04 July 2014

Car Share Hubbub

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The SF MTA has been working on a plan for a couple of years that would lease currently public parking spaces to car share businesses, including at least one owned by AVIS, which purchased ZIP Car for $500 million last year. City Car Share, the non-profit pioneer of car sharing, is also on board with the plan. 

The issue is very divisive. HANC encourages our members to do the research and figure out where you stand. Hoodline is covering the story (http://hoodline.com/2014/07/parking-for-private-car-shares-backlash-in-the-haight) and the feedback indicates the level of division (making it an age thing, or a NIMBY thing). While the ultimate goal of the plan is worthy, the giving up of public space to corporations that can afford to rent space in off street garages or parking lots is questionable.  Remember, this is the same agency that wanted to reroute the 6 Parnassus to Haight Street and eliminated two MUNI stops on Haight Street.

04 July 2014

$600,000 Secured for Two Neighborhood Parks

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HANC and Allies Win City Funding for Panhandle and Buena Vista Park

For the past few months, HANC helped organize a multi-neighborhood organizational push to get Rec and Park funding for long-neglected neighborhood parks. The effort was successful, getting $600,000 in funding over the next two years for rebuilding the pedestrian path along the southern boundary of the Panhandle ($500,000) and a tree maintenance program for Buena Vista Park ($100,000).

HANC, along with Friends of Buena Vista Park, North Panhandle Neighborhood Association and the Haight-Ashbury Merchants Association engaged in a joint effort to secure funding for the neighborhood’s two main parks. Supervisor London Breed's support for the effort was early and enthusiastic.


Read more ...

04 June 2014

Two Issues for June 12 HANC Meeting: Haight Street Proposals, New Parking Permits

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The next members and neighbors meeting of HANC (June 12 beginning at 7 pm, at the Park Branch Library, 1833 Page Street) will feature representatives of the Haight Ashbury Merchants Association (HAMA), including their president, Christin Evans of the Booksmith. The meeting will cover some of the issues that HAMA has been working on including:

    • Sidewalk cleanliness -- Update on Supervisor Breed's plan for doggie bag dispensers.  Also, possible fundraiser for regular steam-cleaning service.
    • Formula retail definitions -- hearing will have just taken place on 6/5 expanding the definition to include subsidiaries.
    • Street Festival proposed for 9/7/14 which would be more like a Sunday streets style event -- street closure, music, kid activities (no booths).
    • Haight Ashbury Public Realm plan -- sidewalk amenities being discussed.

Also to be discussed is a proposal by two neighborhood organizations for a mandatory residential permit parking area for a portion of our neighborhood. Alamo Square Neighborhood Association (ASNA) and the North of Panhandle Neighborhood Association (NOPNA) are proposing to create a new permit parking area for some 66 blocks bounded by Golden Gate, Webster , Page and Masonic. The Haight-Ashbury portion of the proposal would be that 18 block area bounded by Fulton, Baker, Page and Masonic. Indeed, the Masonic portion would include both sides of Masonic from Fulton to Page adding another six blocks to the area affected.

Proposed New Permit Parking Area

The proposal, far advanced by the time any group in the Haight-Ashbury was notified, would add the $110 annual permit requirement to park anywhere in the subject area beyond the proposed time limits. There are currently two versions of the plan under discussion. One would impose a two hour parking limit throughout the area while the second would allow three hour limits along the boundaries of both the Panhandle and Alamo Square park and the side streets serving the Divisadero shopping districts , but not Haight Street.

HANC has long opposed permit parking in the area for the simple reason that it is expensive and reduces street parking opportunities for residents who, in a neighborhood that has few garages, are mainly dependent on street parking. Finally, we have opposed permit parking because it simply does not work as is evidenced by the failure of the three existing permit areas (J,BB and P) to address the issue by "increasing" resident parking opportunities. Come and express your opinion on the matter so that we may be able to "opt out" of the larger proposal.

Please join us on June 12 for what should be an informative meeting and voice your opinion on these and other issues in the Haight Ashbury neighborhood.


04 June 2014

May HANC Meeting Recap

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Our May meeting included presentations by Dera-Jill Pozner, North of Panhandle Neighborhood Association (NOPNA) Board Member and prime mover of an extensive improvement plan for the Panhandle, and Isabel Wade, Friends of Buena Vista Park, who has initiated an effort to focus attention on problems in Buena Vista Park.

