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]

Noe Valley 2010: Year in Review

2010 was a busy year in our quiet village. Lots of community meetings, retail change-ups, civic improvements and local activism. Here's a look at some highlights and themes from 2010.

More Restaurants

In January the planning commission lifted the restaurant ban in 24th St commercial district. Although we didn’t see that ruling turn into new permits in 2010, it did send a message that Noe is restaurant-friendly again. New additions food-wise this year included Patxi's and Little Chihuahua. Tataki South also opened for sushi on outer Church. Not a restaurant but happy news for foodies, Blue Bottle Coffee also debuted at Spin City.

More Green

Pocket Parks, Parklets and Plazas were big items this year. Not everyone liked the plaza idea, but the tea party fillibuster and ensuing kerfuffle did pave the way for 2 parklets and discussion of a possible town square.

Quieter Trains

The J-Church rail at 30th got an upgrade and neighbors rejoiced: “Just as I was thinking it, a neighbor nearby noted with happiness, 'Hey, it doesn’t make noise anymore.'”

Orange Wins

Noe resident Matt Cain helped take the Giants to a World Series victory. And Scott Weiner – whose campaign color was orange – replaced Bevan Dufty as disctrict 8 Supervisor. Noe Valley was also voted # 1 for Halloween trick-or-treating, and the orange-themed Harvest Fest was a hit.

Crime Files

Sadly, it was also a busy year for crime in Noe including vehicle thefts, stolen iPhones, a homicide, identity scavengers, and a Wells Fargo bank robbery (which may explain the armed guard in front of BofA these days).

Storefront Changes

We lost some retail stores this year on and near 24th St. including Cooks Boulevard, Lisa Violetto, Urban Cellars, and Apple Blossom (and the genie went back into the bottle). We also lost useful retail space to Circle Bank, Alain Pinel and the soon-to-open Noe Valley Smiles. New shops in the area include: When Modern Was (via Church), Sway in the old Streetlight Records space, Heliotrope, Design Quarter, Re:Construction Salon, and Joseph Andrade Floral in the old Artsake space.

Lively Debates

Finally, it was a year of lively debates. We all got exercised about lots of things besides plazas. Favorite topics were passive aggressive parking, shuttle buses, dogs, pedestrians, strollers, a new mayor, and local color.

Here's to more fun in 2011. Happy New Year, Noe Valley!

Parking, Parklets and Other Backroom Deals in Noe Valley

Yesterday we learned from the Twittersphere that "new angled spots have arrived on Castro Street" between 24th and Jersey Streets. A fly-by and quick check on Mapjack confirms there is a gain of four parking spots on this block of Castro (there were six, now ten). Four spots were lost to trial of the parklets on 24th St. Coincidence?

Interestingly, earlier diagonal parking on Castro took years. But when Isa Muhawieh moved his salon to Jersey and Castro in 2005, he pushed through a "trial" that easily became permanent. With the parklets taking away 4 spots on 24th Street, the Noe Valley Merchants Association is rumored to have brokered a back-room deal to add this new parking to Castro St at 24th. The parklets are a six month trial with no guarantee of permanency, but it's unclear if the parking spaces on Castro are a trial or a done deal.

In other words plazas and parklets are controversial, but apparently adding parking places is just fine. For previous opponents of the plaza who objected to the NVMPA making decisions by fiat, where's the outrage? And for fans of the parklets, are you OK with this horse trade?

NVV December 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.

December 2010

Front Page: "This is the last edition you'll see until the first week of February 2011." And a pretty picture of fog.

Letters: Dismay over smoking in the parklet at Martha & Bros. (Ed.--illegal to smoke in SF parks since 2005 [pdf]); some poor soul can't figure out how to find a print copy of the Voice.

Features: Interview with Bevan Dufty on his eight years as District 8 Supervisor; City Guides has been offering Noe Valley tours since 2008 (with fun sketches of Victorian era "bric-a-brac" like sewer vent grates); Giants fans celebrated on 24th St; brief blurb on page 15 about 24 HoliDAYS on 24th St.

Cost of Living in Noe: 16 Single Family Homes sold in October, 11 of those over asking.

Short Takes: A few events in Glen Park, Scottish dancers at the Noe Valley Ministry, fun at the Randall Museum in Corona Heights, a workshop for public artists at the SF Arts Commission on Van Ness, a show at the Marsh Theater on Valencia, and Paxton Gate in the Mission turns 18. Also a bit about upcoming changes to Cesar Chavez.

