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The On-going Effort to Fulfill the PHRA Mission
Alta Plaza -- Jackson Street
2500 Block California |
Save the Date -- Annual Meeting -- Oct. 25th Bush Street Sign is a Turn-Off Planning Department to take New Tack for Next Housing Elements |
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In fulfilling its mission of maintaining the quality of life and the residential character within its boundaries, the Pacific Heights Residents Association Board of Directors spends many hours studying building permits, floor plans and architectural drawings of proposed construction. Those that fully comply with city codes and require no variance get little more than acknowledgement. In other cases, PHRA has attempted to persuade owners to make revisions, has negotiated with architects, has written letters of support or opposition to the Planning Commission and has appeared at meetings of the Commission and the Board of Appeals. Two current projects illustrate some of the concerns regularly confronting the Board, the PHRA membership and the city at large. Above, two houses are being reconstructed as one on two adjoining lots facing Alta Plaza across Jackson Street. Although an extended family occupied both houses, it could be argued that combining them reduced the city’s housing supply. Some people objected to the sheer size of the result. Others complained that the design, particularly some especially shiny elements of it, was out of keeping with the neighborhood; still others said that architects should not be forced to continually recycle the city’s visual language. Planning said it was okay. PHRA persuaded the architect to tone down some of the elements. Above, on California Street between Steiner and Pierce, represents another trend in Pacific Heights. By saving a classic Victorian façade, and precious little behind it, the developer avoided applying for a demolition permit. Although it is easy to see right through what little remains of the house, the project is considered a “remodel.” The Building Department routinely approves this treatment. This particular building has been the subject of a number of plans by a number of architects and a source of neighborhood contention for years. Somewhat raised, the house can now accommodate a modern commercial shop on the ground floor. PHRA’s policy is to support the Planning Code. One area in which that policy is not totally in sync with the city is the reduction of units in a building. PHRA supports owners who want to restore a house to its original configuration, such as a single family home that had been divided into two or three apartments. The Planning Commission policy is to maintain the number
of units, but recently has made exceptions. The commission recognizes that
the housing shortage is particularly acute for families; keeping families
in the city means keeping or restoring units with two, three or four
bedrooms. Creation of family housing is one of the goals of the Housing
Element, although most attention has focused on other aspects of the
Housing Element such as “secondary units.” |
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Save the Date – The Annual Meeting Oct 25th, 2005 Behind-the-scenes columnists Phil Matier and Andy Ross of the San Francisco Chronicle have been invited to speak at the PHRA annual meeting October 25, 6-8 p.m. at the Convents of the Sacred Heart on Broadway. Matier has accepted; Ross is checking his schedule. PHRA members are urged to make a note on their schedules about this important event. The annual meeting is an opportunity to hear the state-of-the-neighborhood, mingle with neighbors and get deeper insights on the city from speakers. Members found the comments riveting when Matier and Ross
spoke at a previous annual meeting. Details of the program will appear in
later issues of Pacific Heights News. |
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PHRA Supports Down-Zoning PHRA is backing Supervisor Aaron Peskin’s effort to down-zone a lot at the corner of Broadway and the Embarcadero. A developer is planning to build a 260-room, 84-feet high hotel on the site, along with a 400-car garage nearby. The hotel would be covered in yellow brick. Most of the area has been down-zoned already. The
hotel site was overlooked because it was under the old Embarcadero Freeway
ramp to Broadway. |
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Events to Close Fillmore Street The Fillmore Street hill will be closed to traffic this summer for two sports events that will last at least one day each. The first event will be a ski-jump competition. Fillmore will be closed from Broadway to Green at 2 p.m. on Friday, August 26 for the start of snow-making and building of the jump. The jumping will take place on Saturday, August 27. The street will reopen at 8 p.m. Residents whose driveways open onto those two blocks of Fillmore will be provided valet parking. Vallejo will be closed to all but resident traffic from Webster to Steiner. In granting a permit, the Department of Parking and Traffic imposed conditions, including requirements for an emergency medical unit, a fire department inspector, and an eight-member police squad. The second event is the T-Mobile International Pro Cycling race on September 4, the following weekend. It’s a sort of bicycle grand prix. Cyclers will make repeated climbs of the hill as they circle the course for a total of 108 miles. Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong and the U.S. Postal Service/Discovery Channel Team have been among the big-name entrants in previous races here. The cycling event has provoked controversy at City Hall between those who think the promoters should pay all the expenses and those who think the city should pick up some of the security costs to discourage the promoters from moving to another city. The supervisors agreed to absorb some of the police department expense. The commercial sector of Fillmore will be closed for the
annual Jazz Festival on the July 4 weekend. |
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Bush Street Sign is a Turn-Off PHRA is supporting residents on Bush Street between Octavia and Laguna who have been battling for years over a flashing lighted sign across the street. The residents are within the PHRA boundaries, although the sign is not. At least six times since August 2003 various city agencies have told the owners to remove the sign. The light was finally turned off April 14 – but only after the owners got their fourth continuance at the Board of Appeals on April 13, a date the owners had selected. The Board of Appeals is now scheduled to hear the matter May 18. Attorney Stephen Williams, representing the
neighbors, said other signs on the building are illegal as well “but the
one we are fighting is especially egregious as it is mid-block, lit from
within, scrolls and flashes and projects over the sidewalk.” |
