The Mystery Of 1513 Church St

After Loft 1513 moved to 24th St, Vivid Floral Design leased the space and began to prepare it for opening. Then at the end of April they vacated and a For Lease sign reappeared. No more Vivid. For the last few weeks there's been activity (mostly IKEA furniture assembly) and the space looks ready for use again. But for what?

Since we saw mail on the doorstep addressed to Blue Realty Group we contacted CEO Joseph Blue. His response was unequivocal and offered no further information: "NO WE ARE NOT MOVING INTO NOE VALLEY THANK YOU." Nearby merchants who have spoken to workers state that the space will be a realty office. [Update 5/22: This morning there's a new sign in the window for Realty World - BLUE.]

As for Vivid... Don at Heliotrope says that Vivid was threatened by two steps at the entrance and an ADA lawsuit. We're still trying to reach the owner of Vivid to confirm, and will post updates as we get them.

Anyone else have info?

Photos: The 2012 Solar Eclipse From Noe Valley And Beyond

We asked for photos highlighting today's annular solar eclipse on Twitter and here's what we have so far (though not all are from Noe Valley). Got a great shot? Send it our way and we'll add it to the post.

Credit: @KennethLaslavic

Credit: NishaSF

Credit:@jgc94131

Credit: trophygeek

Credit:Telstarlogistics

Credit: Casto

[Top Photo: NVSF]

This Week In Noe Valley

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

• 11 Day MUNI shut down means the J-Church won't make it downtown [SFGate, also: SF Appeal]
• Yet another article about the Facebook IPO "attracting techies in T-shirts and jeans carrying fat wallets" [LA Times]
• SJ Merc review of Incanto says tough to park in Noe Valley but offaly worth it [SJM]
• Plaza Planning done right with neighborhood involvement [Mission Local]
• K9 Scrub Club makes "Top 25 Coolest New Businesses" list [Business Insider]
• Trip planning: Yosemite Falls via webcam and two cool videos [KQED]

[Photo: K9 Scrub Club]

This Week (Not) At The Planning Commission

The public hearing about a potential First Republic Bank at 24th and Sanchez is being put off until (at least) June 14th, presumably because locals have chimed in:

May 17

3901 24TH STREET - on the southwest corner of 24th and Sanchez streets, Lot 001 in Assessor’s Block 6508 - Request for Conditional Use Authorization, pursuant to Planning Code Sections 303 and 728.49, to convert a vacant ground floor commercial space into a financial service (d.b.a. First Republic Bank) within the 24th Street - Noe Valley Neighborhood Commercial District and a 40-X Height and Bulk District.

Preliminary Recommendation: Approval with Conditions

(Proposed for Continuance to June 14, 2012)

The detailed application is still unavailable online.

[NVSF: Announced: First Republic Bank]

This Week In Noe Valley

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

• Noe Valley Rec Center May newsletter is up - and solves the mystery of the bald Eucalyptus trees [NVRC]
• Garden Space in Noe  looking for a partner [Craigslist]
• Bay Guardian discovers (and raves about) Saru, Noe's first "destination" sushi bar [SFBG]
• SF Climates app gives you one more gloating tool with your friends in the Sunset [TechCrunch]
• If you own a house in Noe your relatives may have something to say about this piece [WSJ, Article]
• Some people make it too easy on the SFPD [SFE, and the official report here]

[Photo: SF Bay Guardian]

Noe Valley Town Square Needs A Dede Wilsey

The Noe Valley Town Square was introduced as a concept in 2010 when Todd David and Christopher Keene stepped up to take charge of saving public space on 24th St. A design firm was contracted, ideas were explored. The neighborhood was largely for the concept. But who would pay for it? Unclear.

Skip ahead to a few weeks ago: The Noe Valley Voice announced that the parking lot that currently hosts the Noe Valley Farmers Market (and could some day be the Town Square) is almost out of time -- the NV Ministry is ready to sell to a developer.

Perhaps too late, this week the Residents for Noe Valley Town Square launched a campaign to raise the roughly $3,000,000 needed to secure matching City funds for a Town Square in Noe Valley. (You can vote on the campaign poster and even donate on noevalleytownsquare.com).

$3M? In Noe Valley? Many local houses sell for that. Plenty of NV residents could write that check today. That much money was easily raised for the over-the-top playground at Dolores Park. The point is...how much do you want a Town Square on 24th St? Would you pony up a few dollars? Do you know someone who could? Do you know someone who could bring true fundraising to bear?

Contrast: The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake rendered the De Young Museum a disaster zone. The solution? Pacific Heights socialite Dede Wilsey spear-headed fundraising to rebuild. The SF Ballet needed money? Dede was there. Dede most recently helped to raise money for the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in Mission Bay. All cost a lot of money.

Noe Valley needs a Dede Wilsey. Otherwise, the Farmers Market, Mona Caron's murals and all that unused parking will become condos.

[Noe Valley Town Square]
[NVSF: Town Square]

This Week In Noe Valley

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

• Remodeling your home? Had debris picked up recently? Know where it went? [Bernalwood]
• Don't get your future raincoat-clad puppy from a mill [YouTube]
• 24th St Bart to get a makeover; some upset there will be trees [Mission Local]
• Letter From Incanto inspires protest and attracts "press sluts" (info on helping to repeal foie gras ban near bottom) [Incanto]
• Also: #noevalleyproblems [Twitter]
• There must be a geek in Noe Valley: May the Fourth be with you [Vimeo]

[Photo: F6x]

NVV May 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 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.

May 2012

Front Page: Residents on 25th St and Eureka are raising chickens in Noe; Bethany Church Project hopes for a June reopening; profile of 9-year-old Kif who sings his "breathy vibrato" at the Noe Farmer's Market; photo of beat cop Lorraine Lombardo with the NVV and 2 cobras in Marrakech.

Letters: A reader reminisces about the movie theaters on 24th St in the 40s; several calls for more stop signs on Church and 24th; a reminder that it's not just drivers who are clueless - oblivious cell-phone addled pedestrians are just as much to blame; a lament about the demise of Bell Market and the rise of Whole Foods from a former Noe resident (choice quote: "one thing I won't miss is the self-awarded, superior attitude of some Noe Valley residents"); a gripe about the litter caused by the Examiner (see this post to make it stop).

Short Takes: Noe Valley Garden Tour 2012 set for May 19; changes proposed along the Church corridor to speed Muni by 2014.

Cost of Living in Noe: Average sales price for a single-family home is $1.6 million.

Store Trek: The Playhouse at Noe Valley, Sean (men's clothing)

Rumors: The former Ladybug Ladybug spot (next to Martha's & Bros!) will soon be a tea shop called DAVIDsTEA; the former J&J space is turning into a hip women's clothing store called Mill; the old First National Nails and Tanning salon space on Vicksburg will soon be home to a purveyor of olive oil products called Olive This Olive That that will also sell pasta and vinegars; and First Republic Bank is taking over the old Tuttimelon spot. On the Town Square front, a developer has made an offer for the open lot - and the Noe Valley Ministry needs the money by this fall to pay for the planned church remodel; the Ministry has agreed to wait 5 months to see if the Town Square advocates can raise the funds in the meantime. There have been a rash of bike thefts in Noe - check out a video of a theft and more details here. Small businesses will be toasted on May 17 at the Noe Valley Wells Fargo; look for a Sidewalk Sale on 24th Street on May 19 to honor local small businesses as well.

[The Noe Valley Voice]