Update: Cesar Chavez Streetscape Improvements

Work on Phase II of the Cesar Chavez sewer upgrade streetscape improvement project began last month and like the sewer work will move east to west. Crews are currently rerouting curbs and catch basins between Hampshire and Bryant. CC Puede's Fran Taylor attended last night's neighborhood meeting and sent this update:

The work is scheduled to be finished by the end of the year and will be done in phases:

1. Drainage and bulbouts: 20 bulbouts on the corners with planters to catch rainwater will be done first.
2. Median: Next, the median curbs will be laid out.
3. Repaving: The repaving will be done in sections: Hampshire to Florida in Sept/Oct, Florida to Folsom in late October, Folsom to Mission in November, and Mission to Guerrero at the end.
4. Sidewalks: Next, the new street lamps and other sidewalk improvements will be done.
5. Plantings: The last step will be sticking all those new plants In the ground on both the sidewalks and the median.

Lanes were reconfigured after sewer work was completed to approximate traffic flow when finished. The pavement has been rough, but traffic seems to flow smoothly. When this project was first announced plenty of our readers expressed dismay over the loss of traffic lanes despite the addition of dedicated turn lanes and bus pullouts. Now that the changes are more evident, we're curious - how have the changes affected your commute?

[SFDWP: Cesar Chavez Sewer & Streetscape Project]
[NVSF: Cesar Chavez: Work Starts In June (2011)]
[Photo: SFDPW (PDF)]

Update: Whole Foods Parking Lot Madness

The PR department at Whole Foods has more info on the chaos in the parking lot this month and some workarounds offered. It's interesting to note that WF is also dealing with ADA requirements plaguing other merchants around Noe Valley and SF:

Details/duration of project: The store is making required ADA improvements (as are many other retailers in the area) and these include added markings for a pedestrian walkway, improved caution markings to alert drivers to pedestrian crossing and repairs to the sidewalk next to the store. Duration is Aug. 13- 17 and Aug. 20-24 when we will have very limited spaces for parking – approximately 12.

What the store is doing to ease the impact of traffic in the neighborhood as well as ease shopper experience:

• We are hosting free valet parking from 9a.m. – 9 p.m. Monday- Thursday in the farmers’ market parking lot.
• Offering gifts and prizes for every customer that shops during non-peak hours which are Mon – Fri @ 8-10 a.m. and 9-10 p.m..
• There will be specials in every department all day Monday – Friday each week of construction.

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

This Week In Noe Valley

News from, about and for Noe Valley from around the interwebs:

• Remodeling your home? Had debris picked up recently? Know where it went? [Bernalwood]
• Don't get your future raincoat-clad puppy from a mill [YouTube]
• 24th St Bart to get a makeover; some upset there will be trees [Mission Local]
• Letter From Incanto inspires protest and attracts "press sluts" (info on helping to repeal foie gras ban near bottom) [Incanto]
• Also: #noevalleyproblems [Twitter]
• There must be a geek in Noe Valley: May the Fourth be with you [Vimeo]

[Photo: F6x]

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]

Update: Never-Ending Project at 1298 Church St

Contractors working ... progress.

In possibly one of the longest build-ups ever for a restaurant, the "high end Vietnamese fusion" restaurant long in the works at 1298 Church Street is now described by those we spoke to as "Thai food." But neither the mechanical contractors on site nor the woman who answered the phone at Regent Thai have any clue if/when it will actually open. Stay tuned...

[NVSF: Update: "High End Vietnamese Fusion"]

Cesar Chavez: Work Starts In June

CC Puede's Fran Taylor sent the following update about the upcoming construction and redesign of the Cesar Chavez corridor:

The May 11 meeting on the Cesar Chavez Street project drew well over 50 people and was crammed with information, which I tried to note down. Here it is, in somewhat higgledy-piggledy fashion.

The sewer work is scheduled to begin in late June, starting at Hampshire and working west. The construction crews will work on three- or four-block chunks at a time. These blocks will have no parking during the work, which will involve digging a trench 10 to 13 feet wide to accommodate the 72 to 84-inch-diameter pipes being installed.

