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DTNA Board Meeting Recap

Monday night was a DTNA Board Meeting. For the sake of transparency, here was the agenda:

Agenda

I. Review of Oct. Board Meeting Action Items

II. Review of November General Meeting (Input for 2009 Focus)

III. Land Use Committee Report

• Market Octavia Updates
• Market Street Projects
• AT&T boxes
• Historic Preservation Survey

IV. Transportation Committee Updates

• Duboce/Church Capital Plan Update
• Duboce Street Noise and Vibration Update

V. Membership Task Force Update

VI. Topics for January General (Membership) Meeting

• Elections of Officers and Board Members
• Engaging topics for the agenda

VII. Newsletter Committee Update

• Review of Newsletter Articles for Jan/Feb 2009 Newsletter
• Articles Due by 12/12

VIII. Other items as necessary

I will post the agenda for the DTNA Member Meeting (Monday, January 12th at 7:30 pm) in advance of that meeting.

More Market Street development proposals

In an earlier post we highlighted 2200 Market (aka the current Thai House at 15th and Sanchez) as one of the first plans to come out of the gate, now that the Market Octavia plan has been finalized. But it’s not the only one. Here is a quick round up of some of the other potential projects.

Blog posts don’t tend to capture the full project idea, so this is just an extremely quick skim. If you want more info, be sure to be at the next DTNA member meeting: Monday, January 12, 7:30-9:00 pm, CPMC Davies, North Tower Building, Level B Auditorium.

2001 Market Street (aka S&C Ford building at Market and Dolores)
Proposed combined residential and retail, likely a Whole Foods.

1960 Market Street (76 Station between Duboce and Hermann)

1600 Market Street (at Page and Franklin)

2299 Market Street (at 16th and Noe)

Other Market Octavia projects: 299 Valencia

Hope on Carmelita

A rainbow has appeared on Carmelita.

Much nicer looking than the odd white painted circles that have cropped up in the park and south on Noe. Anyone see the person/people behind the paint rolling?

Thai House to Transform

2200 Market, aka the current Thai House (Market at 15th/Sanchez).

Now that the Market Octavia Neighborhood Plan is finalized, the neighborhood is seeing a bunch of new development proposals, particularly for Market Street. One of the first is a proposal for a residential building with ground floor food retail at 2200 Market, aka Thai Corner.

DTNA’s Land Use Committee has been in discussions with the project developer about some of the project details. Here is an excerpt from the letter DTNA sent to the project sponsors last month.

You have designed the project with a number of notable aspects that we want to acknowledge. The height and bulk are consistent with zoning controls, and the corner is emphasized. The on-site parking has been maintained at the standard level per the Market/Octavia Plan which we strongly agree with. The unit mix of one and two-bedroom units meets the Market/Octavia Plan and is also appropriate for this location. The inclusionary affordable units are incorporated on-site into the development project.  

After the land use committee’s discussion and reviewing your materials, we have four areas where further refinement is suggested, in accordance with the Market Octavia Area Plan Fundamental Design Principles and the Upper Market  Development Design Guidelines (applicable sections attached here). Our request is that we engage with your project team to work through these issues in a collaborative and thoughtful manner during this window of opportunity.  

1.Market Street façade: the 130 foot length needs clearer expression of the materials, and/or more clearly delineated vertical elements to produce a fine grained appearance. Refer to “Building Massing and Articulation” Guideline # 5 (Market/Octavia) and Guideline  # A2 (Upper Market). 

2.15^th Street façade: should be more detailed, intentional and related to the Market Street façade. It currently lacks characteristics that give it a sense of integrating into the residential pattern and architectural qualities of the neighborhood. Refer to “Building Massing and Articulation” Guideline # 5 (Market/Octavia), and Guidelines  # A2 and # G1 (Upper Market) 

3.Both Façades: materials more sensitive to the existing character of the block and also of high quality. Refer to “Building Massing and Articulation” Guideline #1 ( Market/Octavia)
. 

4.Traffic calming/pedestrian safety treatments at the 15^th x Market corner of the project site: such as a curb bulb, to advance the Upper Market Design
Plan. Refer to Guideline # C1 (Upper Market) 

Let us know how best you would like to work together to further flesh out these issues and fine tune the project plans. We are as interested as you and the project sponsor in seeing this Upper Market development be a good precedent for other projects to follow. 

We’ve worked with the team on addressing these issues over the last month.

