NVV February 2016: 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.

February 2016

Front Page: Design shop Wowhaus has won the commission to create the public art for the Town Square -- comments wanted; St. Luke's is under construction; the Affordable Housing Bonus Program is controversial with Noe Valley residents; a foster dog named Peanut needs a home and gets a ginormous feature story; SFMTA traffic engineers are still trying to slow down traffic and protect pedestrians and cyclists at the I-280 merge.

Letters: A neighbor reminds you to check the dates on construction sawhorses (contractor parking) - they might be expired; a 23rd St resident believes that traffic and speeding on his street are on the rise; a house garage on the 4700 block of 25th street was burgled; RIP to the dapper Wilkes Bashford, a longtime Noe Valley resident. Sidebar: the most common crimes in our little burg? Burglary, disturbing the peace, fraud, stolen cars, theft and vehicle break-ins.

Features: A full rundown of what transpired at the January 14 District 8 security meeting.

Cost of Living in Noe: Housing prices are up 20 percent year over year thanks to tight supply. Rents are flattening out (but still high).

Store Trek: Charlie's Corner, 4102 24th St. at Castro

Rumors and Tidbits: Lots of For Rent signs still on 24th Street including Common Scents and In-House - as are many storefronts over the hill in Eureka Valley/Castro; Hahn's Hibachi is closing for good after many rumors and 20 years; Pomelo is no longer serving dinner - for now; construction will begin soon on the former Bliss Bar which is becoming a thai noodle bar [Ed.--construction is underway]; La Boulangerie is open; Hamlet is open; the former toy store The Ark is papered over and will become a retail store for kitchen goods; Portuguese restaurant Uma Casa will come to life in the old Incanto restaurant space this summer.

[The Noe Valley Voice]

NVV December 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.

December 2015

Front Page: Head on over to neighbors Maika Nicholson's and Brad Wolfe's home at 7:30pm on 12/8/15 if you're interested in creating a Noe Valley Neighborhood Farm; "Lesbian Pioneers" Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, Noe Valley featured in the LGBTQ Historic Context Statement issued by the SF Historic Preservation Committee; The Farmer's Market will take over 24th St every Saturday starting January 2nd (although the NVFM folks say the market is closed that day) to allow for the construction of the Noe Valley Town Square; A brief biography of KPFA's Blues by the Bay host and Hill St resident Tom Mazzolini.

Letters: Kate explains why she voted against Prop F, which would have further regulated AirBnB.

Features: Clipper St repaving and traffic calming project delayed for at least six more months; 24 HoliDAYS on 24th St is back (because no neighborhood does the holidays like Noe Valley); Are we experiencing another housing bubble? No.

Cost of Living in Noe: A SFH averages $2.2M; A 2 bedroom apt averages $4742.

Short Takes: December food drive drop off at Whole Foods all month; SFFD Toy Drive at local FD stations and at Cliche Noe Gifts; Work has actually begun on Noe Courts.

Store Trek: Neighbors Corner Market, 499 Douglass at 21st St.

Rumors and Tidbits: A meager 54.2 percent of registered Noe Valley voters bothered; La Boulangerie is open; Construction has begun on La PanotiQ; Spin City has completed it's remodel and has added Noe Valley Coffee to its mix (Blue Bottle pulled out); K9 Scrub Club closed abruptly; Bom Dia has applied for an on-sale beer/wine license; Drewes is officially EJ Fine Meats; Neighbor Mike Underhill was lead attorney representing the US against BP for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

[The Noe Valley Voice]

Proposed: Traffic Signal For Intersection Of Church And Cesar Chavez Streets

There's a small sign posted on a pole at Cesar Chavez and Church Streets announcing a hearing about a proposed traffic signal for that intersection. Pretty big news, right? There have been calls for a stoplight at 24th/Church, but this is the first we've heard of one at this busy intersection. Our initial reaction is that it's not necessary unless it can smooth the interaction of pedestrian traffic on Church and all the cars trying to get to 101. Otherwise, this intersection flows pretty smoothly. So where did this proposal come from? Follow us down the rabbit hole (and watch out for PDFs).

Remember the SFMTA's Transit Effectiveness Project (TEP)? When we covered it in 2008 the main issue was bus routes - there was a strong push to alter routes and eliminate stops to speed up the service. Then in 2012 the J Church line was included in Muni Forward's Travel Time Reduction Proposal (TTRP). Basically, the proposal aims to speed the J Church along its route by reducing stops, relocating boarding areas, creating transit-only lanes and (this is the key part) including "traffic calming" at certain intersections (more on that below). The SFMTA study says changes will "reduce the travel time of the J Church within the study area by about 6.5 minutes total in both directions."

