Art on the Move
The Institute for Contemporary Art San Francisco (ICA SF) relocated from Dogpatch to a heavily subsidized commercial space Downtown this month in an effort to remain financially viable. The move involved terminating its Minnesota Street Project Foundation lease earlier
than expected. How the tide turns: not so long-ago art galleries fled Downtown and other expensive City locales to less costly environs in Dogpatch and Potrero Hill, creating the “DoReMe” art district. Is ICA SF an indicator of the start of a reverse migration? And is the City funding a program to cannibalize businesses from one neighborhood to another?
Delivery Node
In 2020 Amazon paid Recology $200 million for a six-acre site at 900 Seventh Street, with the intention of redeveloping it into a 650,000-square-foot distribution warehouse. In 2022 the e-commerce company’s plans were suspended following Board of Supervisors approval of an 18-month moratorium on new parcel delivery facilities prompted by concerns from Dogpatch, Mission Bay and Potrero Hill residents, as well as labor unions. The controls, introduced by District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton, require conditional-use authorization, an additional layer of review. Last summer, Amazon restarted the entitlement process for its proposed distribution center. The project would consist of 2,500 square feet of ground floor commercial space that faces a roughly 13,700-square-foot public outdoor area between Barry and Seventh streets featuring tables, benches and overhead canopies. The building’s first floor would be used to sort packages and for delivery truck access. On the second and third floors, Amazon’s “delivery service partners” — entities that collaborate with the company to provide drivers — would be able to temporarily park, load or charge electric vehicles. The warehouse’s rooftop would be outfitted with solar panels.
Comprehensive Care
In August the University of California, San Francisco opened its Health Bayfront Medical Building, offering adult urgent, primary, and specialty care, as well as same-day surgery. The facility can house up to 80 patients daily, with 14 outpatient surgery suites. More than 130 physicians will practice in the space, caring for roughly 131,000 patient visits a year. “The Bayfront facility is all about expanding access to the world-class care that UCSF Health is known for and making that care as convenient and comfortable as possible,” said Suresh Gunasekaran, president and chief executive officer of UCSF Health. “This is more than a building, but a delivery on our promise to the community that leading-edge, compassionate care should be available to anyone who needs it.” … UCSF wants to standup a proton-beam therapy center for cancer treatment on the site of the shuttered Potrero Power Station. The 130-foot-tall, seven-story UCSF Clinical and Life Sciences Building would offer nonhospital health-care applications, research laboratories and space for an incubator for biomedical startup companies seeking to commercialize discoveries…The Central Waterfront is emerging as the West Coast’s most advanced health care node, with economic impacts that rival Downtown…Verde, a 23-story, green tile-clad tower opened in the newly emerging Mission Rock neighborhood last month with 254 apartments alongside 59 affordable units.
Maintaining Memories
Inspired by the Memory Lab Network located at various public libraries nationwide, BAVC Media and SF COMMONS are offering free, do-it-yourself audiovisual preservation services for San Francisco residents. The Playback Lab has VHS, Video8/Hi8, and digital video (DV) digitization capabilities. Located at the Ninth Street Independent Film Center, 145 Ninth Street, the Lab is open for use by local organizations on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays; San Franciscans on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Car Personalities
People have long matched different car models with distinct personalities. The Volkswagen Bug was cute and carefree. The VW Vanagon or Bus was primed for Hippie-adventures; strap a surfboard on top to start California dreaming. Chrysler Minivans were the ultimate soccer mom, or neutered dad, vehicle. Yuppie jerks drove BMWs. Today’s automobiles, at least those that can be acquired for less than six figures, are less charismatic, more like hurry-boxes than a lifestyle expression. A notable exception is Tesla. Electric power is way better in almost every way than petroleum. But, like the company’s principal owner, the car is often driven in a pushy, self-involved, poorly calibrated fashion. Maybe it’s the vehicle’s auto control that’s in charge, directly linked to Elon Musk’s mind. Tesla has become heir to BMW’s bad personality traits, triggering a visceral negative reaction when seen on the road. Hopefully it’s just a phase…