DTNA Minutes

April 8 Neighborhood Meeting

Fri, 02 May 2025 17:55:18 GMT

WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED AT OUR SECOND NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING OF 2025?

Dear Neighbors,

We held our second 2025 neighborhood meeting of the Duboce Triangle Neighborhood Association last Tuesday April 8 at the Harvey Milk Recreation Center. I’m so grateful to the Center for opening up their space to us.

Thank you to all the members who participated in the meeting, especially our intrepid board who volunteer so many hours to help our neighborhood. And it was great to see folks who were not yet members but joined after the meeting! For all of you who could not make it, I want to share the evening’s highlights, including some links I promised to send the attending members that I hope are informative and useful.

As is our custom, we started with a ½ hour of wine, soda and snacks so everyone could re-connect and get to know each other.

I provided a few updates, including:

The tree planting project (including some stump removals) continues, and DPW’s promises to keep us in the loop of the completion of their planting project. I’ll update you all when I know the exact date. If anyone has an issue regarding plantings, do reach out to me at president@dtna.org and I’ll make sure to connect you to the right City folks.
CPMC continues to be responsive to our requests for beautifying the exterior of their campus. A big shout out to DTNA board members Erik Honda and David Troup for leading the charge. CPMC has also replaced all three trees along Noe between Duboce and 14th that were vandalized. They look beautiful.
I am so grateful for our community building events, like the recent Seed Swap which was led by the Friends of Slow Noe, and Wigglefest, led by Doug Thorogood and Patrick Waters.
The Land Use committee is looking into the new zoning map, which will have serious impact on our neighborhood. The state requires more housing to be built near public transit hubs and the Mayor has released the plan for upzoning. Please stay tuned for more on this very important issue from our Land Use committee.

There will be hearings at the Planning Commission where your voice can be heard on the issue of upzoning. Check out: https://sfplanning.org/hearings-cpc-grid for more information as to which hearings will focus on upzoning.

Next up, Robert Reed, Public Relations Manager for Recology, presented on the rate increase for garbage pick up, which they are proposing to San Francisco. You can read the slide show with all the details, attached here. And you can reach out to Robert with any questions about this or anything Recology related at rreed@recology.com.

D8’s own Rafael Mandelman, the President of the Board of Supervisors, presented on the City’s billion dollar deficit. This will result in cuts to many programs, such as Urban Alchemy (which provides the Community Ambassadors), 15% cuts across the board in each City department; $350 million deficit at SFMTA, and so much more.

Supervisor Mandelman sees an improvement in encampments in the Castro and thinks the City still needs to work on mental health and substance abuse issues.

He then commented on the Mayor’s new proposed upzoning map to meet requirements under state law. It’s concentrated on major corridors, which includes high heights on the edges of the Triangle, including very tall and very dense housing at Safeway (if it ever gets developed). And lower but still tall (12-15 stories) west of Church on Market. He thinks it is necessary to provide needed housing, but it is also necessary to identify and preserve historic resources.

He celebrated the Castro Upper Market entertainment zone. During events, bars and restaurants can give to-go cups. Neighbors seem broadly supportive, but if you have questions, do reach out to his legislative aide Calvin Ho at calvin.ho@sfgov.org.

Other topics covered include:

Duboce Triangle Slow Street Study;
EV curbside charging pilot;
The need for better traffic enforcement, acknowledging that SFPD is down 500 officers;
The need for another $20million to construct the Harvey Milk Plaza. Senator Scott Weiner is working on it at the state level;
LGBTQ Museum, which bought the Barry’s building, might not open until 2027; and
Neighbor Tim Sheridon asked about congestion pricing and how that would impact an empty downtown. Supervisor Mandelmen Rafael agreed that it’s not a good idea at the moment but says at some point it will be necessary to generate revenue for public transit.

We pivoted away from the planned agenda, replacing the brainstorming with a conversation with Captain Jack Hart, Precinct Chief of the Park Station and Dave Burke Public Safety Liaison for D8. Jack has been three years at Park Station and is also now acting commander of 5 stations. At Park he has about 48 offices in contrast to 100 a few years ago.

