This Week In Noe Valley: City Hall's 100th, Another Home Approaches $7M, Valley Tavern Launches Live Music

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

• Video from the 100th Anniversary party at City Hall this week [Mr Eric Sir]
• Untouched since 1969 when it sold for $25,000, this home is now listed for $1.89 million [Curbed]
• Noe Valley’s second most expensive home: $6.7 million [Socket Site]
• Airbnb colonized the entrance to the Farmer’s Market today [NVSF]
• The Valley Tavern celebrated its live music permit with Heather Combs this week [rockarecord]
• Hip Hop artist Phesto Dee’s photos coming to the pop-up Fort Gallery on 24th June 27-28 [SF Weekly]
• Stylish new bike racks in Noe Valley [@kjbrazil]
• Community Forum on Bikes, Cars and Pedestrians at Noe Valley Ministry on June 22 [Streetsblog SF]
• Interview of Noe Valley native Remy Nelson of Mojo Café on Divisadero [Hoodline]
• Dolores Park’s northern half is back – and so are people peeing on buildings (ugh) [SFBay]
• ICYMI: Starbucks is closing all 23 La Boulange cafés in September – including the one in Noe [NVSF]

[Photo: hidayitsnight]

This Week In Noe Valley: Hipster Coffee Battles, Debating Stanford Douchebags, And Other Signs of the Times

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

• Fun with yard art: No more Barbies. A dinosaur lives here now [merrij]
• The windows at the Peaks were smashed on Friday night by a drunk customer [@karlsf]
• And the stereo store was also broken into [@shaketini]
• Noe Valley median real estate prices - SRHs up 21% to $1015 per square foot in 2014 [Downing & Co.]
• The modern new Noe Valley Ministry stained glass [Coda Worx]
• Noe Valley fixer in prime location lists for $850,000 – will probably sell for $1.28 and then be flipped for $4.3 million (that's our guess) [SocketSite]
• With fewer seats at the new Philz post-remodel the hipster table battles are on #changeishard [@breyeschow]
• Signs of Noe Valley [joodyjoods]
• Are Stanford douchebags ruining San Francisco (and especially Noe Valley)? [SF Gate]
• Yes, says David Talbot, founder of Salon… [48HillsOnline]
• So does this Noe Valley resident [SF Gate]
• Investment company Ivanhoé Cambridge is spending $190 million to snap up multi-family dwellings around the city, including in Noe Valley [MultifamilyBiz]
• For all those wondering about the helicopters this week – scenes from the scary fire in the Mission [CrowdAlbum]
• Good news for local MUNI riders: Supervisor Scott Wiener is elected chair of SF Transportation Authority [@Scott_Wiener]

[Photo: Happy homes via juliahengel]

This Week in Noe Valley: Co-Housing, Spare The Air Sunrises, And Get Ready For Drones

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

• Co-housing campuses for 20-somethings are popping up even in Noe Valley [SFist]
• Want to rent your apartment or house short term? You can now go legit on Feb 2 [SF Planning]
• Noe Valley is one of the least pet-friendly neighborhoods for renters [Curbed]
• Before and after photos: A modest bungalow on Duncan is transformed into a 5,400 sq. foot designer home [SocketSite]
• Most expensive house in Noe Valley is back on the market – for $500K less [SocketSite]
• SF real estate market projected to be just as crazy in 2015 [Curbed]
• Hater neighbors #parkinginsf [Tutti G]
• OH: Santa Barbara is basically Noe Valley on the beach [@grumpygrunger]
• Spare the air days = gorgeous sunrises - and sunsets [capturelight_, ericaaa_24 and chloealexmayer]
• RIP Robert San Souci, Noe Valley resident and author of the book that inspired Disney’s Mulan [KQED]
• Cellist Emil Miland comes to Noe Valley Chamber Music series Jan 25 [Noe Valley Ministry]
• Douglass Dog Park is hounded by problems [SFGate]
• They're here: Do your neighbors have drones? [@danz32]
• That guy [24justinstewart]
• Sad trees [SF Gate]

[Photo: Noe Valley morning via bone dry on Reddit]

This Week In Noe Valley: A New Restaurant, Cute Sad Stuff, And Apple Pay

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

• Former Ubuntu chef opening a new restaurant at 26th and Valencia Spring 2015 [Inside Scoop]
• Those sirens going off last weekend? Still no good answers on why they went off [KTVU]
• Sad stuff in Noe Valley [@sfstern]
• Local Whole Foods clerk estimates 1 in 15 customers are using Apple Pay [@salwilliam]
• Noe Valley Ministry is moving back into 1201 Sanchez St this weekend [NVM]
• A reminder of what all that fuss in Dolores Park is about [Far Out City]
• New classrooms in James Lick playground for ADA retrofits [thx @mayak46]

[Photo: This little Ewok via joshuarowe]

NVV Oct 2014: 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 other resources. Follow the NVV link at the bottom for full articles and all the ads.

