NVV September 2015: 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.

September  2015

Front Page: Patxi's abandons plans for parklet to avoid a public spat with other merchants; a profile of BookMentors run by Noe Valley resident Debra Hannula; hiking trails in Glen Canyon will get an upgrade.

Letters: Letter from the lawyer for The Ark toy store explaining why the company went bankrupt (online retail, smartphones and financing were the cited culprits); Omnivore Books and Noe Valley Pet Company owner Celia Sack urges you to shop local if you love a livable and vibrant neighborhood instead of realty offices, banks and nail salons. Also: RIP Noe Valley artist Royce Harris Vaughn.

Features: Diana Barrand, co-owner of Le Zinc dies of cancer at 57; the restaurant will endure. Clipper Street repairs and traffic-calming plans are back on the drawing board for new ideas.

Cost of Living in Noe: The $7 million home that sold in June tied for the most expensive sale in Noe Valley. Average rent for a 1 bedroom is $3,500+.

Short Takes: Coyotes were spotted in Noe Valley in August; no pictures.

Rumors and Short Items: The Ark filed for bankruptcy, despite 3 years left on the lease; Cradle of the Sun is moving to West Portal and lots of items are on sale - doors close Sept 13; Noe Valley Music is becoming a nail salon (ugh!!); Martin Mattox is closed; Video Wave has moved into a shared space with Buttons Candy Bar; Pascal Rigo will be taking back several La Boulanges under a new concept including the one in Noe Valley [Ed note - we have not seen any other confirmed reports of this]; The Noe Valley Town Square will break ground in January; There's no Harvest Fest this year but Just for Fun is hoping to hold a Fall Fest on Oct 24 instead; No news at Real Foods despite the presentation in January; and improvements are slated for Noe Courts including benches and landscaping, to be completed by Thanksgiving.

[The Noe Valley Voice]

New Parklet Application for 24th Street

What started out as a rumor in June is now a reality: A giant sign in the window at Patxi’s Pizza at 4042 24th St proclaims the pizza shop’s “notice of application to install and maintain a parklet” out front “for the purpose of placing tables, chairs, benches, landscaping and/or bike parking on a Parklet.” The application was filed by Jim Howard, head of marketing for Patxi’s.

Parklet permit - click the image to see it large

Sounds like a great place to enjoy a slice or a froyo on the sunny side of the street - but there are still some hurdles: Debra Niemann, who represents the Noe Valley Association and the Community Beautification District, told the Noe Valley Voice in no uncertain terms that the NVA will not approve any more parklets for 24th St. Period.

Hmmm. So it’s not a done deal and it’s unclear if the NVA can block the application, but hope springs eternal. Also of note – in this earlier post, when we first heard about the possible parklet, several commenters mentioned Patxi’s hasn’t always been the best neighbor – and unfortunately the double-parking delivery drivers may be compounding neighbors' ill will.

The final day for comment on the parklet application is August 5, 2015. If no protests are received, Patxi’s can submit a detailed plan for approval with the San Francisco Department of Public Works.

Update: An astute follower on Twitter reminded us that Patxi's has also applied for a parklet on Irving.

What do you think? Does 24th Street need a new parklet - and is this a good place for it?

Rumors Of A New Parklet On 24th St

Here's a fun bit of info we received recently: the owners of the building housing Patxis Pizza have informed residents that Patxi's will be applying for a parklet permit "soon." Can't imagine the auto repair shop or realtor on either side will care, but this looks like a nice place to park oneself and enjoy a froyo or slice.

There's no guarantee it will pass, though. A little history: in the aftermath of a failed campaign for a Plaza on Noe St culminating in a...uh...disappointing community meeting, SF City Planners proposed and approved two trial parklets on 24th St in 2010. They were deemed a huge success, and they're still in front of Martha's and Just For Fun. You can see a map of all parklets in San Francisco here.

The application deadline for new parklets was May 31st, and a decision is expected July 10. Patxi's rumored parklet doesn't show on the map.

