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By Richard Ivanhoe, HANC Board Member

On October 15, 1959, 200 neighbors met at the Dudley Stone School (now the Chinese Immersion School at De Avila) and unanimously decided to form the Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council.  Times were different (the meeting began with the Boy Scouts presenting the colors and with the pledge of allegiance), but the meeting touched on issues that are still relevant—Schools, Housing, Health, and Recreation.

In March, 1960, HANC adopted bylaws “amid flaring tempers and rollicking laughter.” (Haight-Cole Journal, March 24, 1960)  HANC’s earliest work included planting trees, setting up tuberculosis screenings, clearing brush at Buena Vista Park, addressing overcrowding at neighborhood schools, and seeking supervision of play areas in the Panhandle and at the Dudley Stone School playground.  But we are probably best known for our opposition to the proposed Panhandle Freeway, which was defeated at the Board of Supervisors in a close vote in October, 1964, but needed to be defeated again, with another close vote at the Board in March, 1966.  In November, 1966, HANC incorporated as a non-profit corporation.

Here are some of HANC’s other accomplishments:

• Co-sponsored zoning legislation that protected 45 square blocks from high-rise construction, speculation, and resident displacement (1970)
• Key participant in Golden Gate Park Master Plan (1970 to present)

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By Calvin Welch, HANC Board Member

HANC's monthly (except August) general membership meeting is usually held downstairs at the Park Branch Library, 1833 Page Street (between Cole and Shrader) on the second Thursday of the month, beginning at 7 pm.  Our meetinngs are open to the public and free to attend.

The Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD) has announced its intention to seek qualifications from developers for the permanent 100 % affordable housing proposal at 730 Stanyan, the former McDonalds at Haight and Stanyan.  MOHCD has set November 29th as the date for its final "selection of the development team."

HANC will discuss the site, the City process and efforts of the Coalition for a Complete Community (CCC) to ensure a development of maximum benefit to our neighborhood at our October 10th monthly meeting. 

The September 10th "Request for Qualifications" for the development of the permanent affordable housing is the second time MOHCD has issued a "request" for the 38,000 square-foot  site. The first, a Request for Proposals (RFP) For Interim Uses, was issued on December 1st, 2018 after the completion of a January, 2018 environmental assessment in January, 2018. 

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Nominations for the HANC Board are open through the election at our November Meeting.  All current HANC members are eligible to serve and to nominate other members.  If you would like to serve, or would like to nominate someone, you can do so before the vote at the November meeting.  The term is from December, 2019 through November, 2020.  The current HANC Board has made the following recommendations for officers and Board members for the upcoming term:

President:                                             Tes Welborn

Vice President:                                   Bruce Wolfe

Recording Secretary:                      Shira Noel

Corresponding Secretary:            Jim Rhoads

Treasurer:                                           Christin Evans

Nominating Chair:                           James Sword

Membership Chair:                         Richard Ivanhoe

Housing & Land Use Chair:         Calvin Welch

Recycling Chair:                                Karen Fishkin                          

                                 Members At Large:

Alex Aquino, Lisa Awbrey, Jaime Michaels, Christian Vaisse, David Woo