October 2014

Front Page: Noe Valley Ministry will reopen in November; A must-read piece about the tech shuttle buses and the new routes that are outraging residents of 26th St and Duncan (other streets could be next); Harvest Fest (coming on Sat Oct. 18) turns 10 this year.

Letters: The mystery Alvarado tree pruner fesses up and defends his pruning of YOUR trees; A plug for Prop F and against Prop I; RIP Bruno, "a dog who loved food."

Cost of Living in Noe: A house on Fountain sells for $5.15 million; condos are moving briskly and average $1.1 million.

Rumors: 24 HoliDAYS celebration starts this year on Dec 1 with events through Christmas; The SFMTA has agreed to postpone bulbouts on 24th St until after the holidays; The former Joshua Simon spot will become Lazeez, a Middle-Eastern food spot that will serve shawarma, falafel, hummus and sandwiches - it will be operated by the owners of Savor and expects to open this spring; Shufat got a health score of 100 for its deli; Real Foods is still stalled; Whole Foods named James Lick Middle School the beneficiary of its Nickels for Non-Profits Program; Valley Tavern's limited entertainment license was approved for live music - and you can also catch buses to the 49ers games there; Elizabeth Street Brewery donated beer to this year's St. Philip Parish Festival; The steam-cleaning of streets on 24th St has some residents worried about water use during the drought (the NV CDA has an exception for water use); The Noe Valley Ministry is re-opening and throwing a party with local chefs; The construction on Mark Zuckerberg's $10 million house at 21st St and Fair Oaks is annoying neighbors - and just outside the Liberty Hill Historic District designation; The fortress-like home at 801 Sanchez which hasn't been occupied for 40 years has reportedly been sold for $10 million.

[The Noe Valley Voice]

NVV Feb 2013: 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 online until the middle of the month.

February 2013

Front Page: Cookie Time calls it quits and the Voice explores the long-standing food truck debate; Noe Valley Merchants recognized for their efforts to help small businesses accommodate handicapped patrons without getting slapped with a nuisance lawsuit; NV is full of married cheaters; Noe Valley Democratic Club gets an influx of moderate members.

Letters: The Noe Valley Ministry is looking a little neglected while renovations stall (renovations are expected to resume in March); a re-print of the letter from victim on 23rd St who narrowly escaped her attacker; Mary Isham's family seeks donations for her cancer treatment.

Crime: The Fair Oaks rapist is convicted and sent to jail for 373 years to life; the copper thief goes to jail for stealing water; the SFPD releases a sketch of the 23rd St. attacker.

Cost of Living in Noe: 25 homes sold in the last 2 months of 2012, including the $3.8 million contemporary home at 4529 25th St; condos are pricey - and selling like hotcakes.

Store Trek: Pressed Juicery, Adopt SF.

Rumors: Radio Shack is back after the fire 14 months ago; Noe Valley Deli owner Karim Balat has sold his business and says the new owners will likely be changing the menu; Bernie's is adding a 2nd location at Crocker Galleria downtown; Martha & Bros is adding a fifth location at Fifth and Irving in the inner Sunset; Caskhouse is open; Mazook remembers his "Auntie Po," aka Dear Abby.

[The Noe Valley Voice]

This Week In Noe Valley: Another House Fire, Noe Valley Ministry's Pastor, And What Selling Your NV Home Would Get You In Mill Valley

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

• Early morning fire displaces eleven 22nd St residents [Mission Local]
• Aspiring Noe Valley filmmaker is looking for Kickstarter funding [The Joy of Filmmaking]
• What you can buy in Mill Valley vs. Noe Valley for 1.7 million [SFGate]
• Sunrise in Noe [I Dig Los Angeles]
• Noe Valley Ministry Pastor doubles rent to boot handicapped tenant [SFGate]

[Photo: @holllyyyyk]

Noe Valley Town Square Needs A Dede Wilsey

The Noe Valley Town Square was introduced as a concept in 2010 when Todd David and Christopher Keene stepped up to take charge of saving public space on 24th St. A design firm was contracted, ideas were explored. The neighborhood was largely for the concept. But who would pay for it? Unclear.

Skip ahead to a few weeks ago: The Noe Valley Voice announced that the parking lot that currently hosts the Noe Valley Farmers Market (and could some day be the Town Square) is almost out of time -- the NV Ministry is ready to sell to a developer.

Perhaps too late, this week the Residents for Noe Valley Town Square launched a campaign to raise the roughly $3,000,000 needed to secure matching City funds for a Town Square in Noe Valley. (You can vote on the campaign poster and even donate on noevalleytownsquare.com).

