 9:45. Bevan Dufty put in an appearance although he arrived late - and shortly after 10:00 cars were already rolling into the parking lot.

Closing: Delano's IGA Market

A reader sent this over the weekend:

It's not exactly Noe Valley but close to [enough to] warrant. Was just at [Delano's] in the Castro and noticed a lot of special 'sales'... Talked to the cashier and she said they are closing up in like 1-2 weeks. They announced this news on Wednesday (just before Thanksgiving). Bummer - she said she did not know why nor what will come into its place.

Then last night the RichmondSF blog posted that the Delano's on Geary is closing, which makes it likely that the South Van Ness location will also close. And with SocketSite reporting that the planned Market St Trader Joe's and Whole Foods are unlikely to pan out we could see more people coming over the hill to the Noe Valley Whole Foods.

[RSF: CLOSING: Delano’s Market at 27th & Geary; possible bankruptcy]
[SocketSite: Trader Joe’s Reportedly "Outed" From The Castro Over Traffic]
[SocketSite: Whole Foods Concerned About Market (Street), Delaying On Haight]
[Flickr: delanosiga]

This Week in Noe Valley: Whole Foods Protest, Earthquake Jolt, and Church Produce Closed for Remodel

The latest news from, about and for Noe Valley from around the interwebs:

• Oct Noe Valley Voice is here (preview: Doggy Style closing, new restaurants coming) [NVSF]
• Animal activists chain themselves to Whole Foods and protest [SFGate]
• Video of the animal activists [@jenniferdances]
• 30 detained in the protest [CBS Local]
• Celebrate Noe Valley history at Folio books: Bill Yenne – Oct 9 at 6:30pm [foliosf]
• Old school Mitchell’s Ice Cream [@bernie411]
• Church St Produce on 30th is closed briefly for remodeling [NVSF]
• It's called "Noe Valley" but there's a huge hill in the middle of it. No one discusses this [@huge_reality]
• Earthquake jolt [@liammayclem]
• Epic sunset this weekend [jillywilly]
• Halloween is coming [eyeofted]
• Wild and wonderful backyard art [kj_kohlmeyer]
• Mahila and Azalina chef [womenschefalliance]
• Reminder: Blue Angels are flying this week [ABC7]

[Photo: Noe Valley Whole Foods Protest via SFGate]

Confirmed: Noe Valley Whole Foods To Preserve Existing Building

From a reader (emphasis ours):

First thank you for your blog. I live in Noe at the corner of Sanchez and Elizabeth and very much appreciate reading our neighborhood news. As many, I am very interested in the Whole Foods upcoming remodel. I received a notice of hearing from the SF planning dept over the weekend as I live less than 300 ft away from future WF.

I called Elizabeth Watty at the SF planning department to review the WF plans in advance of the public hearing scheduled on Feb 19, 2009.

She was very clear and told me that no other changes than interior remodeling were planned. No changes would be made to either exterior building or parking. The only outside change will be paint color. I hope this helps.

[NVSF: Update: Whole Foods]

The Campaign to Save Drewes Brothers Meats

A flurry of email, blog posts and even a Facebook page hit the net this week to save Drewes. The general tenor is that Whole Foods is sucking the life out of the 120-year-old meat purveyor at 1760 Church St.

Here's the email that apparently started the latest campaign:

For those of us who eat meat and live in Upper Noe Valley, I want to let you know about the plight of Drew's Bros Butchers. They have been decimated in the past three weeks by the opening of Whole Foods. They have had to cut back on staff hours and things are not looking good. While I am highly supportive of Whole Foods as a good addition to the neighborhood, (I really think we needed a grocery store in our neighborhood and...I am from Austin, although I am appalled at the founder's stance on healthcare), I hate to see that come at the expense of a SF institution like Drews. Did you know that they have been in SF for over a 100 years!!!?? They carry a wider variety of grass fed meets, local eggs, milk etc. Anyway, if you are a current fan of Drew's, please try to still support them, otherwise, we may lose one of the last real butchers in this city! It's cliche, but unfortunately true, "use it or lose it."

Yes, many Noe Valleyeans are concerned about this. But a quick search on the Web shows many stories about Drewes on the verge of going out of business - including this one from 1998: "Drewes Meat Market on Last Legs."

Here's the rub: If it's local, organic, etc, we're there. But we still can't get into Drewes. Maybe it's the rough service, PO Boxes, and notary public on the premises. Or maybe it's that the slightly more expensive but wonderful meats at the farmer's market are more local, more sustainable and taste better. (Can't make the farmer's market? Check out Avedano's, a short walk from Upper Noe.)

So support Drewe's and other local merchants if you believe in them (like the email says, "use it or lose it"). But we have a hard time with the idea that WF is solely responsible for Drewe's demise.