Crime Beat: Turns out there were two bank robberies last month.

Store Trek: Design Quarter; Re:Construction Salon.

Traveling Voice: Not.

Rumors: Election results; Wiener sets priorities (like the Town Square and Real Foods); Town Square moves ahead (for more info the Voice suggests "googling 'Noe Valley Town Square'"); the Tech Search Party raised "just over $17,000" for Alvarado Elementary School; Delano's is closing its "Eureka Valley" location; Parklets hit 24th St; and this excellent tidbit about the Noe Valley Association:

The NVA, and the 10 members serving on its board of directors, has an annual budget of $230,000, funded by a parcel tax on each of the 179 property owners in the 24th Street/Castro Street shopping area. The board has been quite active this year improving Main Street. They steered the Pavement to Parks process that brought us the parklets. Seven new benches were installed on 24th Street. Few people realize the NVA spends $10,000 a month keeping 24th Street trash-free, maintaining the miniparks in the public parking lot and the Ministry parking lot, tending the many planters and flower baskets and trees, as well as regularly cleaning the Downtown Noe Valley sidewalks. The NVA sponsors, or co-sponsors - in addition to 24 HoliDAYS - the Harvest Festival, the Noe Courts Easter Egg Hunt, and the Summer Solstice.

[The Noe Valley Voice]

The Mission Streetscape Plan: What It Means To Noe Valley

The Mission District Streetscape Plan advanced out of committee to the full SFMTA board for a vote on Friday after years of community meetings and a full Environmental Impact Report. That's the good news. The bad news is that assuming it passes the Board, it will be 10 years before fully implemented at a cost of $96M.

The entire 62MB PDF is available here: Of note to Noe Valley residents:

• Making permanent the much-maligned traffic-calming plaza at 28th and Guerrero (pages 50-51). A priority project: "The City will continue to look for funds to create a permanent plaza at this location per the designs shown in this plan."
• 24th St BART station improvements (pages 42-43). A priority project: "The City has received approximately $2.2 million in grant funds through the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s TLC program to build improvements to the 24th and Mission BART station, including plaza improvements, new bus bulbs on Mission Street, and raised crosswalks at alleys crossing 24th Street."
• Reducing Cesar Chavez to 2 traffic lanes in each direction from Hampshire to Guerrero with dedicated turn lanes, bike lanes, pedestrian bulb-outs, a 12-foot-wide median and a new plaza at Capp/Mission. All that will sacrifice 30 parking places. (pages 54-55, 66-67) Ironically, there is a lot of hate for the project from the bikes-only crowd commenting on StreetsBlogSF - the project doesn't go far enough to protect cyclists.
• Pedestrian safety improvements to Dolores St and the Dolores St park/plaza at San Jose we reported on last year (pages 42-47, 70-71).

When? A projected time line is on page 96. Work on Ceasar Chavez will begin next summer after completion of a sewer replacement project set to start in the next month or so.

[SF Planning: The Mission District Sreetscape Plan]
[SF Planning: Final draft of Better Streets (PDF)]
[NVSF: Proposed: Gateway Park At South End Of Dolores Street]

Parklets: Construction Begins

The long-debated and awaited parklets on 24th St began construction today. The pavers are concrete and rest on steel beams; the planters are also steel. More details from StreetsBlogSF:

The new spaces were designed by Riyad Ghannam, who designed and built the first parklet in the city in front of the Mojo Bicycle Cafe on Divisadero street. The parklets will replace a total of four parking spaces and cost $37,000, the entirety of which came from Mayor Gavin Newsom’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development as part of their commercial revitalization budget. The Noe Valley Association, which represents merchants in the area, is the permit holder and will oversee the maintenance of the facilities.

Expect the parklets to be completed in front of Martha & Bros and Just For Fun in time for the weekend -- just in time for the rain.

Update from Carol Yenne:

The Permit Holder is the Noe Valley Association CBD which is the property owners of the commercial district, not the merchant association.

It would also be nice to mention this is a "trial" to see how folks like them. These are not not permanent parklet being set up.

Thanks,
Carol Yenne
Member of NVA CBD as well as NVMPA board.