$3M? In Noe Valley? Many local houses sell for that. Plenty of NV residents could write that check today. That much money was easily raised for the over-the-top playground at Dolores Park. The point is...how much do you want a Town Square on 24th St? Would you pony up a few dollars? Do you know someone who could? Do you know someone who could bring true fundraising to bear?

Contrast: The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake rendered the De Young Museum a disaster zone. The solution? Pacific Heights socialite Dede Wilsey spear-headed fundraising to rebuild. The SF Ballet needed money? Dede was there. Dede most recently helped to raise money for the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in Mission Bay. All cost a lot of money.

Noe Valley needs a Dede Wilsey. Otherwise, the Farmers Market, Mona Caron's murals and all that unused parking will become condos.

[Noe Valley Town Square]
[NVSF: Town Square]

Open: Cookie Time!

Love them or hate them, food trucks in SF are here to stay. And the latest addition to the Noe food scene is a food truck that features... cookies:

Cookie Time is a cookie truck operating out of San Francisco's Noe Valley. We use organic, mostly local ingredients to deliver the most deliciously nutritious goodies! CookieTime also firmly believes in zero waste, which is why all of our serving dishes & utensils are compostable.

Permitted and ready to...er...roll, Cookie Time opened Friday in the Noe Valley Ministry Farmer's Market. One positive review on Yelp, and one negative response from Martha & Bros. The Farmer's Market is already tight on space and turning away vendors; no idea if this fits in with their plans.

Whether you're a cookie fan or not, how do you feel about food trucks setting up near "brick-and-mortar" restaurants now that the long-running battle has made it to Noe Valley?

Cookie Time!
3865 24th St, San Francisco, CA
415 735 5055
Facebook, Twitter

[SFGate: Restaurants want to put brakes on food trucks]
[SFoodie: The Chronicle and the GGRA Go After Food Trucks]
[Photo: Cookie Time!, via Facebook]

Town Square: Big On Dreams, Short On Cash

Last night's community meeting about a possible Town Square on 24th St offered few new details about little things like financing, process and what it will take to make the Noe Valley Town Square actually happen. And while we were ready to write it off, reader CR's report almost made us optimistic:

I went to the town square meeting tonight -- sucker for punishment, I guess. Here's the scoop:

* Meredith at the Neighborhood Parks Council starts off. The city hasn't used the open space money for decades because Parks & Rec can't maintain parks. Now they have this public-private idea in Noe but it's been so long since they acquired land they don't know how to do it right. When they started talking about this project, the neighborhoods that have been on hold for years were all 'Hey what about us, you said there was no money.' 17th & Folsom is farther along, has outside grant money, and has been in line for a while. Other projects too. So that's the hang-up. Meredith seems cool. She wants the city to be smart about things. She wants other projects to go forward and doesn't want Noe Valley to get caught in the political crossfire. So NPC is working with Parks & Rec and the Open Space Committee to "clean out cobwebs," see if policies need to be revised, and figure out which projects should go forward.

* Four designs are presented and we discuss for an hour. They're all good designs, variations on a theme: a large open flexible paved (or permeable) space; small green spaces (trees/garden/landforms) in various configurations; benches along the sides; large furniture in the middle that can be moved by the farmer's market; small play area for toddlers; good visibility and openness to the street and tree buffer against the back wall; possible sidewalk extension into the parking lane. One small bathroom (only for market and special events) and storage shed. Curb cuts for vehicle access to set up special events. Lighting and power. Three out of four designs allow the Farmer's Market to stay the same size or expand; one causes them to lose 6 tents, which is a non-starter. The architects have ignored the silly stuff from the first meeting. There will be no electronic fences or gates, and no underground parking lot, but there is still the possibility of a "flexible space where someone could bring a half pipe every weekend for Skater Sundays." Designs will be presented online so people can comment.

* Supervisor Scott Wiener is there and stays the whole meeting. Scott notes the problems at the city level -- says it will be "a heavy lift," he's "the eternal optimist" but he thinks we have a "hard road ahead" over the next "several years." Noe Valley needs to raise some serious money. Glad we spent the last hour talking about these pretty pictures!

* Todd David shows up late, wants to table all questions about fundraising until the city can figure out its process. At this point he doesn't know if we will need $300,000 to buy some benches and set up a maintenance budget, or if we need $3 million to cover construction and part of the land acquisition. They are exploring the possibility of a bundled proposal where Noe Valley might team up with other communities to put forward projects together.

* The Farmer's Market wants to know: How long can the Ministry wait for us to get our act together?

* The Ministry says: We got a loan from Circle Bank with the parking lot as collateral and we're going to start construction without waiting on all y'all. We need to see things starting to come together in the next 12 months.