He stressed that neighbors should not fear calling 911 in case of any kind of emergency, even if they are not sure of the seriousness of the situation. Same goes for 311, especially when people experience encampments. The City will then direct the issue to the right department.

Captain Hart Presented on some traffic data:

While citations do not totally encapsulate "traffic enforcement" (where it's impossible to measure accidents avoided or pedestrians/cyclists not hit due to an officer's presence in a parked vehicle monitoring an intersection or an officer advising a violator instead of citing them), 23 citations were written in the Park Station precinct in January, with 43% being "focused on the five" primary violations: speeding; violating pedestrian right-of-way in a crosswalk; running red lights; running stop signs; and failing to yield while turning.

In February, Park wrote 55 citations with 85% being "focused on the five." In March. Park officers wrote 115 traffic citations with 74 being "focused on the five" for a total of 64%.

He thinks the support of the community to write citations and emails directing them to problem locations in the district have been efficient and effective and he continues to encourage that members of the neighborhood email him with any issues. While the officer count is far below what it needs to be to cover our entire City, there is concerted effort in hiring and retaining officers, and becoming a motorcycle trained cop has become a lot easier, which aids in traffic enforcement and citations.

Captain Hart’s email address is jack.hart@sfgov.org.
Dave Burke’s email address is dave.burke@sfgov.org.

We went a little over, ending the meeting at 8:10, but I continue to be so inspired by the level of engagement everyone showed at our meeting, and I hope more of you can attend our next one on June 10 (click here for full meetings calendar).

The more we engage, the more we can get done to protect, improve and create joy in our beautiful neighborhood.

If you have any questions, reach out to me at president@dtna.org.

Warmly,

Jonathan Moscone
President of the Board

February 11 Neighborhood Meeting

Paige Grey — Sun, 16 Feb 2025 19:41:13 GMT

WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED AT OUR FIRST NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING OF 2025?

We held our first neighborhood meeting of the Duboce Triangle Neighborhood Association last Tuesday, February 11 at the Gazebo Room on the CPMC/Davies Campus. And I am happy to report we kicked the year off with a lot of positive energy and engagement.

Thank you to 50+ members who participated in the meeting, and several folks who signed up for membership after the meeting. For you and all of you who could not make the meeting, I want to share the event highlights, including some links I promised to send that I hope are informative and useful.

After a lovely reception where neighbors (re)connected and engaged in color drawing on the hearts that board member Kimyn Braithwaite creates and decorates our neighborhood with, we began the meeting with a welcome to members, other neighbors, and some of our local businesses, notably Fisch & Flore, Chartreuse by Roje and The Academy.

I provided a few updates, including:

The City has approved the implementation of the Duboce Slow Streets Study, to be run by the SFMTA, which includes a holistic traffic and circulation study and a budgeted robust community engagement process, where all our voices will be heard. Read more about it here.
CMPC/Davies continues to green up its campus exterior and will continue to improve its visual relationship to the neighborhood. They are also promising to have a permanent fix to mitigate the HVAC sound no later than June 30, 2025.
The Mayor has initiated a community affairs team to help track departmental progress in addressing resident and business needs throughout the city. When you have an issue, concern or question to one of the City departments, in addition to cc’ing our Supervisor’s office, you can also cc 2 members of the Community Affairs team, Moisés Garcia and Angelina Polselli. They will help track the responsiveness of the departments as part of the Mayor’s promise for more accountability. In addition, if you have a public safety concern, please reach out to D8’s public safety liaison from SFPD, Dave Burke. You can find their contact information here.

D8’s own Rafael Mandelman, the newly elected President of the Board of Supervisors, spoke about the new administration and shared updates around:

The timeline for the coming GLBT History Museum in the Tower Records (Barry’s) building, which was bought by the City and will take some time for it to go through the bureaucratic process towards becoming a reality.
The establishment of parts of the Castro as one of the City’s entertainment zones, which when permitted, will allow people enjoying events such as the Castro Night Market, to carry alcohol between venues.
The need for psych beds to address the problem he has long been focused on – untreated mental illness on our streets.
The timeline for the completion of the Harvey Milk Plaza on the corner of Market and Castro, which includes the need for more money beyond what the City and State have provided.