[StreetsBlogSF: Noe Valley Parklet Installation Begins]

Approved: Parklets For 24th Street

22nd St at Bartlett

From murphstahoe:

The 24th Street Parklets were approved by ISCOTT (the Interdepartmental Staff Committee on Traffic and Transportation) today! They are permitted for a 6 month trial beginning in November. At the meeting the Parklets were supported by Debra Neimann from NVA, myself, Martha's Coffee Founder Martha Monroy, Supervisor Dufty's Legislative Aide Todd David, Louis Bryan, and Supervisor Candidate Scott Wiener in the form of his proxy, Gillian Gillett.

As I mentioned before, they will be going in front of Martha's Coffee and Just for Fun. See you out there!

Just in time for winter.

[Pavement To Parks]

Halloween House on Noe St

You can't see it in the photo, but this Noe St house that screams LOOK AT ME with its generator-inflated blow-up decorations also proudly displayed a "Don't Close Noe Street" sign during the plaza kerfuffle. Linger if you dare...

[NVSF: Photos: Halloween 2009]
[Photo: bats1234]

Live The Dream: Prime Corner Space For Lease

For lease: 3751 24th Street at Chattanooga. "Wonderful Hi Visibility Commercial Space ... 20+ foot ceilings ... Corner locations are prime and rarely available ... all the foot traffic in Noe Valley must walk by the space to get to 24th Street/Mission transportation."

Now that the moratorium on new Noe Valley restaurants has lifted you could open your own cafe with a parklet out front (with soon-to-be-easier permit process), or leave it as is and operate your own cigarette / malt liquor / lottery ticket market. At $5500/month, a yoga studio, nails/waxing or children's art studio doesn't seem viable.

All that assuming you can handle dealing with the landlord. Looks like he/she will have no problem airing your dirty laundry: "It is currently being used as a small grocery/liquor store J&J Grocery, their lease is done January 2011, possibly sooner because they are having internal conflict with their management."

[Craiglist: NOE VALLEY Store Front Commercial/Corner Location]
[StreetsBlogSF: PARK(ing) and Parklet Day: Reclaiming the Curb for People]

NVV Sept. 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.

September 2010

Front Page: A love note to high-end modern homes in Noe; notes from the Town Square meeting on July 15; the plaza proposal is dead, now the debate is where to put (or nix) the parklets.

Letters: A 16-year Noe resident on the mob-rule mentality that shut down the plaza proposal: "Are these people not homeowners or do they simply not realize how much more desirable their homes would become were they lucky enough to live on a newly dead-ended street?"; thanks to the person randomly planting poppies on Elizabeth St.; hi and we miss you from the Andiamo Deli brothers; Robert Roddick, president of the Noe Valley Merchants and Professionals Association distances himself from the NVMPA support for the plaza trial now that it's been squelched.

Features: Billy Goat Hill gets a $50,000 facelift this month – improvements include path updates, erosion control and native plant restoration.

Cost of Living in Noe: Market cooling but the average home in Noe still costs more than $1 million. Rents are up slightly year over year.

Short Takes: Supes debate coming on Sept. 16 at Upper Noe Rec Center; Harvest Fest will be on Saturday Oct. 23, including some local music talent you'll recognize from the farmer's market; cops close Noe murder case.

Traveling Voice: Consumer confidence is up - this summer the the Voice made it to South Africa for the World Cup, Cinque Terre and Paris.

Store Trek: Heliotrope SF; The Little Chihuahua.

Rumors: The Plaza to Parklets drama continues – the NVMPA says merchants want a say in where the parklets will be located, with several retailers vowing (off the record) to fight them outright. The locations being considered are: 24th Street in front of Martha's, Noe Bagel,Toast, and the Noe Valley Ministry lot near Vicksburg. [Ed- Fasten your seatbelts… it's going to be bumpy.] The next Friends of Noe Valley meeting will be on Sept. 28 at James Lick where you can vote on the officers and board. There will also be a presentation on the Town Square and supes candidates have been invited to weigh in. The Noe Valley Farmer's Market board had a "special meeting" in August to discuss market vendors and volunteers supporting supes candidates (not allowed). Rebecca Prozan opened her campaign headquarters a block away from the Market in July. Harry Aleo's Twin Peaks Property is becoming a music store – opening date is mid Oct. The colorful Twin Peaks/Aleo memorabilia went to family, Noe Valley archivists Bill Yenne and Joel Panzer, an estate seller, and to the NVMPA. Accent on Flowers (next door to the future music store) is consolidating to Flowers of the Valley across the street; Blue Bottle Coffee and Design Quarter open.

