July 27, 2005

Private Alleys Pose Safety and Cleanliness Challenges in the Mission

By Monica Heger
Special to the Neighborhood Newswire

Take a right off 24th Street onto Balmy Alley and you’ll enter into a calming oasis from the surrounding hustle and bustle. On either side of the well-kept narrow lane, brightly colored murals showcase residents’ artistic talent and varied political views. But venture down Orange Alley, just a few blocks to the southwest, and you’ll find a completely different scene. Instead of murals, this alley is lined with trash, random articles of clothing, and an old, beat-up mattress.

While both alleys are owned by the city, neither is maintained by the Department of Public Works. Instead, like all alleys that are not “up to code,” the adjacent property owners are responsible for keeping the passageways clean.

Being up to code means the alley must be paved, have a sidewalk, and a curb. Balmy and Orange, located between 25th and 26th Streets, are missing sidewalks, making them the responsibility of their respective property owners. If property owners want DPW to clean their alley, they need to bring it up to code. Depending on the alley’s condition, this could include paving and/or widening the street, installing curbs, and adding a sidewalk.

The 16th and Mission Community mini-Task Force learned about the different treatment of Mission District alleys after it submitted a letter to Robert Ortega, the District 9 liaison in the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services, calling for public hearings to develop a formal policy to keep alleys safe and clean. The Task Force was then informed that not all alleys are maintained by the city, making a citywide policy difficult since it would only apply to city-maintained alleys.

New Effort to Improve Public and Privately Maintained Alleys
Despite the added challenge that privately maintained alleys pose, Task Force members have lots of ideas for alleyway improvements. Task Force member Ethel Newlin would like to see “a menu of quality of life measures” developed; essentially a checklist of basic alleyway amenities.

Topping Newlin’s list is lighting, either with streetlamps or motion sensor lights. Newlin is also concerned with traffic calming. “[The alleys] should all be one-way,” said Newlin, saying that they’re too narrow to support two-way traffic. And Newlin advocates “alley-specific neighborhood watches” as a way to involve community members.

Unlit, unkempt alleys have long been the norm in the Mission. But with a little effort on the part of both the city and residents, some alleys have been cleaned up. One success story is Osage Alley, located off 24th Street. Robert Ortega said the Mayor’s Office and the 24th and Mission Community Task Force worked together to deal with problems in the alley, such as “drug dealing, prostitution, and graffiti.” “No Parking” signs were installed, the alley was incorporated into daily policy drive-bys, DPW agreed to power wash the street once a week, and community members painted over graffiti.

Property owners on Balmy Alley keep their privately-maintained alley clean by pitching in to pay for regular year round maintenance. The alley has also become well known for its amazing display of murals, replacing trash and graffiti with art and a sense of pride.