Construction will be returning to 16th Street this fall. The work, at the behest of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), will involve widening sidewalks at bus stops and installing boarding islands to make public transportation faster and increase pedestrian safety. Driving the changes, and of keen interest to Potrero Hill residents, is SFMTA’s…
Initiated by former State Assembly member Fiona Ma – who is now running for State Treasurer – in 2007 San Francisco embarked on a pilot program to examine how to reduce the number of private and commercial vehicles parked or stopped in lanes reserved for Muni buses. The Transit Only Lane Enforcement program was one…
Proposals to demolish the final 1.2-mile northern stretch of Interstate-280 as part of the development of a new Caltrain station at Mission Bay have been nixed, at least for the moment. The suggestions were floated two years ago as municipal planners studied ways to get trains to the new Transbay Transit Center at Mission and…
Plans for the site that used to host the Potrero Power Plant continue to be fleshed-out, with the owners, Associate Capital, soliciting suggestions on how to best develop the parcel. Last spring, Associate Capital principals helped judge the Architectural Foundation of San Francisco’s 49th Annual High School Design Competition, which featured the plant location as…
Add hunger to the list of things that’re booming in the Bay Area. The San Francisco-Marin Food Bank, which just purchased a 38,000-square foot facility in San Rafael and plans to expand its 65,000-square foot warehouse on Pennsylvania Avenue, estimates that 29 million meals are missed annually in the City alone. “When we first moved…
A corner market space is available for lease at 602 Minnesota Street, on the ground floor of a University of California, San Francisco student and trainee affordable housing complex that’s slated to open in a year. UCSF wants the 5,140 square foot space – four times the size of The Good Life Grocery on…
On a weekday evening in spring, the Clay Room, located at 17th and Arkansas streets, welcomed visitors with lit candles, hot tea, a plush lounge, beautiful wall accents, and a vibe of a place where people laugh and socialize as they unwind from their day. The Clay Room isn’t a café, bar or yoga studio;…
The Dogpatch Center for Arts and Culture’s life and botanical drawing class is attracting residents from throughout San Francisco to learn from different models, a skilled instructor, and one another. Classes run for six weeks, from 6 to 8 p.m., on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, taught by David Tenorio, an artist and assistant manager where the…
“I moved here because I had a friend who had a spot open up in the house she was living in, and it seemed like such an amazing neighborhood and a beautiful house,” said Laura Green, who has lived on Rhode Island Street since 2012. Green has directed and/or edited five short documentaries: Lady Razorbacks,…
After years of complaints about loud noises, mounds of trash, screeching cars and random people coming and going, the occupants of 584/586 Vermont street, some of whom were suspected of engaging in illegal drug sales, were evicted, and the home boarded up, last month. Vermont Street residents had spent years discussing what could be done…
We live in a spectacular city. Many of the gifts we enjoy come naturally: topography that creates fantastic coastal views; mild weather; diverse geographies. Others are human made: dynamic, delicious, and abundant food, music, art, theater and cultural scenes. We’re sufficiently wealthy to support more than $10 billion in annual municipal expenditures without much trouble,…
Three years ago, the View reported on the health risks nail products pose to salon workers in the United States, in “Nail Salon Industry Slow to Clip Health Hazards,” July, 2015. Since then, hundreds of salons throughout California have improved their health and safety standards. Known as the “toxic trio,” three chemicals commonly found in…
A controversial State Senate bill, which called for circumventing local land use controls as a means to accelerate housing development, failed to make it through the State Transportation and Housing Committee last month. The legislation is dead this year. Its author, Senator Scott Wiener (D), indicated he’ll introduce a revised proposal in 2019. Senate Bill…
District 5 Supervisor, London Breed, is hoping to complete a narrative in which she rises from a childhood in public housing to Room 200 of City Hall as San Francisco’s next mayor. The 43-year old Breed is one of eight candidates vying to win the June 5 mayoral election. At an editorial board meeting held…
With San Francisco’s special mayoral election to be held June 5, candidates have been running campaigns that focus on differences that set them apart from their rivals. Angela Alioto, a civil rights attorney, former member and president of the Board of Supervisors, distinguishes her candidacy by highlighting her deep City roots. “People know my words…
Whether related to demands for affordable housing, better aesthetics, or wider sidewalks, citizen input is an integral part of San Francisco’s building process. While participation slows the pace of development, civic advocates insist that community-molded modifications improves projects. The argument over whether community input is critical to a better built environment or a blunt expression…
In his recent “State of the City” speech, Los Angeles mayor, Eric Garrett, stated that “homelessness isn’t an issue, homelessness is the issue.” Candidates to become San Francisco’s next mayor appear to agree. Frontrunners London Breed and Mark Leno have each offered comprehensive plans to end homelessness. Jane Kim has identified a framework with which…
Last month, District 10 residents cast votes to decide how to spend $250,000 to improve their neighborhoods. Proposals were compiled by residents at three brainstorming sessions held in 2017 and submitted online as part of a Participatory Budgeting initiative. Participatory Budgeting is a democratic process in which locals identify and vote on community projects for…
This month, concrete pours and site deliveries will limit street parking near the 1601 Mariposa Street development site. Related California’s construction contractor, Nibbi Brothers, is in the process of installing foundation elements and underground plumbing, as well as concrete floors, walls, columns, and elevated decks. In addition, demolition of the existing concrete wall on 18th…
Over the past three years, the View has reported on The Good Life Grocery’s efforts to comply with the State’s “Bottle Bill,” the California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act, or CalRecycle, passed in 1986. Kayren Hudiburgh, co-owner of the store, which has locations on 20th Street and in Bernal Heights, thought the state…
Jackson Playground would be radically altered under a proposed redesign plan. The historic clubhouse would be moved from Mariposa to 17th Street, adjacent to a new community center featuring rooftop tennis courts. The athletic fields would be modified to create a variety of subdivided space, including picnic areas and a batting cage. Friends of Jackson…
Its members are sharp, insistent, and affiliated with one of the City and County of San Francisco’s oldest and most powerful citizens’ advocacy groups: the Potrero Boosters Neighborhood Association. Founded in 1926, the organization had its genesis in an entity created at least two decades earlier: the Potrero Commercial and Manufacturers’ Association (PCMA). According to an article…
In January, the California College of the Arts submitted a revised Institutional Master Plan to the Planning Commission under which its Oakland and San Francisco properties would be consolidated into a unified campus located in Showplace Square, on Eighth Street. According to Gina Simi, Planning Department communications manager, the Plan’s environmental review, Transportation Impact Study…
Born in the quiet rural area of the Sutter Buttes, raised on a farm with a plethora of animals, Jami the cat was destined for bigger things. He lost his way one day – perhaps he jumped in the back of a hay bale delivery truck – and ended up at my parent’s ranch, looking…
This May marks the 60th annual Potrero Hill Artists’ Exhibition, at the Potrero Branch Library. This non-juried show features 78 artists who live, work or study on the Hill and in Dogpatch. The exhibition is purportedly San Francisco’s oldest annual art show. It began in 1955, and has been held every year since, with…