We then invited meeting participants to join breakout sessions to brainstorm ideas around the following four issues and opportunities:

Vision 2030, including Transportation Issues and Slow Streets.
Beautification
Community Events
Land Use

Our board will coalesce the brainstorm ideas and come back to the neighborhood at our April meeting with a game plan. For those who could not attend but want to engage in any of these topics, please contact info@dtna.org so that our board members leading these committees can reach out to you.

I have to say I am so inspired by the level of engagement and enthusiasm everyone showed at our meeting, and I hope more of you can attend on April 8 (click here for full meetings calendar).

The more we engage, the more we can get done to create an even more beautiful and safe neighborhood!

If you have any questions, reach out to me at president@dtna.org.

Warmly,

Jonathan Moscone

President of the Board

June 11, 2024 DTNA Community Meeting Report: MTA Proposes Controversial Infrastructure Changes on Noe Street

Robert Bush — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 18:56:18 GMT

By Erik Honda, Paige Rausser, and David Troup (DTNA Board members who live on Henry, Beaver, and 15th Streets)

A large and boisterous crowd of over fifty people turned out for our June General Meeting to hear from supervisor Rafael Mandelman and representatives from the San Francisco Metropolitan Transportation Agency (SFMTA) about proposed changes to the Noe Slow Street. MTA had placed flyers in the neighborhood about some proposed changes, along with a link to their website that described various proposals, but prior to this meeting had held no public discussions of the matter, so DTNA pressed them to comeand take questions. DTNA Vision 2030 co-chair Hans Galland explained that these changes were not initiated or pushed by DTNA – we supported Noe Slow Street during the pandemic but in response to neighbor surveys Vision 2030 has recently been focused on pedestrian danger and traffic flow problems at intersections on the north side of the Triangle – at Sanchez, Steiner and Duboce, and at 14th and Sanchez.

The MTA Representatives, transportation planner Julia Malmo and associate engineer Ellen Robinson, gave a history of the nineteen Slow Streets approved by the city starting in 2021, and the mandates the city has put in place to make those streets truly slow. The number of vehicles must not exceed 1,000 per day, and the average speed cannot top 15 mph. MTA clocked speeds and made vehicle counts on Noe Street, and while speeds

were close to the goal (16 mph), average traffic was well over the goal (1,700 vehicles a day). As a result they looked at “volume management tools” – different forms of diversions to turn cars away from the Slow Street; you can see the options (a traffic diverter at 15

thto reduce northbound traffic, changing the loading zone there to a painted safety zone, and adding speed bumps between Beaver and 15th) athttps://www.sfmta.com/projects/noe-slow-street and settled on the traffic diverter option. Many attendees felt that this change would make Noe Streetonly marginally safer, while making surrounding blocks significantly less safe.

Neighbors expressed concerns that these changes will negatively affect traffic on other streets in the Triangle (primarily 15th, as cars will turn off Noe onto 15th) and suggested other options like allowing a left turn off Market onto Castro (since Castro is the major north/south artery in the area). MTA is still taking feedback (you can provide yours on the website above) and will hold a public hearing on the matter (you should be able to sign up to get a text or email about the meeting on the same website). Supervisor Mandelman also asked folks to reach out to him by emailing or calling his office. He is supportive of the Vision 2030 plan to reduce traffic speeds and increase pedestrian safety throughout the Triangle as a whole, and opined that MTA should be looking at the broader picture rather than focusing on single streets. DTNA concurs – at its July meeting the DTNA Board approved a resolution to ask MTA to consider the impacts of their implementation on the rest of the neighborhood before considering paths to move forward, and to consider the viability of an option which adds guidance signs to the current configuration of barriers. Stay tuned!