Meanwhile here in Noe Valley, parking has always trumped street life for the merchant association. No word if they support this parklet, or if there will be a battle this time around.

[NVSF: Pavement To Parks Says No To Plaza Trial, Yes To Parklets]
[NVSF: Noe Valley Plaza: Tea Party Filibuster Hijacks Community Meeting]
[Pavemet to Parks]

This Week In Noe Valley: Sightglass Coffee And Rare Device Arrive, Mystery Street Faces Solved

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

• Rare Device is now open on 24th St [@raredevice]
• Blue Ova Health fertility center moving into the former FIMA Photography spot [Blue Ova]
• Stript Wax Bar opens 10th location - replaces Church Nails on Church St [Stript Wax Bar]
• Noe Valley Bakery will reopen Monday with a Sightglass Coffee bar [@noevalleybakery]
• Peekaboutique clothing store on Castro at 24th reportedly for sale [@shaketini]
• Mysterious "BINIs" arrive in Noe Valley in several spots – they're a project of local artist Bruce Hallman [@F6x and MissionLocal]
• My Little "Ponistry of Sound" cruises the hood [@rr]
• Don't mess with Monique Soltani: No love for Patxi’s [WineOhTV]
• Chris Cosentino's favorite offal in SF [Eater SF]

[Photo: Birds on a wire via Courtney Scott]

Now Valley Town Square Official Celebration (With Dignitaries)

Now that purchase of the parking lot from the Noe Valley Ministry for the Noe Valley Town Square has been funded by the City and locals celebrated with pizza and "adult beverages," a formal ceremony and photo op is in order. Here's the announcement from Todd David (with minor edits, including removal of 'all caps'):

You Helped Make the Town Square Happen ... Now Help Us Celebrate!

This Saturday, June 22, 10:30 am at the Noe Valley Farmers Market, we'll be celebrating the acquisition of the Noe Valley Town Square.

Please join your Noe Valley friends and neighbors, District 8 Supervisor Scott Wiener, President of the Board of Supervisors David Chiu, San Francisco Recreation and Park General Manager Phil Ginsburg, and former Supervisor Bevan Dufty to celebrate the $4.2 million purchase of the future home of the Noe Valley Town Square. Bill Freeman and Patx Azpiroz of Patxi’s Pizza will be on hand to present the company’s $24,000 donation to the Town Square!

The event will take place at the Noe Valley Farmers Market (on 24th Street between Vicksburg and Sanchez Streets) this Saturday, June 22nd at 10:30AM.

This Saturday’s celebratory event is a great time to fulfill your pledge! Feel free to email me at todd@noevalleytownsquare.com if you have forgotten how much you have pledged. Checks should be made payable to “The San Francisco Parks Alliance.”

If you have not pledged yet or would like to increase your pledge (we still need to raise at least $375,000 to build the Town Square), please do so online at http://noevalleytownsquare.com/pledge/ or make your donation at the Farmers Market this Saturday. We hope to see you there!

This Week In Noe Valley: Patxi's Pizza Settles, Radio Shack Open, And Word Week Wants Writers

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

• Patxi's Pizza to spend $320,000 in agreement with SF over misused surcharge [SFGate]
• Patxi's official response [Patxi's Pizza]
• Planning gone awry [SF History Association]
• Is your building maybe possibly doomed to collapse in an earthquake? [SF Public Press]
• Scott Wiener's latest newsletter [Scott Wiener]
• Radio Shack reopens after fire; closed since Sep 2011 [@shaketini; also: fire]
• Yelp to deliver more than reviews - now with health inspection data [SF Business Times]
• Authors wanted [FONV; also: Word Week]
• Warm weather returns [@KarlTheFog]

[Photo: Tree Climber Photobomb, firewheel]

This Week In Noe Valley: Better Police Reporting, Cheapest Teardowns, And A Rope Swing With A View

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

• Are you listening @SFPD? This is the the level of detail people want [NY Times]
• Does Noe Valley need an underpass parklet? [Neighborland]
• Curbed highlights the cheapest teardowns and possibly reasonably priced NV housing (likely already in contract) [Curbed]
• Daily Secrets fetishizes Billy Goat Hill's rope swing [Daily Secrets]
• Patxi's is changing its menu - going for an authentic Neapolitan pizza [Eater]
• Noe Valley's Michael Capozzola On Check Please looks like he barely tolerated his co-stars [KQED]

[Photo: NVSF]

NVV July/Aug 2012: 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.

