March 25, 2005

Corona Heights Neighbors: Open Land Not “Surplus”

By Jeremy Bates
Special to the Neighborhood Newswire

Contrary to the label assigned by city officials, Corona Heights neighbors don’t view two undeveloped properties in their area as “surplus” at all. To residents around Buena Vista Park, the open parcels are integral parts of the neighborhood.

Under the Surplus Property Ordinance—passed by the Board of Supervisors in May 2004 to, in part, assess the feasibility of building housing for the homeless on unused city property—two parcels near Buena Vista Park were transferred last year to the Mayor’s Office of Housing (MOH). One of the properties lies between Roosevelt Way at 14th Street and hosts a staircase leading down to the end of Henry Street. The other is a steep parcel by the intersection of Corbett Avenue and Mars Street that was used as a community garden before the city fenced it off roughly 20 years ago due to safety concerns.

While neither the Buena Vista Neighborhood Association (BVNA) nor the Corbett or Henry/Roosevelt neighborhood groups have taken an official stance opposing development of the parcels, a survey of local residents indicates an overwhelmingly desire to preserve the land as open space. Richard Magary, a BVNA member, stresses that his group is trying to avoid NIMBYism, adding that the survey asked residents what purposes they would envision for the land were it developed. However, he says the Henry/Roosevelt parcel “has become neighborhood space.”

“Over the years, we have cleared out shrubs harboring camps and illegal activity,” said Magary. “We’ve planted and irrigated. And a lot of folks use the stairway down to Henry to get to the Castro or Duboce Triangle.”

Many citizens are concerned about losing the greenery the lots provide, and some are questioning whether developing one of the parcels is even permitted under the Surplus Property Ordinance. Curt Holzinger, a Henry/Roosevelt Neighbors’ Steering Committee Member, pointed out to the MOH that the ordinance’s definition of “property” specifically exempts land reserved for open space and public right-of-way. Holzinger thinks the Henry/Roosevelt parcel may meet both those criteria, because of its stairway and open space label on zoning maps.

Moreover, Holzinger notes that the city’s General Plan addresses conflicts that may arise between “surplus” and “open space” designations. According to Recreation and Open Space Policy 2.2, “In cases where the land that is declared surplus is designated as open space in this plan, the policy is clear: open space should take priority over other public uses.”

Holzinger also highlights City Planning Code Section 290, Height and Bulk limits for Open Space Districts, stating that the “OS” tag on zoning maps—with which the Henry/Roosevelt parcel is marked—“is intended to indicate its principal or exclusive purpose as open space, with future development of any character strictly limited.”
“We don’t think the intention of the Surplus Property Ordinance was to take designated open space districts and develop them,” said Holzinger, who added that his group plans to submit a formal report containing these and other findings to the MOH in early April.

City Administrator William Lee, whose staff creates the surplus property list, says it’s the responsibility of the Surplus Property Citizens’ Advisory Committee—which was established by the ordinance—to weigh these conflicting interests and advise the Board of Supervisors on how best to proceed. Lee said the Park, Recreation and Open Space Advisory Committee would likely have to make a separate recommendation to the Board of Supervisors because of the Henry/Roosevelt parcel open space designation. Neither of the lots are in the MOH’s first tier of properties in terms of development potential; they rank behind three parcels in other parts of the city that are flatter, more regularly shaped and commercially zoned.

While MOH Director Matt Franklin did not return the Newswire’s calls, he was quoted in a March 25 Chronicle article as saying he doubted the city would build affordable housing on either Corona Heights parcel, citing the properties’ steep grade and remoteness from public transportation. If Franklin is correct, the city may instead sell the land to developers.

Gary Weiss, a Corbett Heights Neighbors Association member, has previously hired lawyers to battle developers planning construction near his home. Weiss doesn’t oppose all new construction; he simply wants to ensure developers give residents a seat at the table. “We’re not necessarily anti-development,” said Weiss. “You have to realize that people have a certain right to do something to their property. But if they’re smart, they’ll deal with neighbors and give-in in certain areas.”

Although the Corbett lot has been fenced-off for two decades, Weiss says it still enhances the neighborhood. “Even if you don’t notice plant life or greenery or trees, there’s a sense that it’s not solid concrete,” he said. “You have a green hillside with wildflowers, and it’s a barrier between Market Street and our houses. Also, birds and raccoons use those green spaces to go from place to place.”

Weiss, Holzinger and Magary will continue soliciting resident input and encouraging participation in the process. The Surplus Property Citizens’ Advisory Committee is expected to consider how best to deal with the Corona Heights parcels sometime this summer.

Questions and comments can be directed to the Mayor’s Office of Housing at 415-252-3177; Buena Vista Neighborhood Association at bvna@ix.netcom.com; Corbett Heights Neighbors’ Association at gary@ixia.com; and/or Henry/Roosevelt Neighbors’ Association —which recently formed to address this issue — at curtholzinger@hotmail.com.