September 2008

By Kerry Fleishe

Funding for Public Amenities Falls Short in Eastern Neighborhoods Area Plans

After eight years of analysis and debate by the San Francisco Planning Department and concerned citizens, the San Francisco Planning Commission approved the proposed Eastern Neighborhoods Area Plans early last month.  The proposed Plans will now be considered by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, which is expected to green light them, though likely with some changes.  The Area Plans include new zoning designations in four Southeastern neighborhoods:  Central Waterfront, Showplace Square/Potrero Hill, Eastern South-of-Market, and the Mission.  Much of the new zoning would make land currently set aside for industrial use available for residential development, resulting in an estimated 7,500 new housing units... (more...)

August 2008

By Kerry Fleisher

Back Streets Businesses Want to Stay in Southeast San Francisco

A seamstress at Advanced Technical Sewing (ATS) meticulously darns medical bags in a large, well-lit facility in Bayview, just a T-Third Muni ride away from her front door in Chinatown.  Around the corner at Bode Gravel and Concrete, cement trucks roll in and out, dispatching concrete to Mission Bay, Dogpatch, and South-of-Market building sites.  ATS and Bode are two of 10,000 Back Streets Businesses – small and medium-sized firms that provide industrial products or services – that are located within San Francisco, but rarely visit City Hall to vocalize their needs. (more...) 

 

        June 2008
       By Andrea de Brito

Proposed District 10 Land Swap Raises Concerns

When the San Francisco Department of Parks and Recreation was preparing Proposition A – a $185 million bond for park maintenance and acquisition – Tony Kelly, an Open Space Task Force member and president of the Potrero Boosters Neighborhood Association, was asked to be on the bond’s working group.  While evaluating the bond before it was placed on last February’s ballot, Kelly stumbled across a three year-old proposed deal that blew his mind:  half of City-owned Channel Street in Potrero Hill would be turned over to Norcal Waste Systems, Inc., a privately-held company that manages all waste and recycling in San Francisco, in exchange for an acre of Little Hollywood Park in Visitation Valley. (more...)  

        June 2008
       By Lisa Tehrani

Eastern Neighborhood Rezoning Efforts Continue as Planning Department Pushes for Office Space

The San Francisco Planning Department is moving forward with its program to rezone large swathes of land currently used for industrial purposes in the Eastern South-of-Market, Mission, Showplace Square/Potrero Hill and Central Waterfront neighborhoods.  Last month both the Planning Department and Board of Supervisors Land Use Committee held hearings on the Eastern Neighborhoods Plan, with a focus on land use and jobs.  Four more hearings are scheduled to discuss other rezoning elements, such as housing, public benefits and program implementation. (more...) 

       June 2008
       By C. Long

Potrero Del Sol Skate Park Opens July 4th

San Francisco’s second public skateboard facility is set to open July 4th at Potrero Del Sol Park, located at 25th and Utah streets in the Mission District’s southeast outskirts. The skate park will provide much-needed relief to local skaters tired of dodging traffic, thugs and broken glass at the usual street spots, while nearby food, gas and convenience stores can expect a modest bump in their revenues, especially during the summertime and on weekends. (more...)

January 10, 2008
By Andrea de Brito

The People of Mission Creek

Surrounded by a wall of identical cream-colored condominium buildings to the north, the 280 freeway to the west, and the University of California, San Francisco’s (UCSF) new campus to the east and south, Mission Creek is a commonly overlooked preserve.  The waterway, which empties into China Basin, was once a transportation lifeline of the City’s lumber, hay, and maritime industries, connecting barges to Central Pacific rail cars...(more...)

May 25, 2007
By Lisa Tehrani

Study Finds Eastern Neighborhoods Would Benefit from More Housing

The San Francisco Planning Department may be finally nearing the end of a half-decade planning process for the eastern neighborhoods, which include the Mission District, Central Waterfront, Dogpatch, Eastern South-of-Market (SOMA), Potrero Hill, and Showplace Square. The Department hopes to present its proposals to the Planning Commission by the end of the year...(more...)

April 25, 2007
By Harry J. Johnson

Citizens Work to Protect San Francisco's Light Industry

Light industry in San Francisco is being threatened by land developers whose only interest is maximizing profits,” said Peter Cohen, chair of the City’s Back Street Business Advisory Board...(more...)

January 2, 2007
By Julie Mitchell

Community Advisory Groups Work to Manage University of California, San Francisco's Campus Expansion

While many San Franciscans look forward to the economic and scientific benefits likely to emerge from the University of California, San Francisco’s (UCSF) Mission Bay campus, some nearby residents are alarmed at the university’s rapid acquisition and development of properties well outside the original campus boundaries...(more...)