[The Noe Valley Voice]

Pavement To Parks Says No To Plaza Trial, Yes To Parklets

Dear Noe Valleyans,

As we have mentioned previously, the intent of Pavement to Parks projects is to unite the community around trial public space improvements. The Noe Street Plaza has been quite a contentious proposal, much more so than any other Pavement to Parks project to date. Many in the community have advocated very strongly for a trial to proceed while many others feel uncomfortable with any type of trial street closure. There have been petitions for and petitions against the Noe Valley proposal. Both drives have secured hundreds of signatures.

We believed that with civil discourse and debate we could all eventually come together around a common proposal for Noe Valley. As most of you will probably agree, a consensus has been very difficult to attain.

While not an alternative to or part of Pavement to Parks, one of the ideas generated at an early community meeting - a public space at the Noe Valley Ministry parking lot - is now being discussed further and we are pleased to see this important conversation moving forward independent of Pavement to Parks.

We are excited to report that of all the different ideas talked about over the past few months, Parklets on 24th Street have gained the most support in Noe Valley (a survey at the June 30th workshop, for example, demonstrated 3 to 1 support for this proposal). Parklets do not affect traffic circulation and instead use two parking spaces to build out a deck for landscaping, tables and chairs, and other pedestrian elements (see sfpavementtoparks.sfplanning.org for images of Parklets in other parts of town). If all goes to plan, we would like to add two Parklets along 24th Street this Fall. We will be working with the merchant community to identify the most suitable locations but it is important to note that these spaces will be open and free to use by anyone. As in all Pavement to Parks projects, these Parklets will be trial and closely monitored for success. If they do not work out, they will be removed.

I would like to personally thank everyone for being so patient and for contributing to an important and productive community dialogue. As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Best,

Andres Power
sfpavementtoparks@sfgov.org
sfpavementtoparks.sfplanning.org

NVV July/August 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 notable 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 until the middle of the month.

July/August 2010

Front Page: Summer issue - Voice writers, editors and photographers are asked to "put away their communication devices and find a way to play" until September; Elizabeth Crane ("farmer's market queen") shares jamming recipes; Noe Valley photog Leo Holub died at 93 years old in April.

Feature: Traveling Voice, a retrospective.

Letters: Last month's mockingbird (and apparently the only one in the neighborhood) is now serenading the easily riled Jersey St. residents; Noe St resident enlists Bevan Dufty to reverse a street sweeping ticket); Joel Panzer tries to sound more rational about keeping Noe St open than he did at the June 30th meeting; A "thanks" for the Noe Valley Garden Tour, and another for Rebecca Prozan's campaign kick-off on June 12th.

Cost of Living in Noe: 9 homes sold in May, high price for a SFH was $3.3M (skewing the mean).

Store Trek: Joseph Andrade Floral (3961 24th St) is intent on providing "affordable elegance;" Sway (3979 24th St) is woman's clothing that is "not to cool for school."

Rumors: The Voice was unable to attend/report on the June 30th Community Meeting; Easily riled Jersey St residents now host the official bike route through downtown Noe Valley (complete with Sharrows); Cooks Boulevard? Still empty; Castro Nails? Now on outer Church. GNC/Aveda? "A number of inquiries." Twin Peaks Realty? The estate is looking for a tenant to make improvements (but the space does include parking); French Tulip lives; Garage Store under new management as Garage Store Merchandise Lounge and moving more upscale; Star Magic sticking around after all under the guise of Cosmic Wizard after a notice of "trademark infringement" from some fancy New York lawyer; Loft 1513, Heliotrope and Curator Boutique have made outer Church a "certified shopping destination;" A list of SF Weekly's Best Of including Elizabeth Street Brewery.

And finally... buried among countless realtor ads is another circa 1985 photo advertising Sue Bowie's Noe Valley expertise - still listed as a Prudential agent.

[The Noe Valley Voice]

Noe Valley Plaza: Tea Party Filibuster Hijacks Community Meeting

Apparently some people missed the memo - tonight's community meeting was never intended to be a town meeting.

Even so, the boos and jeers started as soon as Andres Power started speaking. The "Don't Block Noe" crowd was at tonight's meeting in force and insisted on being heard. What was supposed to be a 20 minute presentation of the results of the traffic study and the status of the project so far twice had Planning staffer Sarah Dennis-Phillips scolding the crowd: "Next time Andres is interrupted Planning is leaving and none of you will be heard." Momentary quiet.

