Umpqua Bank Swallows Circle Bank

A new sign popped up on 24th St that caught our eye and a quick turn of the head confirmed that Cirle Bank is no more - it's been acquired by Umpqua Bank. Apparently the deal was announced in late August, but today the rebranding was completed. Umpqua is based out of Portland, OR, and currently has 184 locations throughout the West. Not exactly the "local" Circle Bank people were attracted to.

Umpqua Bank
3938 24th St

[SF Biz Times: Umpqua CEO: Circle Bank deal puts 'wind in our sail' for Bay Area expansion]

Town Square: Update On Rec & Park Site Visit

Via Todd David:

On Wednesday, November 3, the Park and Rec Open Space Advisory Committee (PROSAC) met and discussed The Noe Valley Town Square Project.

Four members of Residents for Noe Valley Town Square attended the meeting--myself, Chris Keene (from Noe Valley Ministries), Erica Sweetman (from Noe Valley Farmers' Market), and Michael Powell (from Noe Valley Farmers' Market).

We made a 3 minute presentation to PROSAC and we submitted a letter strongly supporting the project from Supervisor Bevan Dufty.

PROSAC voted 11-1 to advise the Rec and Park Commission to utilize the Open Space Fund to purchase the property. However, the full PROSAC committee is 23 members and 12 affirmative votes are needed to officially endorse a project. All that being said, Residents for Noe Valley Town Square can still move forward and make a presentation to the Rec and Parks Commission explaining that only 12 PROSAC members were present at the November meeting and the vote to support the project was 11-1. And that is what we are planning on doing.

I want to thank District 8 PROSAC members Frank Triska and Jeanne McKinney for their unwavering support of the project. They have been strong advocates for the neighborhood. It is clear why Bevan Dufty appointed them to represent us.

NEXT STEPS

I don't know when we will be presenting to the Rec and Parks Commission. I will follow up with that important information ASAP.

This Thursday, November 11, I am meeting with Meredith Thomas (Executive Director of Neighborhood Parks Council) and Carlos Rivera (Manager of Circle Bank's 24th Street Location) to open an Escrow Account at Circle Bank for the Town Square. Once the details are worked out, I will send out an email explaining how you can contribute.

Thanks,
Todd David
Residents for Noe Valley Town Square

[NVSF: All Town Square Posts]

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 notable highlights from the latest issue. Links are to stories we've covered here on NVSF or outside sources as the Voice doesn't post stories until the middle of the month.

February 2010

Front Page: The city clears the way for more restaurants on 24^th Street; Officer Lorraine Lombardo on the beat for 20 years with SFPD; Whole Foods and La Boulange are boosting business on 24th Street; a lovebird is weaned.

Letters: If your kids were photographed with Santa, Fima Photography has your free 5x7 photo for you; an alert about car break-ins in Upper Noe; and a bike-to-Marin benefit for multiple sclerosis.

Feature: Circle Bank is opening this spring; Mike Gutierrez of Tuggey's is going for the world record for the largest rubber band ball.

Cost of Living in Noe: Home prices overall saw a 13.8% drop in 2009. Average cost of a home was… $1.3 milion. (Ed.-Translation: It's now 10 degrees cooler on the surface of the sun.) Rents? Still ouch.

Traveling Voice: Cuba, Guatemala, India, Vietnam.

Store Trek: Independent Nature, Old Republic Title Company

Rumors: The Noe Valley Stroller Menace (Oh Noes!); Cover to Cover gets grief for not carrying Sarah Palin's book Going Rogue; SF Gate is looking for a freelance Noe Valley blog after the last one abruptly disappeared; and the NVV mentions Everyblock, and also this blog as a source of information: "while somewhat snarky, it keeps the news coming and has a neighborhood posting wall;" NVV goes on to mention "an interesting item duped on NoeValleySF in January was a 'Reader Rant: Dogs Need Places to Poo Too.'" We're not sure what that means, but you can read the story here. And NVSF (that's this blog again) linked to the NY Times story for the top 10 NetFlix rentals in Noe. That led NVV to poll Video Wave for their top 10 (first was Burn After Reading – pick up an issue of NVV for the full list). Thanks for the shout out, NVV!

Finally, NVV counts 9 vacant spots on 24th Street; the owner of the Artsake building is renting that spot for $3,000 and has fielded calls from a nail salon (noooo!). The 2,500 sq. foot former Mi Lindo Yucatan space should be finished by June and ready to rent – the owner is hoping for a destination restaurant. Cardio-Tone opens; Bill Yenne has another book; farewell Helen Weinschenk, former owner of the Wooden Heel (the shoe repair shop) on 24^th Street.

[The Noe Valley Voice]