* Next step: Todd, Meredith, et al., meet with the city to get a clearer picture of the process. Could take a few months. Not years. Meanwhile, the landscape architect takes in the community feedback and moves from four designs to one design so we have a better sense of the construction budget.

We've asked CMG Landscape Architecture for renderings and more info - details when we get them.

[NVSF: All Town Square Posts]

Sunday Afternoon Chamber Music: NVCM Presents IOCSF

In case you missed it, Noe Valley Chamber Music has changed venues while Noe Valley Ministry undergoes renovations. The third concert of the 2010-2011 season is Sunday, January 30th (tomorrow), and tickets are still available. All concerts this season are at Holy Innocents Church on Fair Oaks near 26th St.

Sunday's concert features International Orange Chorale of San Francisco, performing "...new music for unaccompanied chamber choir including one of the first performances of new works by Milton Babbitt, Joshua Saulle, and David Harris." (Update: The New York Times just published Milton Babbitt's obituary.)

NVCM's Executive Director Tiffany Loewenberg tells us that "refreshments will be served, and free childcare will be provided. Tickets are $15-$18, children 12 & under free, and can be purchased online at www.nvcm.org, by phone at 415.648.5236 or at the door."

(Tiffany would also like to acknowledge Circle Bank for sponsoring the move of NVCM's Steinway grand piano. The "last hurrah" for the piano before heading to storage will be the February concert featuring pianist Robin Sutherland.)

What: International Orange Chorale of San Francisco in concert at Noe Valley Chamber Music.

When: Sunday, January 30, 2011; 4:00 pm

Where: Holy Innocents Episcopal Church
455 Fair Oaks Street (between 25th and 26th Streets)

NVV Nov. 2010: 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 items we've covered here on NVSF or outside sources as the Voice doesn't post stories online until mid-month.

November 2010

Front Page: Two parklets approved for 24th Street - one in front of Martha & Brothers, the other near Just for Fun; fairy doors on 24th Street; cell phone antennas on utility poles will get a hearing with the supes.

Features: Holiday recipes from local food purveyors and restaurateurs; an announcement of the "24 HoliDays on 24th Street" which will run Dec. 1-24 and include this year's Noel Stroll, Yule Rides, a menorah lighting, and Santa (you'll find a sort-of schedule here); Noe Valley music series leaves the Noe Valley Ministry and relocates to NOPA in February.

Cost of Living in Noe: Trophy homes are cold, condos are hot.

Traveling Voice: See pictures of the Voice schlepped to Turkey, Mumbai and Greece.

Rumors: Halloween on 24th Street - Noe Valley was ranked as the #1 destination in SF for trick-or-treating in 2010; the top costumes from the One Stop Party Shop on Church @ 28th were Lady Gaga, vampires...and beards (Go Giants!); the J-Church rail repairs = quieter trains on Church @ 30th - check out this cool time-lapse video of the whole thing; a recap of the color project on Duncan Street.

[The Noe Valley Voice]

Notes: Town Square Meeting #2

September 26th's town square meeting included a summary of progress so far, a presentation of concepts by CMG Landscape Architecture, and another round of table discussions for how best to use the space should the money become available to purchase the farmer's market parking lot from Noe Valley Ministry. Here's a summary of the table discussions:

1. Flexibility and simplicity were consistently recommended.
2. Groups generally agreed that a fence and gate were not amenable to the program or atmosphere of the town square. Security should be addressed during the design process with visibility, lighting, and park rules.
3. Groups were mixed on need for restrooms and a stage. There was general consensus on the need for storage with the understanding that it not be oversized.
4. There was consensus on the idea that the town square should be designed for adults and children alike. There were consistent suggestions for informal play and seating features that could be sculptural and appealing to adults as well as children. Groups also identified flexible play such as hop scotch or other activities with movable and storable equipment as a good approach.
5. There was consensus on a need for a buffer and/or sound barrier along the back edge of the site, along with the idea of shifting seating and garden areas to the edges.
6. Many groups suggested water features as a way to add atmosphere and ‘white sound’ to the space.

Complete notes from the meeting are on noevalleytownsquare.com. The PDF of the presentation given by CMG is here.

3rd Annual Family Concert At Noe Valley Ministry

Yvonne wants you to know:

If you're looking to do something fun that your kids will love, consider coming to the 3rd Annual Family Concert with Orange Sherbet. The group features Jill Pierce who runs several popular music programs in Noe Valley. Last year's concert was a blast and this year's will be too.

Enjoy not only the music, but a raffle for kid’s costumes (Halloween is right around the corner!), gourmet baskets, Wine and other surprises! Snacks and drinks will be provided.

When: Saturday, October 2nd, 4:00-5:00PM
Where: Noe Valley Ministry, 1021 Sanchez Street (between 23rd and Elizabeth Sts)
Cost: $20 per family or $10 per individual