Community Workshop: Cesar Chavez Street Design

Not Noe Valley per se, but since it's one of the main arteries to and from the 'hood it's worth highlighting that tomorrow night is the last of 3 community workshops soliciting ideas and concerns from area residents related to proposed changes on Cesar Chavez between Highway 101 and Guerrero St.

We'd like to invite you to the third community design workshop for Cesar Chavez Street. At the first meeting last summer we discussed shared priorities and goals. At our next workshop this past fall we looked at and chose a preferred design option based on those shared priorities and goals. At this third workshop, we will look at and discuss illustrations showing the preferred design, block by block, from Hampshire Street to Guerrero Street. This will be the final workshop in the series.

Please come and share your opinions. There is background material, including summaries of past workshops, available for download at http://cesarchavez.sfplanning.org.

What: Cesar Chavez Community Workshop
When: Tuesday, February 24 at 6:30pm
Where: Leonard Flynn Elementary School
3125 Cesar Chavez Street at Harrison

[SFGov: Cesar Chavez Street Design]

Approved: Whole Foods in Noe Valley

On February 19, 2009, the Planning Commission approved the conditional use application for Whole Foods in Noe Valley. There was a short public hearing, after which the Commissioners indicated how impressed they were with the project and the outreach to the community. The project includes standard conditions of approval. The Commission vote was unanimous.

Andrew Calabrese will continue to serve as community liaison for Whole Foods, but he's asked that all questions/concerns are sent to Noevalleyinfo@wholefoods.com. This address will forward to him. (We wouldn't be surprised if he'd like to tidy up his inbox.)

[NVSF: NVDC Town Forum: SFPD, Whole Foods & More]
[NVSF: Whole Foods Responds]
[NVSF: Update: Whole Foods]

NVDC Town Forum: SFPD, Whole Foods & More

This month's edition of the Noe Valley Democratic Club meeting was much more crowded than usual. The reason? Likely the community interest in the arrival of Whole Foods on 24th St. Over 150 people attended a meeting that usually has 12-20 participants. The panelists included representatives from the SFPD, the NVA, Whole Foods and a surprise representative of the shuttered Real Foods -- all MC'd by Bevan Dufty.

SFPD Mission District Captain Stephen Tacchini

• Victim of a theft or break-in? Report it! Resources are allocated to a police area based on the number of reports and the department maps trends. You can report online here.
• Only 1,000 reported incidents in Noe the last 6 months (vs. 200,0000 per year in the Mission)
• There has been an increase in burglaries in the last year which is finally starting to decrease – you can help by locking windows and keeping valuables out of your parked cars (laptops, cameras, cell phones are the big targets)
• There have been a few armed robberies – and they’ve recently made some arrests
• Got a rogue garage business to report? Officer Miguel in code enforcement can help

When the floor opened to questions the biggest concerns were:

• Can I park my SMART car perpendicular to the curb? (No)
• How do I get the Examiner to stop littering my doorstep - and so people don't break into an obviously empty building? (Bevan actually said to call or email him for help)
• When school is out MUNI is hell (Deputy Chief Tony Parra monitors MUNI for the SFMTA)

Whole Foods

The info was much the same as previously reported, but with the following new tidbits:

• The Campanga family (that owns the property at 3950 24th St) donated $5,000 to green the front of the lot
• Whole Foods will break ground mid-March with a projected September 1st opening
• They are committed to a one-day-a-week shuttle to the Potrero location, with more possible if demand requires and/or justifies it
• The recycling center will remain, but will be more “aesthetically pleasing” and "suit the neighborhood"
• Considering opening the lot for a farmer’s market one day (midweek) during construction
• Whole Paycheck? “38% cheaper than Bell Markets on produce; 25% cheaper store wide.” (Based on apples-to-apples comparison.) “Meats and seafood are competitive, but quality is higher.” - Joe Rogoff, VP for Whole Foods Market Northern California
• Hours: 8am-10pm; delivery receiving to maintain existing hours, but with smaller trucks/box vans, and will continue to load on 24th St (not Elizabeth St)
• Employees will not be allowed to park in the lot [Ed. -- which means more parking will be available than when Bell was operating], and will be encouraged not to drive to work
• The 24th St Cheese Co is the only merchant that has expressed concern about competition, and the NVMPA and WF are working to allay concerns
• BONUS: Joe Rogoff confirmed that Whole Foods has signed a contract to open in a new development at Market and Dolores –- which should alleviate traffic to Noe Valley (if built)

Suggestions:

• Add recycling bins to the front of the empty lot during construction
• Senior discount? No
• Hire laid off union employees from Bell (They’ll have first dibs to interview)
• Will there be food for lazy vegans? Yes

Real Foods Neutraceutical, represented by Sergio Diaz of Fresh Organics

New:

• Reached a settlement agreement with Real Foods workers yesterday and so “now we can talk about this.”
  
• Have gone through various design and planning phases over the last five years, but now don’t have enough money to do what they wanted so will start the process over with “scaled back” plans
• They do not have a Conditional Use permit [Ed -- which means a hearing in front of the Planning Commission and probably 2 years until anything happens]

Old:

• Unrepentant about the process, but “I do apologize to the neighborhood for five years of this.”

Suggestion:

• Sell, and get the _____ out while you can. (“We want to prove we can have a good store.”)
  

UPDATE: Cooks Boulevard has a more thorough account of Sergio's appearance.