In addition, on the south side of Cesar Chavez, the existing pipes will be relined. Workers will need to block traffic for this as well.

From Hampshire to Treat, the trench is expected to be closer to the north side of the street; west of Treat, the trench is expected to be closer to the middle of the street. Two travel lanes in each direction will be maintained on Cesar Chavez throughout the project, but the lanes will move according to where the trench is. The existing three lanes of traffic west of the project will be gradually merged into two lanes in the construction area.

For the crossing of Mission Street, workers will avoid digging a trench to minimize disruption to Muni and BART service. Instead, they will dig two pits, one each at Capp and Bartlett, and install the pipe with a trenchless method.

In addition to Cesar Chavez, sewer construction work will take place on the following streets in the area as part of this project:
* Harrison: from Cesar Chavez to 26th
* Valencia: from Cesar Chavez to Mission
* Fair: from Mission to Coleridge
* Coleridge: from Fair to Coso
* Coso at Coleridge

Each block should take five to six weeks, and the first large segment from Hampshire to Folsom should take about nine to 10 months. When each three-block chunk is completed and reopened, the street will be striped according to the new streetscape striping, with parking lanes, bike lanes, two car travel lanes in each direction, and turn pockets or turn restrictions as outlined in the approved plan. As part of the streetscape improvements, the greening, repaving, and median work won’t begin until the sewer work reaches Folsom, about nine months after it begins.

The sewer work on Cesar Chavez would take 15 to 16 months, and the streetscape work another nine months, totaling about two years. Work hours will be Monday through Friday, 8 am to 6 pm, with some possible weekend work. City officials emphasized that residents will have local access, and, on the occasions when driveways must be blocked, the contractors will contact households individually to work with them on solutions.

Notices that will be distributed before the project starts will include a 24-hour number for questions and complaints. The city will conduct meetings similar to the one last Wednesday every three or four months to update and obtain feedback from the community.

Alex Murillo of the DPW Office of Communications and Public Affairs will be the contact person for the project, and he gave out his office phone number (415/437-7009) and cell number (415/627-8106). Brave man! He can be reached at Alex.M.Murillo@sfdpw.org. The project is also up on the DPW website: http://www.sfdpw.org/index.aspx?page=1166.

The project manager for the streetscape aspect is Kris Opbroek, who can be reached at Kris.Opbroek@sfdpw.org or 415/558-4045.

After the presentations, a lively discussion ensued, mostly focused on the approach to combining or separating stormwater runoff from wastewater.

Video: J-Church Rail Replacement

Ken Murphy lives on 30th at Church and put together this 13 minute timelapse video of the last weekend's J-Church rail replacement from 18,520 images.

Also check out Streetsblog's writeup of the weekend's work. Best line: “Just as I was thinking it, a neighbor nearby noted with happiness, 'Hey, it doesn’t make noise anymore.'”

[Vimeo: Ken Murphy Via Streetsblog]
[Streetsblog: Replacing the Rails on the J-Church Line]

This Week At The Planning Commission

A weekly look at Noe Valley projects in front of the Planning Commission. 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.

940 Elizabeth STREET - north side between Hoffman and Grand View Avenues; Lot 014 in Assessor's Block 2807 - Request for Discretionary Review of Building Permit Application No. 2009.12.24.3858 proposing to construct a vertical addition, add a garage, and alter the front façade of a single-family dwelling, located in a RH-2 (Residential, House, Two-Family) District and a 40-X Height and Bulk District.

Preliminary Recommendation: Do not take Discretionary Review and approve

This 81 page PDF includes planning staff analysis, site details, letters from neighbors and architectural drawings of the proposed project.

J-Church Rail Replacement Almost On Track

We spoke to workers this morning at 30th and Church who said work is going well, but that they are about a half-day behind. They expect the trains will run again by Tuesday night, but they won't finish all the paving they had hoped to before then.

They still had seven sections of track to lay/join as of 9:00am. The foundation bed and ties are in place. One person told us that the new track is stronger and that the new foundation means less vibration. They're also installing a new signal system to speed track switching and a quieter mechanism for switching tracks.