Both addressed the specific needs of each Recreation and Parks facility in the neighborhood and expressed their support for the HANC request that in the fiscal year 2014-15, $1.1 million be added to the Recreation & Parks Department budget:  $625,000 for the reconstruction/paving of the southern pedestrian pathway from Stanyan to Baker Streets in the Panhandle, and $500,000 for tree replacement and recovery in Buena Vista Park.  In addition, the three neighborhood groups requested that $2 million be included in the 2015-2016 Recreation & Parks Department budget for upgrading the irrigation system in the Panhandle of Golden Gate Park.

Discussion also centered on the need to developed alternatives to the failed policy of short term "sweeps" of parks to remove campers. Agreement was reached to pursue more creative solutions to the problem of camping by involving social service organizations who currently serve young people in the neighborhood.







parking permit area

04 June 2014

June 8 Haight-Ashbury Street Fair

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The Haight-Ashbury Street Fair is dedicated to celebrating the cultural history and diversity of one of San hasf flyerFrancisco's most internationally celebrated neighborhoods - This year we are celebrating our 37th Haight-Ashbury Street Fair on Sunday, June 8th from 11am - 5:30pm.

We are gifted this year to have "It's A Beautiful Day" and "Tony Saunders, doing Keystone Revisited" perform at our Stanyan Street Stage.

This year's poster winner Shane Edward Grogg has created a new record for himself by being the only artist to have won 5  times throughout the course of 37 years.

Come out and be groovy

04 June 2014

New Library Hours

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The Park Branch Library added Sunday afternoon hours, beginning May 10. Monday morning hours have been cut. Here are the current hours:

                        Sunday             1 pm to 5 pm

                        Monday            12 noon to 6 pm

                        Tuesday           10 am to 9 pm

                        Wednesday      1 pm to 9 pm

                        Thursday         10 am to 6 pm

                        Friday               1 pm to 6 pm

                        Saturday          10 am to 6 pm

04 June 2014

Planning Department Open House

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Date: Wednesday, June 11
Time: 6-8pm (stop by anytime)
Location: Park Branch Library
1833 Page Street, San Francisco, 94117

At the Planning Department's February workshop, there was a lot of excitement about the possibilities for Haight Street between Central and Stanyan.  Since then, they've been moving forward to refine public realm ideas in coordination with the MTA’s proposed transit improvements along the Haight Street corridor.

In the next few months, the Planning Department will be making decisions about what sort of amenities and identity features should be included on Haight Street. Examples include better lighting, wayfinding signage, history markers, public art – let us them what your priorities are! The workshop will be open house format, so drop by any time between 6-8pm and stay for as long as you’d like. (Note: this meeting will only look at Haight Street. They will be re-examining Stanyan and Masonic later in 2014.) 

Your feedback is important to the Planning Department, and will help to inform how streetscape amenities are prioritized.

04 June 2014

City Hall Recycling Hearing

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By Karen Fishkin, Recycling Chair

The hearing we announced in the last voice was postponed. The new date is June 19th.

I spoke with Supervisor Mar's staff to see if there was some problem that might cause another postponement, but was assured there is not, and that the hearing will take place on the 19th.  The hearing will be with the Board of Supervisors' Neighborhood Services & Saftey Committee, at Room 250 in City Hall.  The meeting begins at 10:00 a.m., but where the recycling issue is on the agenda is not known at this time.  The agenda should be available by the Monday before the hearing.

They really want to hear from those interested in any issues surrounding recycling, or ideas as to how San Francisco might make it convenient for those who want to do drop off, or to get their rebates.

So sorry for the bum steer, and hope to see you there.

For agenda information you can look at the City website (http://www.sfbos.org/meeting.aspx?page=13993) or you can call Sup. Mar's office: 554-7410


  1. Come on Out! Meet Your Neighbors, Get to Know Beautiful Buena Vista Park!
  2. 420 Day in the Haight Ashbury
  3. Recap of April General Meeting
  4. Concern about UCSF's Mt. Sutro Plan Changes
  5. Is San Francisco doing all it can to get recyclables out of the waste stream and to follow State law? We used to. How about now? What do you think?
  6. Neighborhood Wins Transit Victory - 6 Parnassus Route Unchanged

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