Noe Valley Association, Deb Neimann, President

Very brief:

• We did: Crosswalks, planters, street furniture
• Got ideas or feedback? Call/email

[NVSF: Whole Foods Responds]
[NVSF: Update: Whole Foods]
[NVSF: Blight: Real Foods]

Contigo: Opening Date Set. Finally. Again.

This time it just might happen -- Contigo is set to open March 3, 2009. Staff training has begun, with an emphasis on building a strong neighborhood restaurant. What does that mean? If you haven't been following Brett's blog all this time, here's a bit of what to expect:

We chose the name for our restaurant because it synthesizes our philosophy about the dining experience into one word. Contigo means “with you” in Spanish. It implies connection, community, collaboration, and conviviality.

We believe that the single most important facet of dining is connection: friends, neighbors and lovers sharing a meal together...more

Contigo
1320 Castro St @24th St
(415)285-0250

[IPoS: Escuela de Contigo is now in session]
[Contigo: Official Site]
[NVSF: Contigo: Opening February 17th]

Letter from Bevan: The Dogs Are OK

From Bevan Dufty's latest newsletter*:

I heard from dog lovers about dingy yellow water from the faucets at Joby's Run at the Upper Noe Recreation Center. Please let your dogs know that the problem has been fixed with the assistance of PUC and DPH.

The Environmental Health Inspectors from the Department of Public Health tested the water and found that the main problem was old pipes. PUC staff installed a new pipe to connect the drinking fountains to a new water line and repaired the fountain valves. Now, the line is connected to the same line used by humans and the water is clear again.

I would like to thank Christopher Faust of Friends of Upper Noe Dog Owners Group [FUNDOG!] for bringing this issue to my attention and Laura Spanjian and Michael Carlin of the PUC.

*whew*

*Bevan's outdated newsletter page. If you'd like to subscribe to future editions, well... since Icebase/Coolermail took over it's impossible to figure out how to subscribe. We'd like to help.... Can anyone else figure it out?

24th St Rumors: Simply Chic Not Closing

We posted a while back that Simply Chic was rumored to close. While the rumor appears to have been based in truth, Simply Chic is not closing:

Hello,

My name is May, I'm the owner of Simply Chic. I came across your website and enjoy reading all the posts. I wanted to let you know that we decided to stay. I've been negotiating with the landlord and we came up with a nice agreement.

And on a more worrisome note, she goes on to ask for help:

On Wednesday Feb 11th, three teenagers came to the shop and demanded money. My shop girl called 911. The teenagers left but vandalized the place and the police couldn't find them. I'd really like to hear some suggestions on how other shop handle "teen" shoppers.

Sincerely,
May Warren

[NVSF: Closing: More Rumors on 24th Street]

Bell Market is Closed - Now What?

Bell Market, February 14, 2009

With Bell Market closing its doors on February 15, 2009, at 4:00PM, Noe Valley will be without a major grocer until Whole Foods opens next fall. Here's a list of local places to go until then (and perhaps after).

Noe Valley Farmer's Market
Every Saturday, 8:00AM - 1:00PM
3861 24th Street, between Sanchez and Vicksburg
http://www.noevalleyfarmersmarket.com/

Seasonal, local, organic and natural fruits, vegetables, meats, eggs, bread, nuts, honey. Also prepared food of the Mexican, Indian and smoothie varieties. Live music. Lots of strollers. Bonus: you get to meet your neighbors.

26th & Guerrero Market
1400 Guerrero Street
415-282-6274
http://www.26thandguerreromarket.com/

"Your Neighborhood Health Food Store"
Natural and organic fruits and vegetables, Acme Bread, vitamins/supplements, fresh flowers, beer, wine and liquor.

Valencia Farmer's Market
1299 Valencia Street @ 24th St
415-282-6863

Not truly a farmer's market but plenty of organic fruits and vegetables, fresh juices, bulk-bin cereal, and Kombucha. One block from the BART station.

Church Produce
1798 Church St @ 30th
415-282-1153

Strong mix of organic and non-organic fruits and vegetables, fresh bread, olive bar. Church Produce was recommended by many commenters in a recent thread.

Casa Guadalupe
2909 Mission Street @ 25th St
415-642-8355

Full service market with fresh fruits/veggies, butcher, Latin-American specialties. Super affordable.

Drewes Bros. Meats
1706 Church St @ 29th St
415-821-0515
http://www.drewesbros.com/

"We are a full service butcher shop that specializes in only the highest quality products."
Meat, fish and poultry from Niman Ranch, Angus Meyer, Natural Hill. All-natural, free-range, no hormones antibiotics or preservatives. Special orders - no problem.

Fresh Meat Market
2704 Mission St @ 23rd St
415-550-8044

Fresh (read: wrigglng) fish, seafood, meat and poultry. Not organic or free-range, but you can get just about anything here super cheap.

24th Street Cheese Company
3893 24th Street @ Sanchez St
415-821-6658

Cheese! Also sausages, pâté, prosciutto, wine, olives, other specialty items.

Pasta Gina
741 Diamond St @ 24th St
415-282-0738

Fresh and frozen pasta, house-made sauces, prepared foods, wine, bread, cheeses, olives, and anything else for a quick dinner or picnic. And don't forget the cannoli!

And ... of course there are these options:

• Safeway (Diamond Heights or Mission St)
• Tower Market / Mollie Stone
• DeLano's IGA on South Van Ness

Please add suggestions, recommendations or testimony in the comments. Let Noe know what you love and why you love it.

[NVSF: Bell Market: Winding Down]
[NVSF: All posts tagged Whole Foods]
[NVSF: All posts tagged Farmer's Market]
[Photo: Pasta Gina -- Yelp]

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]