We also learned that while this project is disruptive, the project that will really make you late for work is scheduled for the end of 2011: replacement of all transit infrastructure at Church and Duboce.

[NVSF: PSA: J-Church Rail Repairs Continue In October]

Barney's: Spiffing Up

Permit #200906110280:

Renovation of [existing] dining, cashier area, bathrooms, patio and entry. Work includes lighting, plumbing, minor structural work, finishes, new awnings, exterior benches.

New 2500 Square Foot Restaurant Destined For 24th St?

We spotted new construction (with huge conveyor belt) at 4042 24th St, former home of Mi Lindo Yucatan.

Here's a cleaned up version of the permit filed with the Building Department:

Existing ground floor commercial shell to be expanded to rear property line. Existing 2nd floor residential unit to be expanded to 25% rear yard setback. Existing 3rd floor residential unit to be expanded and stepped back from 2nd floor.

With two available restaurant licenses still pending (Noe Soup never materialized and no one is providing answers for the stalled "Vietnamese fusion" restaurant at Church and 25th Streets), this soon-to-be larger restaurant space has potential. All we can find is that the architect is Tecta Associates, famous for everything from locally-owned Fresca and Pasta Pomodoro to national chains like McDonald's and Starbuck's.

We'll be watching this one.

[NVSF: Closing: Mi Lindo Yucatan]
[NVSF: Update: Planning Commission October 23, 2008]
[NVSF: Update: "High End Vietnamese Fusion"]

Notice Of Violation: 947 Church St

You know how your life is inconvenienced when someone crashes into your car in the middle of the night and you have to fight the insurance companies for 3 weeks and have no way to get to work? Consider what happened to the folks living just outside our coverage area at 947 Church St after a moving truck crashed through their garage on Thursday.

Violation Description: An automotive vehicle crashed into building, entering through garage opening at front of building and into rear wall of garage before coming to a stop. Impact has caused significant damage to front facade of building and compromising the structural integrity of building. Damage to utilities. Turn off and cap all utilities.

Corrective Action: ...permit application within 30 days with plans...permit within 60 days...complete within 90 days...Failure to comply will cause abatement hearings to begin... Consult with structural engineer to assess damages, provide shoring plan and implement plan within 24 hours. Also secure building and repair/board all windows. Obtain a building permit to repair damage.

Not enough of a headache? The building is now under "Restricted Use," which is to say "Do Not Enter" without consulting the Department of Building Inspection. Not even to get your toothbrush.

Violation? Who exactly is being violated here?

[CalBeat: PHOTOS: Moving truck crumpled after it slams into a San Francisco home]
[NVSF: Fun With Maps: Where is Noe Valley?]

Photo: Countdown To "Late September"

[NVSF: Tidbits: Openings]

MadKat Morphs, Neighbors Unhappy

We haven't been able to confirm what's happening in the old MadKat space at 3836 24th St, but apparently the neighbors aren't pleased with the work. The following complaints have been filed at the building department:

• Construction on going without a permit
• Plumbing work in the commercial space w/o permits
• Elextrical work w/o permit in the commercial space, walls have been opened without permit, ceiling w/out permit

Apparently it's not possible to complain about the paint color.

[NVSF: MadKat Closed?]

Tick ... Tick ... Tick ...

This Week At The Planning Commission

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

1629 DOLORES STREET - east side between 29th and Day Streets, Lot 015 in Assessor’s Block 6634 - Mandatory Discretionary Review pursuant to Planning Code Section 317, of Building Permit Application No. 2007.01.08.1172, proposing the demolition of a one-story, single-family dwelling, located in the RH-3 (Residential, House, Three-Family) Zoning District and a 40-X Height and Bulk District.

Preliminary Recommendation: Do not take Discretionary Review and approve the demolition.

1629 DOLORES STREET - east side between 29th and Day Streets, Lot 015 in Assessor’s Block 6634 - Mandatory Discretionary Review pursuant to Planning Code Section 317, of Building Permit Application No 2007.01.08.1168, proposing the construction of a new three-story-over-garage, three-family dwelling, located in the RH-3 (Residential, House, Three-Family) Zoning District and a 40-X Height and Bulk District.