June 15, 2006
By Robynne Boyd

San Francisco Has Insufficient Green to Maintain Green Spaces

In a City with the highest population density west of New York, access to green space is vital for harmonious living... (more...)

April 20, 2006
By R.A. KAY

Beach Front Property May be Coming to Potrero Hill Residents

Janet Carpinelli lives about three blocks from the waterfront in Potrero Hill's Dogpatch neighborhood... (more...)

February 21, 2006
By Alison Fromme

Eastern Neighborhood Rezoning Represents Opportunities and Obstacles

San Francisco is growing, but its land area, obviously, is not. As a result, there’s increasing pressure to make the best use of available space... (more...)

January 20, 2006
By Alison Fromme

Eastern Neighborhood Rezoning Represents Opportunities and Obstacles

San Francisco is growing, but its land area, obviously, is not. As a result, there’s increasing pressure to make the best use of available space... (more...)

January 20, 2006
By Alison Fromme

Stakeholders Attempt to Balance Diverse Goals in the Eastern Neighborhoods

San Francisco expects to add another almost 80,000 residents over the next two decades, enough new inhabitants to populate a medium-sized town... (more...)

October 3, 2005
By Clifford Agocs

Hillside Property to Remain Undeveloped

The Henry Hillside will soon regain its open space protection. On September 20th the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance transferring the property... (more...)

September 20, 2005
By Daniel Porras

Parking in Potrero: A Paradise Lost?

In a city where it’s common to spend 45 minutes in a frenzied attempt to find a space, Potrero Hill has been a Shangri-la for weary parkers, filled with meter-less spots and unpainted curbs... (more...)

August 26, 2005
By Daniel Porras

Artists to Leave Work Spaces at Navy Toxic Waste Site

Artists and others enjoying cheap rent at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard were reminded recently that the site contains toxic and radioactive waste... (more...)

August 16, 2005
By Alison Fromme

Starr King Open Space: 3.5 Acres to Enjoy

Three and a half acres of open land stretch across the southeastern side of Potrero Hill, at the corner of Carolina and 23rd Streets... (more...)

August 16, 2005
By Alison Fromme

Neighborhood Planning Improvements Proposed

In an effort to streamline neighborhood development projects, Supervisors Jake McGoldrick, Sophie Maxwell, and Ross Mirkarimi are sponsoring legislation that’s been dubbed “Better Neighborhoods Plus.” (more...)

August 9, 2005
By Daniel Porras

Struggling for Space in the Visual Environment

In a run-down bar in the Mission District, seven young professionals sit around a table plotting their next attack on the advertising world... (more...)

July 27, 2005
By Monica Heger

Private Alleys Pose Safety and Cleanliness Challenges in the Mission

Take a right off 24th Street onto Balmy Alley and you’ll enter into a calming oasis from the surrounding hustle and bustle... (more...)

July 20, 2005
By Alison Fromme

Board of Supervisors Approves Potrero Hill Land Sale

On July 19 the San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved a plan to allow Potrero Hill homeowner Michael Lanza to buy city-owned land adjacent to his property... (more...)

April 28, 2005
By Daniel Porras

Potrero Hill Peppered with Vacant Lots

For a city short on affordable housing and long on homeless people, San Francisco seems to have plenty of vacant lots and empty houses... (more...)

April 15, 2005
By Alison Fromme

Schoolyard Gardens: A Place to Grow

Boys huddled around a magnifying glass and an encyclopedia, busily identifying bugs... (more...)

March 28, 2005
By Alison Fromme

Season of Change: Community Gardening in San Francisco

From the North Beach Michelangelo Community Garden, the bustle and noise of the city seems far away... (more...)

March 26, 2005
By Ryder W. Miller

Despite Providing Important Wildlife Habitat, Lake Merced Remains Under-Funded and Over-Polluted

Lake Merced is “one of the most treasured remnants of San Francisco's original landscape," according to the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department... (more...)

March 25, 2005
By Jeremy Bates

Corona Heights Neighbors: Open Land Not “Surplus”

Contrary to the label assigned by city officials, Corona Heights neighbors don’t view two undeveloped properties in their area as “surplus” at all... (more...)

March 25, 2006
By Liz Enochs

Environmentalists Champion City’s Housing Plan

San Francisco needs to build more than 2,700 new housing units a year to keep up with population growth, according to the Association of Bay Area Governments... (more...)