Projects like this are never easy in San Francisco, and of course there was an Environmental Impact Report (EIR). The huge public response sent everyone back to the drawing board, and many changes were made (for fellow planning dorks here are the three huge PDFs documenting response to public feedback: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3). The end result is that the amended EIR was approved with changes on May 22, 2014.

Approval of said EIR is what grants the SFMTA authority to add a traffic signal to Cesar Chavez and Church Streets. But what isn't clear is why the SFMTA is pursing a stoplight at this intersection only. The TTRP stipulates changes along the Church St route at 25th, 26th, and Day Streets -- the "expanded alternative" asks for unspecified "traffic calming" measures for those intersections, but offers a "moderate alternative" that will instead install traffic signals. (The TTRP makes clear that 24th and Church will get a light, but other changes there make for a bigger project that will likely happen later.) The August 1 hearing is asking the public to approve one of those traffic signals without addressing the rest of the J Church route.

If you have an opinion on this traffic light want your voice heard please attend the August 1 hearing at City Hall: 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 416 at 10:00am.

Can't make the hearing? Per SFMTA hearing guidelines (emphasis ours):

Opinions on these proposed changes may be filed in writing prior to the hearing by email (link to sustainable.streets@sfmta.com) with the subject line “Public Hearing.” Written opinions may also be transmitted to the Sustainable Streets Division via fax at 415.701.4737 or by mail: Engineering Public Hearing, Sustainable Streets Division, One South Van Ness Avenue, 7th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103-5417. Submitted opinions will become part of the official public record and will be brought to the attention of the person(s) conducting the hearing.

NVV February 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.

February 2014

Front Page: A profile of Glen Evans, a former Vicksburg resident who now finds himself homeless, and the merchants and neighbors who are trying to help him; an overview of the 5th annual Tech Search Party on February 8th benefiting local schools; info from the October/January meetings about planned changes to 24th St aimed at improving traffic flow and pedestrian safety - some Noe St residents are already sure it will be "mayhem" [Ed.-- it's deja vu all over again from the parklet protests and predictably Mary McFadden is against improving 24th St].

Letters: No love from one reader for Neutraceuticals (owner of the blighted Real Foods building); a list of water conservation tips from the SFPUC.

Short Takes: Upper Douglass Dog Park to remain closed until Spring for more repairs; San Jose Ave will shrink to two lanes for a traffic pilot in late Spring or early summer.

Cost of Living in Noe: The average cost of a single family home was $1.893 million in December - up more than 18 percent from 2012 [Ed.-- The median cost of the nine homes was $1.75M]; condos average $1 million. New renters should expect to shell out an average of $4,253 for a two bedroom apartment.

Store Trek: La Nebbia (1781 Church St at 30th)

Rumors: So far $560,000 has been pledged to the Noe Valley Town Square and $330,000 has been collected - in the meantime, the team has also been busy with a film for the project called Our Town Square (you can watch the trailer here); Cardio-Tone has added a second location at the old Kohler Jones space on Church St; 1513 Church St is home to a new startup called BackerKit - a company that writes software for Kickstarter project creators to track their backers [Ed.-- Is this Noe Valley's first actual tech company?]; La Tira waxing studio opens in the old Dermalounge space; the most popular fiction books in Noe right now are The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt and Dear Life: Stories by Alice Munro; the most popular non-fiction is Gray City of Love by Gary Kamiya (via Folio Books); Omnivore reports the favorite cookbook for the neighborhood right now is Jerusalem by Yottam Ottolenghi; the favorite movie for rent is The Butler (via Videowave); Mazook says reliable sources also report that Bliss Bar will not be rebuilt; a new title company comes to 4126 24th St (next to Barney's where B.J. Droubi Real Estate used to reside); Sway consolidates to the Haight and the commercial space and two residential units have sold for an expected $2.2 million - the store space is still for rent $12,000 a month; RIP Mike Skoufas who opened a Noe Valley barbershop in 1953 called Mike's (his daughter owns and operates Of Barbers and Bears on 24th St.).

[The Noe Valley Voice]

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)]

The NVMPA's Parking Problem

The NVMPA's newsletter is always amusing, but this item from July is particularly out of touch:

PARKING - NOE VALLEY NEEDS PARKING

As noted in the President's information emails, your Association, specifically the merchants on Castro, is circulating and gathering signatures in protest of the SFMTA's planning for the removal of three (3) much needed parking spaces on Castro. We need more parking for our customers, for the community and for commercial growth, not less. The future will be more demanding, especially with the loss of the Ministry Lot.