Preliminary Recommendation: Do not take Discretionary Review and approve the project as proposed.

This Week at the Planning Commission

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

March 12

4024 26th Street – between Noe and Sanchez Streets, Lot 006 in Assessor's Block 6553 - Request for Discretionary Review of Building Permit Application No. 2008.10.03.3318, proposing to construct a one-story vertical addition, a front horizontal addition, alter the front façade, and enlarge the rear deck of a two-family dwelling, located in a RH-2 (Residential, House, Two-Family) District and a 40-X Height and Bulk District.

Preliminary Recommendation: Do not take Discretionary Review and Approve.

This Week at the Planning Commission

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

February 19

3950 24TH STREET - north side between Sanchez and Noe Streets; Lots 041 and 028 in Assessor’s Block 3654 - Request for Conditional Use Authorization, pursuant to Planning Code Sections 303(c), 303(i), 703.4, 728.40, and 790.102(a), to allow a new formula retail grocery store (d.b.a. Whole Foods) to operate within the 24th Street – Noe Valley Neighborhood Commercial District and 40-X Height and Bulk District.

Preliminary Recommendation: Approval with Conditions.

1409 SANCHEZ STREET - east side between 27th and Duncan Streets; Lot 031 in Assessor’s Block 6592 - Mandatory Discretionary Review, under Planning Code Section 317 requiring review of residential demolition, of Demolition Permit Application No. 2008.10.20.4543, proposing to demolish a one-story, single-family dwelling in an RH-2 (Residential, House, Two-Family) District and a 40-X Height and Bulk District.

Preliminary Recommendation: Do not take Discretionary Review and approve the demolition permit.

1409 SANCHEZ STREET - east side between 27th and Duncan Streets; Lot 031 in Assessor’s Block 6592 - Mandatory Discretionary Review, under Planning Code Section 317 requiring review of the replacement building in association with residential demolition, of Building Permit Application No. 2008.10.20.4546, to construct a two-story over garage and basement, two-family dwelling in an RH-2 (Residential, House, Two -Family) District and a 40-X Height and Bulk District.

Preliminary Recommendation: Do not take Discretionary Review and approve the new building permit.

1381 Sanchez Street - east side between Cesar Chavez and 27th Streets; Lot 025 in Assessor's Block 6579 - Request for Discretionary Review of Building Permit Application No. 2008.09.23.2413 proposing to enclose the existing rear stairs along the south property line in order to accommodate a reconfigured interior at the first floor and the ground level at the rear. The subject building is a single-family home located within an RH-2 (Residential, House, Two-Family) Zoning District and a 40-X Height and Bulk District.

Preliminary Recommendation: Take Discretionary Review and Approve the Project with Modifications.

[NVSF: All posts tagged Whole Foods]
[NVSF: 1409 Sanchez: Back on the Market]

1260-1270 Dolores St: Under Fire

All of the windows at 1266 Dolores have 2-3 bullet holes in them. Random street gang target practice or have neighbors taken their disagreements to a new level? Besides taking sniper fire, there's been some more activity according to a neighbor's blog:

In November the builder began working on the second building again laying down the floors and breaking up and laying down the sidewalk, and cleaning up and putting in a yard which all look nice but if you really look closely there are bubbles in the wood and the first building has been exposed to the elements for so long that the wood is rotting and peeling away from the building. You can see it from the back side of the buildings.
...
Is this the kind of builder we want in San Francisco? Would you want to buy a new home from these guys?

There have also been 5 new complaints at the Planning Department:

12/29/08: Unsafe bldg.
01/23/09: Installed gas fireplace w/o permit; Installed fire sprinkler w/o permit; Installed 3 gas fireplace without permit; Installed fire sprinkler w/o permit.

All previous violations are still outstanding.

[NVSF: For Sale: 1260-1270 Dolores & More Than A Few Headaches]
[NVSF: 1266 Dolores St.]
[NoeValleyNeighbors]