July/August 2012

Front Page: Noe neighbors nix the idea of losing a Muni stop at 30th; First Republic approved for 24th St; merchants are noticing an uptick in petty crime, shoplifters and "unbalanced homeless men" in the neighborhood as beat cops are spread too thin.
 
Letters: A reader opines that 24th and Church needs a traffic light for pedestrians; a plea for Noe Valleyeans to be Town Square heroes; Liberty resident alarmed that Muni wants to nix the Liberty St stop (reason: it's a scary blind corner if Muni doesn't pause there); the 2012 Noe Valley Garden Tour sold 200 tickets this year and the winning garden was Jana and Geoff King on Cesar Chavez; a Valley St resident rails against the white dots requiring sidewalk repair (choice quote: "the blinding white of replacement squares is a physical annoyance..."); a fan of First Republic chimes in; a Duncan neighbor warns of the perils of rat poison to other local pets (use traps instead); more Examiner grumping; SF Girl Scouts (Ed.--and more likely their parents as anyone who works in an office knows) are the top Cookie sellers in Northern California; and farewell Miss Kit, the much-loved "oldest dog in Noe Valley."

Cost of Living in Noe: Buyers are routinely paying 5% to 10% over asking. It's hot out there. Good luck renting.

Store Trek: Philz Coffee (4298 24th St.)

Short Takes: A $1700 sandbox cover was installed at Upper Noe Rec Center to keep out the late-night feline visitors using it as a litter box. (Ed.--It's an old problem not likely to go away.)

Rumors: La Boulange is now owned by Starbucks; Radio Shack will open "sometime toward the end of August" and the 2 upper units will be ready for renters in July; Tuggey's is closing at the end of the summer at which point the new tenant will be revealed ("in negotiations"); rumors that First Republic could have moved into the Real Foods space are wishful thinking so Real Foods remains a black hole; Noe Valley Town Square needs $3.6 million and so far Patxi's has pledged the most at $24,000, matching grants are materializing and residents are organizing house parties "hosted by people who work for for large Silicon Valley companies;" US DHS director to speak July 18 at St. Philip's Church; news from the blogosphere covered here at NVSF and elsewhere; and kudos to the St Philip's baseball team for 1st and 3rd places in the citywide tournament.

[The Noe Valley Voice]

This Week In Noe Valley

Noe Valley news from the interwebs:

• Patxi's afraid of pink slime (and hopefully tracking other questionable additives) [Twitter]
• 33 Fountain St gutted, for sale and now tracked by the DBI [Socketsite]
• Philz Coffee Noe Valley was thwarted; Murphstahoe despondent [Twitter]
• Rain won't deter the determined. [Instagram]
• February condo sales in Noe Valley [Downing & Co]
• Humid, chlorine-smelling pool house sold [SF Curbed]

[Photo: @newdoorsf]

Pizza Day and Mayoral Forum

Two upcoming neighborhood events via the Friends of Noe Valley:

Pizza Day - August 24 

As you may recall, Friends of Noe Valley organized the Noe Valley Garden tour earlier on this year. Part of this event, which raised money to benefit James Lick School and the Upper Noe Recreation Center Garden, was also a commitment by Paxti’s Pizza to sponsor the event by hosting a Pizza Day. The day has arrived!

Mark your calendar – Wednesday, August 24th to order or stop by Paxti's on 24th Street for a delicious pizza pie! Ten percent of all proceeds will be added to the money raised by the Garden Tour.