Board Report - November 2023

Robert Bush — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 06:48:57 GMT

Solidcore, a national fitness chain, presented their plan for activating the retail space at the corner of 15th Street and Market that has been vacant for 10 years. They have a 10-year lease and are seeking conditional use permission for Formula One retail use of the space. The Board unanimously voted to support the project.

The Board also voted to support the landmarking of the Rainbow Flag at Harvey Milk Plaza.

WiggleFest was a success. Efforts at traffic calming on Steiner, Deboce at Sanchez & 14th Street, Noe at 14th Street, and crosswalks at Noe at Beaver & 15th Street are being pursued.

Board approved DTNA privacy statement and membership area map including one block beyond DTNA boundaries where neighbors are eligible for membership.

August DTNA General Meeting Unveils Logo, Tackles Traffic Safety

Robert Bush — Sat, 30 Sep 2023 21:57:13 GMT

By Erik Honda, DTNA Editor

A healthy crowd of engaged neighbors showed up at Harvey Milk Rec Center for our August meeting to hear the results of the DTNA logo contest and to organize around traffic safety.

The logo contest was competitive, with sixteen different submissions from nine different artists, and resulted in some tough and closely contested votes both by the neighborhood and the Board. DTNA President Frank Tizedes announced and gave gift certificates to the winner and runner up, Annie Prowell and Alex Ron, and thanked all the contestants for their submissions. Frank also gave a special gift to our young (under 12) artists, he knows they will be ongoing contributors to the Triangle as they grow. To see the new logo check out our website, and also check out Prowell’s artist’s statement on page [insert page # here] of this newsletter.

Frank also made announcements about the long-delayed Bureau of Urban Forestry tree planting scheduled to begin soon in the Triangle, and celebrated the 50-plus volunteers we have gathered to water the trees. Thank you!!! He also encouraged folks to turn out for our now-monthly neighborhood cleanup days with Refuse Refuse, and to attend an upcoming meeting on densification of the neighborhood (see the cover story of our August/September newsletter).

Vision 2030 co-chair Hans Galland presented on our ongoing work on the Sanchez-Steiner corridor, and plans for our Sunday October 22 Wiggle Fest block party co-hosted with the SF Bicycle Coalition, which will temporarily close Steiner between Duboce and Waller to car traffic, so we can have some learn-to-ride-a-bike clinics, bike obstacle course, free bike repair, and other Bike Coalition swag and events. Mark your calendar!

Captain Jack Hart of Park Station wrapped up the meeting by reporting on his recent work to beef up traffic enforcement in the Triangle (see article on page 5 of our August/September newsletter). Hart credited the efforts of both Supervisor Mandelman’s office and DTNA to convince his folks to devote some of their limited resources to returning to enforcement after a collapse during the pandemic. Neighbors thanked Captain Hart for the visible presence of officers and enforcement, and several felt that it was making a difference already. Captain Hart should have statistics on which violations are happening and where coming soon, so stay tuned!

DTNA Board Reports (August & September)

Robert Bush — Sat, 30 Sep 2023 21:54:37 GMT

A draft Privacy Statement was reviewed. After final editing, the draft will be presented to the Board for approval in October. A 2024 Board Election subcommittee was appointed to oversee the election process, screen nominees, and be a resource for anyone seeking an elected position.

The DTNA Logo Contest winner was selected in August as well as other awardees.

The next Triangle Clean-Up is Sunday, October 15th, and a Wiggle Fest is being organized for Sunday, October 22^nd on Steiner between Duboce & Hermann.

Discussed status of tree plantings, addressing SF Housing Element and Triangle Upzoning, membership recruitment, Davies noise persisting despite recent mitigations, role of various DTNA outreach tools. See newsletter articles and dtna.org for details.

