HANC will address the issue of parking at its Dec. 10th General Meeting. It’s not as simple as it
appears and, perhaps, should be.

The complexity around the issue starts with the fact that two local agencies—the SFMTA and the SFCTA—have a joint interest in the subject, though for different reasons. The matter is made
even more complex in that each agency has recently completed detailed studies of the issue that are often confused with each other.

HANC will attempt to get to the heart of the matter by inviting representatives of both agencies to the December meeting: Jesse Koehler of the SFCTA and Jay Primus of SFMTA.

grattan elementary school insect mural image
The new SFUSD school year has now begun, and that means that the public school kids in our neighborhood are back to being students again.  So what better time to have an event to showcase the public schools in our neighborhood?  The “Back to School Night” General Meeting sponsored by HANC will take place on Thursday, September 10, at 7 PM, at the Park Branch Library (1833 Page Street between Cole and Shrader Streets). 

At this meeting you will have the opportunity to hear and have exchanges with representatives from the following schools: Grattan; New Traditions; McKinley; and the brand new Chinese Immersion School at DeAvila. Topics will include: general school overviews; special features about the schools; Green Learning; and possible volunteer opportunities for neighborhood residents. 

In addition, a representative from the SFUSD Admissions Office will discuss enrollment issues. And, of course, there will be Q&A.

The Cultural Collaboration Mural at Boys & Girls, Ernest Ingold Clubhouse on 1950 Page Street began in 2007. Funded with a grant from the San Francisco Arts commission.  Six mosaic murals have been installed on the walls outside the clubhouse.

Boys and Girls Club Mosaic
 The mosaics are inspired by conversations between youth in Uganda, Africa and youth at the Boys and Girls Club. Words were chosen from these conversations and used as a start point for the designs. Youth and Staff at the Boys and Girls Club have been making ceramic tiles for the mural with  Artist, Sharon Virtue. The project was funded by the San Francisco Arts Commission. 

The murals are installed on the large walls outside the Clubhouse on the Page Street facade.

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or call 415 861 3851

Update on Cala Site

By Calvin Welch, HANC Board

It has been about two months since the public hearing on the Environmental Impact Report on the proposed condo and Whole Foods development proposal at 690 Stanyan, the site of the old CALA store at Stanyan and Haight Streets. The massive seven floor (including the three floors of underground parking for 176 cars), 205,000 s/f development will be nine times the total size of the previous CALA with nearly four times the off-street parking space of the existing use.

The overwhelming size of the proposed development, its covering of nearly the entire surface site of two lots, its continuation of the Frankenstein design used by the owner at his Haight and Cole Streets property, and the estimated 2,000 car trips a day it will generate, was the subject of a full EIR and also the subject of HANC’s and neighbors testimony about the failure of the EIR to adequately and completely discuss the projects impacts, especially its horrid design and its traffic and parking impacts on public transit, Golden Gate Park and the immediate neighbors, seven of whom provided testimony, along with HANC, opposing these impacts and asking the developer (and the Planning Commission) to change the design and reduce the size of the project.

The approval process for the project requires the approval of a “final” EIR, then the approval of the project and then the approval of a demolition permit for the existing CALA building. For the “draft” EIR that was heard on February 28th to be made “final” all of the comments submitted at the hearing and/or in writing must be answered by the project sponsor.

According to the Planning Department, they have yet to receive these “responses” to the public “comments”. They cannot process the EIR until the developer “responses” have been received. In addition, Ms. Jones of the Planning Department has said that “additional analysis necessary to respond to some of the comments” has also been requested by the department and the developer’s consultants have yet to provide this analysis. The progress on the EIR is thus somewhat stalled, with no time certain as to when the developer will provide the required information.

The question of the project’s design also seems to be in flux with two Planning Commissioners and a senior Planner telling the Voice that the design has been the subject of continued discussion between the department and the developer and that changes can be expected.

The Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council (HANC) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to the resolution and voicing of issues involving San Francisco's Haight - Ashbury neighborhood. HANC has been serving the Haight Ashbury community for over 40 years.

HANC operates the Haight Ashbury Recycling Center, which recycles paper, plastic, metal, and glass materials. The Center is located at 780 Frederick Street in San Francisco [map]

Also at this location is the Haight Ashbury Native Plant Nursery, which features the finest selection of San Francisco-native plants.

HANC holds monthly meetings for its general membership on various topics concerning the neighborhood. These meetings are open to the public and take place on the second Thursday of each month, at 7:00 p.m. in the Park Branch Library located at 1833 Page Street in San Francisco. [map]