November at HANC
Join us at our general meeting on Thursday, November 8, beginning at 7:00 pm, at the Park Branch Library, 1833 Page Street, as we discuss the changes coming for Masonic, Oak, Fell, and Haight Streets.
2013 will be year of significant changes for the major streets in our neighborhood. Oak and Fell Streets are slated to have new bulb outs, medians and a bike lane. On September 18th the MTA approved a series of bulb outs and a raised median strip for Masonic from Geary to Fell. Work is expected to be well underway by next year.
Last month Supervisor Olague and the Planning Department announced a year long planning process for Haight Street, officially called the “ Haight Ashbury Public Realm Plan”. The year long planning process was set in motion by the two year old Haight Ashbury Merchants Association (HAMA), led by Christin Evans, who came up with some concepts to make Haight Street more compelling to the neighborhood's residents.
With all of this in motion HANC has asked James Shahamiri from the MTA and Alexis Smith from the Planning Department to present as well as Ms. Evans from HAMA.
How these three efforts will fit together and work for the residents and businesses of the Haight Ashbury is of keen interest. There seems to be a rather large “gap.” for example, in the Masonic street plan which ends at Fell while major issues of car, bicycle, pedestrian and transit connections and conflicts at Haight and Masonic goes unaddressed. Moreover, how the Planning Department enforces existing codes and policies on Haight Street has come under criticism from HANC, with the violation of permit requirements occurring at Whole Foods, which is now using Page and Haight Streets for unloading large trucks when such use was banned by their permit.
Haight Street is officially designated as a “neighborhood shopping district” yet tens of thousands visitors from the world come each year. It is also a “transit preferential street” in formal plans, yet cars, trucks and bicycles conflict with buses and pedestrians on a daily basis. Finally, Haight Street has more homes than shops and is a residential street as well as a commercial street. How these multi-uses are merged with what physical “improvements” are no simple matter and if all of us are to benefit, it must be done with all of our participation. So please come, Thursday, November 8 at 7 PM at 1833 Page street.
Help Save Kezar Gardens, HANC Recycling Center and Native Plant Nursery! At a recent meeting with Mayor Ed Lee and his staff, there was openness to discuss the relocation of the recycling portion of our site WITHIN DISTRICT 5 and to GRANDFATHER in the nursery and garden plots that already exist at the site.
This is good news. We need your help NOW more than ever. The Mayor needs to hear from people like you who use this center and can articulate how it impacts your life in a positive way.
Please take a few moments to take action NOW. Email or write a letter to Mayor Ed Lee in support of his openness to relocate the center within District 5 and grandfather the gardens in their current location. Request to keep this center OPEN until this process is complete to ensure this vital public service is maintained.
You can send email to the Mayor at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Or, you can send the Mayor a letter at
Mayor Ed Lee
City Hall, Room 200,
One Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
San Francisco, CA 94102
If you have written a letter or postcard of support previously, THANK YOU! We ask that you reaffirm your support by contacting the Mayor again NOW to respond specifically to his action to look at the relocation potential.
We deeply appreciate the undying support of our community. Each of you makes a unique contribution to this space and its camaraderie. Let’s keep the dream alive.