We’ll be discussing the project at the next DTNA member meeting: Monday, January 12, 7:30-9:00 pm, CPMC Davies, North Tower Building, Level B Auditorium.

New GLBT History Exhibit

“Passionate Struggle: Dynamics of San Francisco’s GLBT History”
399 Castro Street at 18th
Open daily 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Admission $3.00 (free for members of the GLBT Historical Society)

The GLBT Historical Society is now previewing its new exhibit Passionate Struggle: Dynamics of San Francisco’s GLBT History
at its new Castro Street location to coincide with the nationwide
opening of Gus Van Sant’s film MILK.   The preview will continue for
several weeks.

Find out more at the Passionate Struggle website.

http://www.glbthistory.org/

Photo courtesy of the Society.

Meeting: Castro Area Planning & Action

Straight from CAPA:

Meeting: Thursday, December 11, 2008, 7:30 – 9:00 p.m.
Blue Room, EurekaValleyRec.Center
100 Collingwood Street near 18th.

Planning efforts made great progress in 2008, with the adoption of the Upper Market Community Design Plan (http://uppermarket.sfplanning) this Fall, and the completion of the Community Benefits District’s Neighborhood Beautification and Safety Plan (www.castrocbd.org).
Now, the Castro has two remarkable documents, created with significant
community input that will guide changes to the Castro. But the work doe
the community does not stop with the publication of two documents. In
fact, CAPA and our allied neighborhood groups now have a new mission to
ensure that the plans that we helped create are implemented.

Major
public projects such as improvements to HarveyMilkPlaza are a major
element of both plans. Already the CBD is seeking funds for small-scale
improvements to the Plaza, but moving plans forward for significant
changes requires a community organized to advocate public agencies to
implement the community vision.

At November’s meeting, developers
of a site at Market and Dolores presented their proposal for a major
project there, and sought CAPA’s input into the design. While there are
many advantages to new development in this corridor, it is important
that groups like CAPA strive to ensure that the recommendations of the
Community Design Plan and the Market Octavia Plan really are followed,
and to look for opportunities within projects for community
enhancements such as affordable housing, streetscape improvements or
cultural facilities.
December’s CAPA meeting will focus on how CAPA
(and CAPA members) should work with other neighborhood groups and city
agencies to bring our vision closer to reality. Please join us. Go to www.capasf.org for more links and information.

Take a walk!

The DTNA newsletter distribution team (delivering to 3,000 households in the area!) is looking for new volunteers to distribute newsletters to homes on:

• Church Street – Market to Duboce
• 14th Street – Noe to Sanchez
• Belcher – 14th Street to Duboce

Deliveries are every other month and take about twenty minutes to complete. Bring your dog or your stroller, or just enjoy the air.

If you’re interested, call the excellent and tireless Tim Weeg, DTNA Board Member, at 415-863-1870.

Eyes on the Street

Photo courtesy of Brian Brooks from the Duboce Triangle flickr group.

City’s Housing Element to be Updated

DTNA was invited to a meeting in November to discuss the city’s Housing Element update. The Housing Element may sound like the title of a bad movie perhaps starring Bruce Willis, but it’s actually just the part of the city’s General Plan that deals with all things housing. The Planning Department is required to come up with a plan for meeting regional affordable housing targets and to broadly articulate patterns of development in the city through this document. The last Housing Element was adopted in 2004. This will be the five-year update. The Planning Department is already working on an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Housing Element.

The meeting was designed to get community feedback on the draft Housing Element Objectives from neighborhood associations throughout the city. (There is already a Housing Element Citizens Advisory Committee in place.) Here are the draft objectives:

• Adequate sites
• Facilitate development of affordable housing
• Equal housing opportunities
• Maintain existing housing stock
• Protect at risk housing stock
• Remove constraints: governmental and non-governmental

• Other policy objectives?
• Balance housing growth with infrastructure needs
• Maintain San Francisco character
• Enviromental sustainability
• Health of residents
• Social engagement

Though it’s not up yet, the Planning Department will soon launch a Web site for the project at http://sfhousingelement2009.sfplanning.org/.

DTNA will be formulating an official response to these objectives as well as our recommendations for the Housing Element in general. Part of the focus will be on affordable housing. If you are interested in working on this issue, particularly if you have expertise in the area, please contact Kit Hodge at kitrhodge [at] gmail DOT com. Any official position will be vetted by the full DTNA membership.

Photo courtesy of Garrin from the Duboce Triangle flickr group.