The shouting resumed 2 minutes later after Andres said the words "easily removable" and "if the project moved forward" at least 20 more times. Despite angry shushing, Bevan Dufty (who arrived late from a budget meeting) had to take the mic and also had the quote of the evening: "It will make the news if we have to call the police to a meeting in Noe Valley." Nervous laughter.

General gist voiced by Bevan, Andres and other members of the Planning staff: "It will be difficult to move forward" with this project given the "vocal opposition."

This will not be resolved anytime soon.

Update: Video uploaded to Youtube by sattvicwarrior

Noe Valley Plaza: Agenda And Fact Sheet For Community Meeting

From Andres Power:

Dear Noe Valleyans,

In preparation for next week's community workshop, attached please find a three-page fact sheet highlighting the goals of Pavement to Parks, some preliminary analysis of the Noe Street option and other locations suggested by the community at our first workshop, and a brief overview of how the options would be evaluated, should they move forward towards a trial.

Thanks,

Andres Power
sfpavementtoparks@sfplanning.org

The fact sheet is here (PDF)

What: Noe Valley Pavement to Parks Community Meeting #2
When: Wednesday, June 30rd, 7:30-9:00pm
Where: St. Philip School, 665 Elizabeth Street @ Diamond

Pixie Hall Studios will provide a calls for kids free of charge so parents can attend the meeting. Details to follow.

[NVSF: All Plaza Posts]

Noe Valley Pavement to Parks Community Meeting, Round 2, Take 2

Dear Noe Valley Neighbors,

Our next community meeting to discuss the proposed Pavement to Parks project in Noe Valley is scheduled for June 30th, 7:30pm, at St. Philips. Unfortunately, an earlier date (June 23) was advertised in the Noe Valley Voice and in the Supervisor's newsletter. We realized after publication that another community meeting had already been scheduled for that time and location.

At this upcoming community meeting, we'll continue the conversation we began on April 8th. We'll take a step back and talk about the goals of the project and how we might meet these goals with a menu of different design options. As requested, we'll also bring traffic data to this meeting. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

St. Philips is located at 665 Elizabeth Street, at Diamond. The entrance to the community room is off of Diamond Street.

Best,
Andres Power
sfpavementtoparks@sfplanning.org

What: Noe Valley Pavement to Parks Community Meeting #2
When: Wednesday, June 30rd, 7:30 pm
Where: St. Philip School, 665 Elizabeth Street @ Diamond

[NVSF: All Plaza Posts]

Hold That Thought: Next Plaza Meeting Cancelled?

Rumor has it that the second edition of a Community Meeting to discuss a plaza/parklet and 24th/Noe the on June 23rd has been cancelled because "St Philip's double booked the room and gave preference to the Noe Valley Democratic Club," according to a source.

Stay tuned.

NVV June 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 notable 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 until the middle of the month.

June 2010

Front Page: Memorial service for special police officer Jane Warner; Noe Street Plaza firestorm rages on; NV Garden Tour on June 12; a very useful roundup of Noe Valley guesthouses.

Letters: More about the the proposed Noe Plaza, including the formal "resolution" from Robert Roddick of the NVMPA in support of the plaza that was "leaked" to this blog; a reminder that there have been other recent homicides in Noe including one in 2004 on 26th Street and one 10 years ago in the upper Noe gym; a 6 paragraph love letter praising 24th Street Cheese Co.; and a quizzical letter from Chris Lohman on Duncan near Church wondering what the boop-boop siren bird is (it's a Northern Mockingbird).

Features: Look for a hayride and petting zoo on 24th Street on June 19 between 3 and 6 p.m. Starting point for the hayride is at Walgreen's on Castro at 24th (this does not replace the Harvest Fest--merely cashing in); the twin spires of St. Paul's are finished and in full view again; summer Camp at Upper Noe Rec Center.

Cost of Living in Noe: 10 Noe homes sold in April with an average sale price of $1.2 million; rents are climbing slightly.

Store Trek: La Boulange (3834 24th Street @ Sanchez) gives Noe a certain je ne sais quoi and Frenchy appeal (and then NVV pimps a La Bou online coupon for 20% off tickets to the d'Orsay collection at the de Young--re-pimped here: coupon code MBAKE); Dr. Robert Solley (1701 Church Street @ 29th) specializes in couples counseling, helping couples "cool the tensions and rekindle their love."