April 11, 2023 Public Meeting Agenda

Robert Bush — Sat, 18 Mar 2023 22:00:06 GMT

The April General Public Meeting will be filled with great opportunities for neighbors to get involved and help build a community that supports us all:

● Logo Contest: Creating an identity and brand for the neighborhood

● Help Plant Trees and expand the Duboce Triangle Tree Canopy

● Install Sidewalk Gardens near your homes – Bureau of Urban Forestry

● Sidewalk Garden Park Safety Repairs on Noe and Sanchez, Department of Public Works

● DTNA’s Vision 2030 projects – Hans Galland Coordinator

○ Safer Sanchez/Duboce/Steiner intersection

○ Duboce Triangle Commons: Activation of retail/restaurant/social Noe at Market

● SF Housing Element updates

● Rescue SF: Supporting shelter and care for the most vulnerable

●

Let’s meet up, have fun and work towards creating opportunities that build community. We need your optimism and energy to help make a difference.

March 2023 Board Meeting Report

Robert Bush — Mon, 06 Mar 2023 09:02:41 GMT

At our March meeting the Board certified the 2023 Board Election Results and welcomed three new Board Members - Secretary David Troup, Director Corbin Muraro, Director Dennis Richards, and new DTNA News Editor, Erik Honda. The Board approved an organizing resolution which describes logistics of how the board will operate this year. Dennis Richards was appointed Land Use Chair.

The Board also discussed and approved expenditures for some updates to our web presence, and explored the possibility of seeking National Historic District recognition. In addition, we planned community workshops to take input on the city’s newly approved Housing Element, as well as other topics to address with neighbors at the April General Meeting.

February 14. 2023 Community Meeting Report: 2023 Board Election, SF Housing Element

Robert Bush — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 06:45:58 GMT

Erik Honda, DTNA Secretary

At our February General Meeting your neighborhood organization announced the results of our Board election, and welcomed new Secretary David Troup, new editor Erik Honda, as well as new Board Members Dennis Richards and Corbin Muraro. We also got out in front of other neighborhoods in the city by being the first neighborhood association to have the Planning Department present on the just-approved Housing Element, which is San Francisco’s road map for how to guide and invest in housing, which this cycle includes a plan to add 85,000 new housing units to the city by 2030.

A thoughtful and energetic group of neighbors, along with Super- visor Mandelman, gathered at Harvey Milk Rec Center to hear Planning’s Joshua Switsky lay out the plan. He noted that San Fran- cisco was one of the few cities to have its plan approved by the state, and also that the penalty for not approving the plan this time were strong – the plan had to be approved to get state afford- able housing and transportation

funds, and there were non-financial penalties like losing control of zoning and planning if was not approved. He also noted that it was the first Housing Element to really focus on racial and social equity – as seen in the accompanying illustration, the legacy of racist redlining in the 1940s and 1950s is still with us in terms of the economic and racial segregation of our neighborhoods, and in the recent steep decline in the Black and Native American populations in many parts of the city, including our own.

Switsky showed statistics reveal- ing that almost all (95%) the affordable housing that has been built over the last ten years has been in on the on east side of the city, so this plan focuses on the west side – upzoning building heights along Geary Boulevard in the Richmond district for ex- ample. More germane to Duboce Triangle, the plan also focuses affordable housing in highly re- sourced neighborhoods close to transit, which certainly includes ours. He showed three possible maps the city is considering, and all involve increased building heights along Market Street, but less so in what he called the “interstitial” blocks, which is the rest of the Triangle. He congratulated

us on being the first neighbor- hood association to engage in the process, and encouraged folks to sign up to engage more – you can get on the email list to give input by going to www.sfhousingelement.org. He explained that the input process will continue for the rest of this year, with the final plan fleshed out by late 2023.

Switsky and Supervisor Mandelman then took a number of thoughtful questions from the audience, including questions about the design standards for the new buildings, city subsidies to get stalled developments to start construction, repurposing office buildings into housing, housing as racial reparations, our terrible city process for permitting new construction, vacant units in Triangle affordable housing, streetscape redesign, and green space (which is part of the plan). One neighbor asked how they can support more building in general. The answer to that, as Joshua and a DTNA Board member told him, is to stay involved and have your voice heard at DTNA Land Use and General Meetings, and at the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors. So... see you all at those meetings! Our next General Meeting is April 11 – see you there.