Mayoral Forum - August 25

You are invited to the Mayoral Forum hosted by the Noe Valley Democratic Club, Friends of Noe Valley, Upper Noe Neighbors and the Noe Valley Merchants & Professionals Association.
      Date: Thursday August 25th, 2011
      Time: 7:30-9:30 PM
      Place: James Lick Middle School Auditorium, 1220 Noe Street
For more information about this event, email Hunter Stern.

Japan Disaster Hits Home In Noe Valley

The Japan tsunami/earthquake/nuclear disaster is still unfolding but plenty of local merchants are finding ways to help:

Hamano Sushi (1334 Castro @ 24th) is matching donations to relief funds - and will put your name on the wall with one of these cards pictured.

Patxi's Pizza is holding a fundraiser on April 5: "Ten percent of all proceeds will be donated to the Northern Japan Earthquake Relief Fund established by the JCCCNC, Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California, based in San Francisco. Purchases from dining, delivery, pick up, or gift cards at lunch and dinner are all included. Patxi’s is hosting these fundraisers as a part of our ongoing “52 Weeks of Giving” campaign for 2011."

Know other local groups pitching in? Please post them in the comments.

Update (3/23): Shoe Biz is hosting a benefit on March 26th - buy TOMS  Shoes and Shoe Biz will match (x2) with a donation to tsunami victims.

Coming Soon: Patxi's Walk-up Pizza Window

A sign in Patxi's on 24th St. announces that the pizzeria will be in front of the planning commission this week for permission to add a walk-up pizza window.

Patxi's already sells pizza by the slice every day from 11-4 and has been using the front as a walk-up window - but the planning commission wants it on the record. The pizzeria is set to go through a formal hearing (and hopefully quick approval) at City Hall this Thursday March 10.

Update (3/9): The Planning Commission analysis is here (PDF). "Preliminary Recommendation: Approval with Conditions."

Patxi's, 4042 24th St.
415-285-2000

Patxi's Noe Valley Aims To Open December 1

Via Inside Scoop we learn Patxi's hopes to open on December 1, will have 65 seats, a beer/wine license and will be open 11am-11pm 10pm with delivery available.

Patxi’s Noe Valley
4042 24th Street
patxispizza.com

Update: The grand opening is slated for 5-7:00pm on Dec 1st with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Bevan Dufty, and Myth Busters cast member Tory Bellici (also a Patxi's investor) - and there will be "complimentary tastes of Patxi's pizzas" and a raffle. Look for online ordering via www.patxispizza.com in December.

[ISSF: Patxi’s Noe Valley looks to open in December]
[Patxi's blog: Patxi's Pizza Noe Valley Opens Dec 1st!]

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.

4042 24th St as of 8/28/10

4042 24th STREET - on the north side of 24th Street between Castro and Noe streets; Lot 014 in Assessor’s Block 3656 - Request for Conditional Use Authorization pursuant to Section 178(c), 728.41, 728.42, and 303 of the Planning Code to allow a full-service restaurant (d.b.a. Patxi’s Chicago Pizza) in conjunction with a bar use within the 24th Street – Noe Valley Neighborhood Commercial District and a 40-X Height and Bulk District.

Preliminary Recommendation: Approval with Conditions

[NVSF: Mi Lindo Yucatan to Become Patxi's Pizza]

Mi Lindo Yucatan to Become Patxi's Pizza

A sharp-eyed reader (thanks, Nick!) tipped us to a new license that has appeared in the former Mi Lindo Yucatan space:

Paxti's Chicago Pizza is on a beverage license at the old mi Lindo Yucatan space. They still have all the "RESTAURANT SPACE FOR RENT" signs up so perhaps their lease is contingent on those licenses going through.

A quick search of the ABC site confirms an application for a liquor license filed on March 17 (status: pending). The 2500 square foot space is still under heavy construction, but will certainly be big enough for the restaurant/pizzeria. Oh, and the restaurant name is pronounced "pah cheese," and it does not count as a new restaurant on 24th St since it replaces an existing one.

[New 2500 Sq. Foot Restaurant Destined for 24th Street?]