November 17, 2009

UNN Meeting: Parking Around Town


Upper Noe Neighbors is meeting for the last time this year on Thursday. The agenda isn't specific to Noe but will likely affect Noe Valley residents as they move around the City. As UNN member Eileen Bermingham puts it:
There are a couple of parking studies underway to determine what's best for accommodating parking, transit and revenue needs in the City now and in the near future. One is particularly controversial in that it will look at extending parking meter hours in various neighborhoods. Representatives from both the Municipal and County Transportation Authorities will be present. The SFMTA will discuss their initiatives and study that includes extended meter hours; SFCTA will talk about their larger parking study.
What: Upper Noe Neighbors Meeting
Where: Upper Noe Rec Center (Day @ Sanchez).
When: Thursday Nov 19 at 7:30PM

As always, if you attend please send us minutes for posting.

[SFCTA: On-Street Parking Management and Pricing Study]

November 14, 2009

Deep Restaurant: Not Open After All

Deep Restaurant, the "modern izakaya"/sushi spot on Church @ Day is no longer open for business. The restaurant's windows are again covered in paper and a sign in the window announces the "pre-opening" period is over. The restaurant "will close to the public to prepare for our Grand Opening." Could it have something to do with the building being for sale? Another possible reason for the closing is the note mentions chef Thomas Weibull's "upcoming nuptials."

Apparently they've been closed since October 1st. As to when they'll reopen? No firm date mentioned on the note, on deep-sf.com or on Facebook, although OpenTable shows reservations available starting December 1.

[NVSF: Deep Sushi To Become Izakaya...?]

Upper Noe Time Capsule: Lehr's German Specialities


There's been plenty of worry about Whole Foods hurting local food retailers like Drewes and Cheese Co., but that's definitely not the case at Lehr's German Specialities (yes, it's spelled that way) on Church near 28th. This old-world store is full of Bavarian treats such as pinkelwurst, braunschweiger, senf, stollen, and spaetzle. Want 20 different kinds of gummi bears or 10 varieties of salty licorice? They've got it. As one Yelper put it, "The place is a little old, but it's still got it going on!" In addition to hundreds of packaged food items, you'll also find German music, magazines, toiletries and plenty of fun kitsch. The owner is a charming German lady who has owned the shop for 35 years - and she happily reports business is as strong as ever. Most customers, she says, are out-of-towners who travel to Noe from as far as Sacramento and Fresno for their German fix.

Lehr's is apparently a vestige of the days when the blocks around that area of Noe were home to Scandinavian and German immigrants. Across the street, another popular German destination was a restaurant and deli called Speckmann's that served the local German community and anyone who wanted an authentic schnitzel from 1962-2001. (The building has since been remodeled and is now the home of Incanto.)

On a recent Saturday at Lehr's, there were half a dozen customers shopping and all looked like regulars. The store is especially festive around the holidays when it's decked out with lights and ornaments and a huge selection of European chocolates, cakes, and treats.

Lehr’s German Specialties
1581 Church St @ 28th
(415-282-6803)

November 7, 2009

Opening: La Boulange--November 16


In case you missed it on Twitter, La Boulange is set to open "in 9 days." And while they won't have sidewalk seating, they'll have parking for at least 2 bicycles.

When we walked by today, the floors were done, the Frenchie patisserie cabinets were in place and it looks like they just might open on November 16th.

Update (11/16): From Twitter: "La Boulange de Noe opens Tuesday, November 17 From 4pm to 6pm... Join us for a taste and a toast to celebrate."

[NVSF: Protested: La Boulange de Noe Valley]

NVV: 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 stories we've covered here on NVSF.

November 2009

Front page: Supervisor candidates faced off early at a forum at the Noe Valley Recreation Center on Oct. 22 – and William Hemenger of Diamond Heights has also just entered the race; Omnivore cookbook signings; Billy Goat Hill gets $50,000 for trail and habitat restoration from the Measure A Parks Bond passed by voters in 2008.

Feature: Tough times for 24th Street and upper Noe merchants continues – although the Whole Foods opening has brought some life and foot traffic back for many. Retailers hurt by Whole Foods are 24th St Cheese Co. and Drewes Meats. Whole Foods employs 100 workers--nearly 4 times as many Bell Market.

Letters: A poem to honor the passing of Noe Valley resident Bruce Sherman; a 7 paragraph tangent from the owner of Chloe's Café about working as a caterer on the set of Dirty Dancing with Patrick Swayze.

Op-Ed: A reader in a moss-green hemp-based hoodie ogles the faux ground beef, imitation sausage and fake chicken nuggets at Whole Foods – and decides the store is an OK addition to Noe after all.

Cost of Living in Noe: Average sales price 1.16 Million. Rents: down a little but still expensive.

Short Takes
: Noel Stroll and a hay ride return to 24th Street on Dec. 5 from 4:30 – 7:30PM, and Santa will be at Zephyr from 11-2 for more family fun. [Ed. -- for now the link to Noel Stroll on last year's post redirects to Cooks Boulevard]. Ladybug Gardeners are at the Upper Noe Rec Center on Nov. 14 at 9AM planting and trimming- volunteers welcome.

Store Trek: Curator; Green11.

Rumors: Bevan Dufty proposes "removing conditional use criteria for full-service restaurants and permit small self-service restaurants and self-service specialty food establishments with conditional use" (Ed.--Translation: more restaurants on and around 24th Street assuming it passes through lengthy planning process and endless community meetings); Noe Soup will never open-–the owners abandoned the idea when they heard Whole Foods was coming and oh, because of a "complicated vent system;" the fusion restaurant on Church Street is stalled because of the "downturn in the economy;" Bistro 24 closed and is for sale for only $198K – although it may reopen (again!?) with a different partner if a buyer isn't found; Mi Lindo Yucatan closed and the space is under construction; La Boulange will open this month; Just Awesome Games reopens in West Portal after running from high rents in Noe (old space owned by Carol and Bill Yenne); Phoenix building (owned by Sue Bowie) still for sale for $2.25 million and the Streetlight building is listed for $2.2 million.

[The Noe Valley Voice]

November 2, 2009

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.

168 CLIPPER STREET - north side between Church and Sanchez Streets; Lot 021 in Assessor’s Block 6549 - Mandatory Discretionary Review, pursuant to Planning Code Section 317 requiring review of residential demolition, of Demolition Permit Application No. 2007.12.20.1029, proposing to demolish a one-story over basement, 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.

168 CLIPPER STREET - north side between Church and Sanchez Streets; Lot 021 in Assessor’s Block 6549 - Mandatory Discretionary Review, pursuant to Planning Code Section 317 requiring review of the replacement building in association with residential demolition, of Building Permit Application No. 2007.12.20.1032, to construct a three-story over garage, 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.

3900 22ND STREET - west side between Collingwood and Castro Streets; Lot 011 in Assessor’s Block 2770 - Request for Discretionary Review of Building Permit Application No. 2009.07.14.2590, to convert a three-family structure into a 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 project as submitted.

NOTE: On October 15, 2009, following public testimony, the Commission continued the matter to November 5, 2009. Public hearing remains open.