Two buildings proposed for the Mission came before the Planning Commission on Thursday afternoon for design reviews – the developer of 1924 Mission St, near 15th, left with instructions to make more changes while commissioners critiqued but approved 1298 Valencia St. The seven-story, 11-unit building on Mission that would replace a former auto body shop, had already gone through one...
When the Supreme Court ruled 8-0 earlier this month that the U.S Patent Trademark Office could not prevent an Asian American rock group from registering The Slants because it viewed the trademark as offensive, Dykes on Bikes celebrated. It too could finally lead the Dyke March with a registered trademark. “This really happened! It’s finally over! We’ve finally, finally, reached...
Immigrants who can’t afford to feed their families are facing hunger rather than accepting benefits that rumors tell them could put their hopes of becoming citizens in jeopardy, according to immigration attorneys and those who work with food benefits. “We have asylum seekers who are in homeless shelters and they haven’t accessed benefits because they’re afraid it’ll affect their case,”...
A temporary Navigation Center uniquely serving the Mission’s homeless population is set to open its doors on Monday and will come with bolstered police patrols near its location at 26th Street and South Van Ness Avenue, as well as a private security guard on site. “We will have private security – and not make it a large police presence at...
A bi-annual count of San Francisco’s homeless population released Friday shows the homeless count in the Mission District rising by 100 residents to 510, the third highest count in the city. South of Market tops the list with 3,655 homeless residents and the Bayview is second with 1,245 homeless residents, according to the tally of a single night in January....
Tenants rights groups rallied on the steps of City Hall on Monday to oppose what they say is a weak bill to curb owner move-in evictions. The bill introduced Supervisor Mark Farrell, they argue,undermines a much stronger competing bill introduced by Supervisors Aaron Peskin and Jane Kim. Under current law, landlords are permitted to evict their tenants if they or...
The neighbors who attended the Fix-It meeting at the Mission Pool and Playground meeting room on Wednesday talked about a neighborhood that changes dramatically at night. “During the day, we have a beautiful neighborhood,” said a man who introduced himself as Ray. “At night, we don’t have control of our neighborhood.” Residents of the blocks between 17th, 21st, Valencia and Folsom...
Along with legislative solutions to curtail real estate speculation and luxury developments a tenant forum on Wednesday night stressed that community resistance and engagement are key to halting displacement. “There are speculators who come in with a lot of money to get us out,” said Alicia Sandoval, a counselor with the Housing Rights Committee referring to a 27 percent decrease...
Mayor Ed Lee’s “Fix-It Team” has arrived in the Mission District and will be touring the neighborhood and meeting with residents to figure out what quality of life issues can be addressed with quick fixes. At a meeting on Thursday night, Fix-It Team head Sandra Zuniga fielded concerns from residents living in the northern Mission. “You guys can pretty much...
San Francisco’s Latino population struggles disproportionately in key areas that determine success and stability, said a coalition of nonprofits that serve low-income Latino communities around the city. The groups, under the name San Francisco Latino Parity and Equity Coalition, are calling for more funding to go to services for struggling Latino families. The coalition held a press conference Wednesday highlighting...
In its layout, aesthetic and on-site services, the new housing complex planned for 16th and Folsom streets will be geared emphatically toward housing families. Up until 2008, the site operated as the shipping warehouse for a large-scale bakery. Representatives for the developers, the Mission Economic Development Agency and Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation, as well as the architect and landscaper, told...
Despite the general knowledge that bureaucracy moves at a glacial pace, graffiti abatement notices seem to arrive with lightning speed. For the second time, one city department has issued a warning to another department to clean up a lot at 16th Street and South Van Ness Avenue. Last year, it was for a blighted lot, and this year, it’s for graffiti. The...
If the U.S. Senate agrees with Congress to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, San Francisco health care providers said their current practice of serving everyone would become unsustainable and in the long run, and services could be cut. Representatives from three local healthcare providers all said that the Congress’s health care plan would likely result in thousands of San...
Developments in Development is a “weekly” column recapping real estate, housing, planning, zoning and construction news. A source started an interview with me this week by saying “well, the planet is on fire, but otherwise fine.” So if you’re feeling firehosed by national-level bombshell coverage and haven’t had time to keep up with all of the details of what’s happening,...
Neighborhood organizations are mobilizing to renegotiate a deal struck years ago – and recently upheld in binding arbitration – to save the Mission Language and Vocational School from what was then looming financial ruin. That 2013 deal, made with Huckleberry Friends, which promotes science and engineering education for youth, was a lease with an option to buy the leased portion...
