This Year In Noe Valley: The Big Stories Of 2012

For the rest of the world this might have been the year of Gangnam Style, Call Me Maybe, Superstorms, "the most important election of your lifetime" and the fiscal cliff. But in Noe Valley we were obsessed with local issues. Here's a look back at some of the major themes and top stories from 2012 that resonated in our little village:

It Was a Year of Cool Meteorological Events…
The end of the Mayan calendar barely registered among NV residents, but who cares about that when you've got the awesome transit of Venus, a solar eclipse and a blue moon. While not a meteor, the space shuttle Endeavour buzzed Noe on the way to LA, which was also pretty cool.

Unreal Estate…
Facebook went public this year feeding a frenzy of real estate action in the hood, including the rebirth of the Blue Church on Church St as The Luxe, trust fund house lust, and average home prices of $1.5+ million and counting. And even as a former crack house sold for $1.3 million, Mark Zuckerberg bought a pied–à–terre close by.

Natural and Unnatural Disasters…
The wild weather around the country didn't spare Noe Valley as a fluke thunderstorm and lightning strike zapped transformers on 24th and Hoffman in November, causing more than a few locals to leap out of bed in alarm. The strange weather may also have been the culprit behind this naked car stomper. Granted we did not have extreme weather events, but the bigger threat this year was fire: After the 2-alarm 2011 conflagration in the Radio Shack building, our little hood experienced not one, not two, but five house fires and one case of arson in 2012. Fire and Victorians don't mix – be careful out there.

Changes on 24^th and Church Streets…
Lots of businesses closed or relocated this year including Urban Nest, Ladybug Ladybug, Kohler-Jones, Design Quarter, La Sirena Botanica, Heliotrope, and more than a few business were also scared away by the obnoxious ADA lawsuits. Even the oldest store in the neighborhood, Tuggey's, vacated after decreasing sales and the realization that the real money was in renting the space to...One Medical Group. Meanwhile, First Republic bailed on 24th St after merchants and locals objected, Real Foods of course remains blighted with no resolution in sight, and La Boulange was assimilated by Starbucks. Fortunately there was good news including the addition to 24th St of Loft 1513, Saru Sushi Bar, Easy Breezy, Mill, Olive This Olive That, Philz, DAVIDsTEA, and Pressed Juicery. Coming very soon: CraftCaskHouse and MF Chicken. All of this added up to AAA naming Noe one of the best window shopping areas in SF.

Crime and Punishment…
Despite NV's reputation for being a yuppie sleepy bedroom community, we had plenty of crime to worry about this year. Bike thefts were rampant, there was DEA action on Chatanooga, upper Noe became a dumping ground for stolen cars, joggers were harassed, iPhones were snatched at gunpoint (and in broad daylight), crime continued on Fair Oaks and a package thief made life hell for residents. Fortunately there was also some justice served: the Fair Oaks rapist of 2011 was sentenced to 373 years to life, the notorious bad neighbor and copper thief was sentenced to 3 years after "his" house was sold, and a brave local resident caught the package thief in action with some bear spray, a bokken and…some serious chutzpah. Huzzah!
 

 
#FirstWorldProblems …
In addition to crime, we had some whining too: The city installed an electric vehicle charging station at Walgreen's that prompted some outrage and a few cheers; Whole Foods had to close the parking lot for a nanosecond in August to resurface the pavement (the horror); and a few neighbors complained about the SFPD availing themselves of "entitled" parking spots. [It's parking folks, that's all.] Another hot button was the Noe Valley Town Square – which crossed the $430,000 fundraising mark in October (the last time there was an update - is it losing momentum?). 2012 was also the year that the outside world took note of the Google Bus phenom.

There Are Lots of Reasons to Celebrate...
We live in a beautiful neighborhood, in a beautiful city – with lots of cheer around us. Here's to a safe and prosperous 2013. Happy New Year, Noe Valley!