Rumors: Plazamania continues, and the plaza plans are still on the table- be sure to show up for the next meeting on June 23 at 6:30 PM at St. Philip's; the NVA has been active on 24th Street, putting in cherry trees at 24th and Diamond and strawberry trees in front of The Ark toy store, as well as wooden benches and planters along 24th Street. Debra Nieman also wants everyone to know that now that federal money has become available, the city is putting in ADA ramps which "will require removal and replacement of of the yellow duratherm crosswalks" at Castro and 24th. So maybe that means that the new crosswalks will align with the sidewalks and be somehow less seizure-inducing.

[The Noe Valley Voice]

Noe Valley Pavement to Parks Community Meeting, Round 2

Via Bevan Dufty's June Newsletter:

Noe Valley Pavement to Parks Community Meeting

On Wednesday, June 23rd at 6:30 pm at St Philip's school, we will hold the second community meeting on the Pavement to Parks proposal for Noe and 24th streets.

I will be joined by Andres Power and David Alumbaugh of the San Francisco Planning Department and a Traffic Engineer from the SF Municipal Transportation Agency (MTA).

A spirited community workshop was held on April 8th to discuss a temporary trial closure of Noe Street at 24th Street. The meeting was well attended by those for and against a temporary trial closure. Participants also suggested a number other ideas for improving the public realm along 24th Street that are being pursued.

Since April, Planning/DPT have conducted traffic studies and new data as well as greater details on how the trial would be evaluated and assessed will be presented.

What: Noe Valley Pavement to Parks Community #2
When: Wednesday, June 23rd, 6:30 pm
Where: St. Philip School, 665 Elizabeth Street @ Diamond

Noe Valley Plaza: No News Is No News

We just received the latest update from Andres Power. Short version:

• Nothing has been decided vis-a-vis a plaza on Noe Street.
• The SF Planning Department doesn't know how to please the "broadest possible cross section of the Noe Valley community" so the next community meeting has been pushed back to sometime in June.
• "...temporary trial closure of Noe Street" appears five times.
• Likely upshot: no new public spaces--plaza or parklet--will be installed before the rains return.

Full text:

Dear Noe Valley Neighbors:

As you recall, we held a community workshop on April 8th to discuss with the Noe Valley neighborhood for the first time possible improvements to the neighborhood’s public realm, including the idea of a temporary trial closure of Noe Street at 24th Street. Those who attended expressed heartfelt concerns both for and against the idea of a temporary trial closure of Noe Street. Participants also suggested a number of other ideas for thinking anew about improving the public realm along 24th Street. We respect the views of all who have expressed them, and appreciate the participation of all.

Many at the community workshop expressed very enthusiastic support for a temporary trial closure of Noe Street. But just as many others expressed strong concern and even opposition to the idea. We committed at the workshop to consider all views, to conduct a few studies, to bring us all back together to discuss what we heard, to explore new ideas and suggestions that came from the workshop, and to talk about some possible options for moving forward that would be acceptable to the broadest possible cross section of the Noe Valley community.

Even exploring the idea of a temporary trial closure of Noe Street has been very disturbing to some in the community, when its purpose was to test an idea that would bring the community together. Especially in the face of this sensitivity, we want to reiterate our commitment to taking a reasoned and tempered approach to seeing if there can be consensus behind the idea of a temporary trial closure of Noe Street or some other street in the neighborhood. Based on the comments we heard at the workshop, we also believe t it would be prudent to explore the idea of installing test “parklets” – the temporary repurposing of a few on-street parking spaces – in one or more locations along 24th Street.

We’d like to discuss and explore these ideas at our next community workshop, which we now propose be held in early to mid June. We’ll let you know when the date for that community workshop has been set.

Again, we respect and appreciate the views of all, and look forward to earnest discussions about ways of improving Noe Valley for everyone. We thank you for your patience as we explore community interests and concerns about the best way to move forward.

Best,

Andres Power
SF Planning Department
Andres.Power@sfgov.org

Noe Valley Plaza: Petitions

Those in favor of a plaza at 24th and Noe have launched an online petition.

We're aware of a paper version for those against, but haven't seen anything online. If one exists, please send us the link.

[Sign the Petition: Noe Valley Says YES!]