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Status Quo for the #3 Jackson Bus The #3 Jackson bus will remain on its current route and current schedule, unless Muni’s threatened city-wide cutback affects its frequency. The line’s current schedule was questioned by a resident who said that the bus runs empty or nearly empty in the evening and created objectionable noise, as reported in the previous edition of Pacific Heights News. The response from other residents was heavily in favor of the status quo. A number of PHRA members commented that they used the bus regularly in the evening and it was their only means of transport. Some specifically said that the bus was not a noise problem. At the follow-up meeting of the PHRA directors, one board
member noted that the bus has good ridership as far west as the
Fillmore/Jackson intersection; turning the bus around there in the evening
would save a negligible amount of money. The board decided to take no
further action at this time. |
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Friends of Lafayette Park have made huge strides in park improvements since organizing at the beginning of the year and they have their sights on even larger projects. The all-volunteer organization has been gathering at the park on the first Saturday each month for cleaning, weeding, trimming, cultivating and, unfortunately, picking up numerous hypodermic needles and syringes. In separate monthly planning meeting, the volunteers have reached a consensus that lighting is the park’s greatest need. More than 40 potential lamp sites have been marked. Kim Barnes, the group organizer, said any lights to go on the site must be beautiful, subtle, sophisticated and appropriate. They will not shine into neighbors’ windows or blot out a view of the stars on clear nights. Discussions have begun with the Recreation and Park Department. The next priority for the park will probably be repaving the park’s paths. In the meantime, volunteers are concentrating on what they can do with their own hands. At the April session, for example, the group freed a flowering tree from what Barnes called “an ocean of ivy” and cleared a slope for new plantings. Some urgency in the sprucing up results from the selection of Lafayette Park for the annual gala of the Neighborhood Parks Council, Oct. 6, a joining of music, dance, performance art, fine food and wine. Friends of Lafayette Park has achieved non-profit status. Neighbors who wish to contribute may make checks to Friends of Lafayette Park and send them to Kim Barnes, 1950 Gough St., San Francisco 94109. Meanwhile, progress continues at Alta Plaza. A ribbon
cutting in March by District 2 Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier signaled
completion of renovation of the tennis courts. Fundraising continues for a
complete rebuilding of the playground and its equipment. A sign at the
Jackson/Scott entrance to the park marks the progress. All the funds must
be in hand before the next phase of work is started. |
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Planning Department to Take New Tack for Next Housing Element The San Francisco Planning Department has apparently recognized the problems it caused by writing the last Housing Element of the city’s General Plan without getting input from residents, particularly those in the western part of the city. Interim Planning Director Dean Macris told attendees at a recent meeting of District5Together that for the next Housing Element, due in 2007, he would like to assemble a committee of about 20 people representing neighborhood groups across the city to make comments and suggestions as part of the process. Macris said he does not favor Town Hall-type meetings. The implication was that individuals who harangue such meetings may speak only for themselves. Macris, 73, who stepped in during November, said he found a department with many vacancies. The 100 people on staff were not all working in harmony. He has filled half of the vacancies. Catching up on a big backlog of applications, variances, environmental impact reports and reviews will take the rest of the year. One of the great concerns of PHRA is that there are only six staffers responsible for enforcement. Macris said there are 8,000 to 10,000 building permits issued every year and 15,000 units “in the pipeline.” Macris said the California Pacific Medical Center will “take an enormous amount of time” as it plans a major new acute care center on the site of the Cathedral Hill Hotel, offices across Van Ness from the new site, and redevelopment of its Pacific and California campuses. Also on the panel for the D5Together meeting was Amit Ghosh, principal author of the controversial Housing Element. Ghosh is now working on plans for Bus Rapid Transit along Geary Boulevard, which will also affect the bordering neighborhoods. Bus Rapid Transit is a system for public transit that is like light rail – exclusive right of way, stations, schedules, etc. – but uses buses instead of trains. Target date for operation is 2010. The system is to be designed in such a way that it could be converted to trains/streetcars later. Ghosh said that as staff is acquired, they will take a “community inventory,” part of the task of creating a place where “people want to work” and where there’s affordable housing. He said he is trying to create a profile of the future so the community knows what it will get and developers know what they can do. Matt Franklin of the Mayor’s Office of Housing noted that the Mayor’s priority is 3,000 housing units needed for the chronically homeless. The office works with two HUD funding sources in direct development of affordable housing and helping first time buyers. Olson Lee, Deputy Director of Housing for the
Redevelopment Agency, remarked that one agency success has been creating
new street life and commercial life on lower Fillmore Street. The most
recent addition is Powell’s Place restaurant. |
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University High School Expands to Sacramento Street University High School has bought the building at 3220 Sacramento Street for additional classroom, administrative and parking space. The new building will replace space lost at the current campus on Washington and Jackson streets as the school complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act. To comply with ADA, the school needs to install elevators and ramps and to enlarge lavatories. The school will not expand beyond the enrollment of 389 students set by its conditional use permit. The main concern of the PHRA directors, when school officials explained their plans to the board, was parking and traffic, particularly in the afternoon. Afternoon pick-ups tend to produce more double parking while parents wait for kids to appear. PHRA’s solution was to spare busy Sacramento Street additional traffic by requiring students to walk back to the main campus at the end of the day. UHS agreed. UHS executives said the new space probably will be used for mid-day art classes because of its large south-facing windows. They said the ground-floor parking will probably be enough to get the rest of the teachers’ and administrators’ cars off the street. There will also be an administrative presence. Another benefit of the change is that with new space a free period could be eliminated, keeping the students on school grounds for continuous classes and sending them home earlier. UHS does not plan any changes to the exterior, except
for cosmetic improvements at street level. |
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