We need your support! If the SFMTA insists upon taking of a parking space; then we want some support from the City, in which we live, work and pay taxes. We are asking for the conversion of the 24 Divisadero bus zones at Noe and 24th Streets, that they be converted to 'pole or bar stops', thereby adding necessary and favorably anticipated additional parking. Not only would this add parking but would eliminate the dangerous illegal right turn lane that so many drivers use. The intersection at Noe and 24th Streets would be made safer for the entire Noe Valley Community. See attachment, copy and circulate.

Please, read the Petition. Gather signatures, then call your President for pick-up. We are also asking for unmetered Diagonal Parking on the Eastside of Castro at James Lick Middle School. The issue of needed parking in Noe Valley is a straight forward one and your Association has a Parking Plan.

This is an old issue with the NVMPA and deserves discussion. But since NVMPA President Robert Roddick never returns our emails we put these questions to our readers:

• In a Transit First city should Noe Valley really push for more parking (and therefore more traffic)?
• How many of the employees at NVMPA member businesses are encouraged to carpool, take public transit or ride a bike to work?
• What is the "illegal right turn lane" at 24th and Noe?
• How is the NVMPA working to reduce car use and pedestrian safety on our very busy commercial corridor? (For instance, curb bulb-outs at all intersections, increasing the number of parklets, etc.)

Your thoughts in the comments, please. We'd especially like to hear from you, Robert.

[Noe Valley Merchants and Professional Association July Newsletter]
[NVV: Scouting for Parking in `Downtown Noe Valley']
[NVSF: Parking, Parklets and Other Backroom Deals in Noe Valley]
[NVSF: Forget Whole Foods - Noe Needs a Parking Lot]

This Week In Noe Valley: Bike Thefts Down, Urban Gardening Up, Occupy Noe Doubles Down

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

• All those bicycles thefts from garages? "Drastically" decline since arrest of teenager [SFGate]
• Urban farming in SF just got a lot easier - forget the wait list for existing community gardens [Grist]
• An end to that (apparently wild) rumor that West Portal could be the next Noe Valley [Curbed]
• Noe Valley Town Square now on Facebook [Facebook]
• Occupy Noe Valley doubles down to save mortgages that should have been paid off 10 years ago or more [The Snitch; also: SFGate]
  

[Photo: Pedestrian hit at 24th Castro, @shaketini, also: 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]

Tidbits: 24th St Happenings

SEAN opened two days ago at 4080 24th St (quite a makeover of the old Accent on Flowers space). What is SEAN? "SEAN is the only US retailer providing men of all ages timeless contemporary fashion choices designed exclusively by French menswear designer Emile Lafaurie."

The Planning Commission will consider issuance of a Conditional Use Permit on March 8th for a cafe called "Sweep Spot" at 4028 24th St (formerly Cosmic Wizard). Grub Street believes it's actually a "Pinkberry-esque frozen-yogurt shop moving in called Sweet Spot." More details when we get them.

Posters have popped up in windows around 24th and Church announcing the efforts of The Noe Valley Traffic Safety Project "to work with the community and city government to implement short and long-term solutions aimed at making the intersection safer." Check it out.

4027 24th St (formerly Hot Headz) is under wraps, the For Rent sign is down and painters are inside. Anyone know what's going in there?

Haven't been able to find a new iPhone case since Radio Shack shut due to fire/water damage? Problem solved: iPhone accessories are now available at Pete's Cleaners & Laundry (3859 24th St).

Finally, Cookie Time Truck found out last week that they aren't allowed to block a federally-mandated handicapped parking space and is now located at the back of the parking lot. Considering the lawsuits filed against other Noe Valley merchants for ADA violations we'd say Cookie Time got off easy.

Rollover Accident: 30th & Dolores

The above was sent with out any details. Speculation: the usual high rate of speed on Dolores combined with texting/phone/food/whatever. Just had to get to the freeway...

Anyone see the accident?

Witnesses Wanted: Taxi-Bicycle Collision

Aaron Weis either hit or was hit by a taxi on either Aug 18th or 19th and needs your help:

ATTENTION
LOOKING FOR WITNESSES OF A TAXI-BICYCLE COLLISION THAT TOOK PLACE IN THE EVENING ON WEDNESDAY, AUG 18TH ON 24TH ST BETWEEN CASTRO AND DIAMOND

I was riding my bicycle down 24th St and was hit by a taxi around 8:15pm this past Wednesday, Aug 19th. There were numerous witnesses and at least one woman who was gathering contact information from witnesses. The taxi passenger also lived nearby. I was loaded into an ambulance and was unable to obtain this information. If you were a witness or the passenger and would be willing to provide your contact information and observation, it would be hugely appreciated.

See image for contact info.