By Calvin Welch, form HANC Board Member
A broad spectrum of community residents and organizations have undertaken a community planning process to devise both interim and permanent uses for the old McDonalds site at 730 Stanyan (at Haight Street). The lot, just under an acre (40,000 square feet), represents the largest developable site in the neighborhood since the City leased the two acre, abandoned Polytechic High School site on Frederick Street some 25 years ago. Like Poly, the site has been acquired by the City for a 100% affordable housing development. The Board of Supervisors has designated the Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD) as the lead City agency in charge of the development of the site.
As a condition of the sale, McDonalds corporation insisted on the demolition of the 3,500 square foot building on the site and MOHCD has announced that it would be between three to five years before the final development of the site would occur. Community residents and organizations, including HANC, made it clear at the very first neighborhood meeting held on the proposed development last November that leaving the site vacant was not acceptable and that an "interim" use be found that maximized community access to the property.
MOHCD, which used some $15.5 million in federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) money to purchase the site, has agreed that an interim use for the site will be sought and announced that both permanent and interim uses must "benefit low and moderate income" residents of the neighborhood as is required of all CDBG funded activities.
The Coalition for a Complete Community (CCC), formed after the November 17, 2017 community meeting called by MOHCD is made up of residents and community organizations who attended that first community meeting. The CCC has undertaken the task of creating not only an open and inclusive public planning process for both interim and permanent uses for the site but also to devise what the uses should be, that is, a conceptual design for the site.
Two other large sites in the neighborhood- the old Harkness Hospital site at Fell and Baker and the closed Poly High School site on Frederick- were both acquired by the City and developed as affordable housing, after an extensive community planning process set out both criteria and design standards. Indeed, at the Poly site, then Mayor Feinstein actually appointed a community group to not only design the site but also pick the developer. In short, the people of the Haight-Ashbury have some experience in a community planning process for large, complex sites that result in successful development and the integration of the new population into a welcoming community.
The CCC has held three public meeting on both the interim and permanent uses for the site since late April. Over 120 people have attended. Two draft planning documents have been produced: one addressing what the permanent development should include and another recommending interim uses (these can be downloaded from the HANC website at https://www.hanc-sf.org/the-voice-and-docs/730-Stanyan/ ). At the heart of both proposals is the CCC's insistence that the site be made accessible to all residents, especially youth, families with children, and seniors.
The McDonalds site has been "ground zero" for a fight over the very nature of the neighborhood for over two decades. Many new residents, far more wealthy than existing residents, want "Haight Street cleaned up" and are surprised and "uncomfortable" with the street scene . Long-time residents, themselves uncomfortable with the arrival of new neighbors after eviction of their old neighbors, seek a Haight Street that is inviting to more than well-heeled consumers and has places for local businesses, non-profit service providers, and housing able to be afforded by both working and fixed income families and seniors.
Bringing these warring visions of the neighborhood into some sort of common plan for the Haight-Stanyan corner is a challenge made all the more complex by the general infusion of tech money, rampant real estate speculation and a set of elected officials seemingly uninterested in existing residents' needs and desires and who are attuned only to the needs of the wealthy folks yet to arrive.
The CCC's next community meeting will be at 7 PM, June 27th at the Waller Center, 1525 Waller. Plan to bring a friend and help us plan the future of our neighborhood. The next meeting of the MOHCD will be on June 16th, 10 am to noon, location to be determined.