02-14-2023 Public Meeting: Housing Element & District 8 Supervisor Update

Robert Bush — Tue, 14 Feb 2023 18:09:50 GMT

Joshua Switzky from SF Planning Department discussed the newest SF Housing Element and how the focus on the new housing density program will focus on equity and inclusion. Supervisor Rafael Mandelman shared his vision for 2023 and how the challenges of a smaller tax base may impact all of us.

See the SF Planning presentation on the Housing Element here.

Contact Frank Tizedes, DTNA President, or Dennis Richards, new DTNA Land Use Chair, if you have any questions.

DTNA Board Report - January 9, 2023 Updated

Robert Bush — Sun, 29 Jan 2023 22:16:38 GMT

Communication Tools

Your Mail List Program (YMLP) is a software we use sending notifications to members. This includes letting subscribers know when a new issue of Duboce Triangle News is available for viewing online. YMLP will now include periodic messages from DTNA President. The Board of DTNA will continue to use Slack for internal communications.

DTNA Editor

After serving the neighborhood for two years, Rose Linke will be stepping down from her role as Editor of Duboce Triangle News, but will continue to contribute articles on neighborhood history, culture, and green spaces. Secretary Erik Honda to run for Editor in the upcoming election.

Website/Membership

The Board discussed website activation, adding a homepage carousel, and developing a page for Greening of the Triangle. Members-only online directory now populated with all member names. See the Membership/Website Tips article for all the details.

Land Use Updates

DTNA will take a critical look at proposed San Francisco Housing element and impacts on the neighborhood. Kevin Riley is stepping down as Chair of the Land Use Committee. We are grateful for his service and leadership for the last several years, and all that he has accomplished for the neighborhood. We know he will continue to do great things for the neighborhood, the City, and the greater Bay Area in his work as architect, educator, and advocate.

2023 DTNA Board Election:

There are two open Director seats and the Secretary position will be open with Erik Honda running for Editor. See 2023 DTNA Election article.

Upcoming Tuesday, February 14^th Public Meeting Agenda: DTNA Election

October 11, 2022 Public Meeting

Robert Bush — Wed, 12 Oct 2022 06:31:10 GMT

Erik Honda, DTNA Secretary

A healthy group of neighbors was on hand for the October DTNA general meeting at the Harvey Milk Community Center in Duboce Park. DTNA President and Noe Street neighbor Frank Tizedes opened the meeting by lauding the recent Bureau of Urban Forestry tree trimming which is finally taking place in the Triangle, and thanked neighbors who have stepped up to water trees that Friends of the Urban Forest will install in empty tree wells in front of their houses. If you have an empty space you ’d like filled, please contact us via our website at dtna.org.

We also heard a presentation from the new captain at our local SFPD Park station. Captain Jack Hart says he will respond to every email to jack.hart@sfgov.org, so contact him with your concerns, it ’s better than calling 311. But call 911 in an emergency, and ask to speak to an officer (who can call you) if you make a report to find out what the resolution was.
Neighbors asked Captain Hart about recent media reporting around “do nothing” police officers, a serial harasser (Bill Jean Hobbs) that as of the meeting day remained at large despite multiple police and DA contacts, a lack of traffic enforcement, and racial bias in policing. Hart responded that the investigation was ongoing with the harasser (he was arrested the following week) and that the department has been engaged in collaborative reform with the US Department of Justice. He conceded that the department is still both implicitly and explicitly biased, but believes he is doing his part to improve his department. Re: traffic enforcement, Hart said that the motorcycle detail is low on officers but asked us to email him about problem intersections and he will make it a priority.
We then heard a presentation on a proposed Duboce Triangle Historic District from Shannon Ferguson, a Senior Preservation Planner at the SF Planning Department. Shannon (a 15^th Street neighbor), explained how historical context statements provide a framework for evaluating historic resources, highlighting significant events or trends, important people, and distinctive architecture, and encouraged folks to check out ours on the SF Planning or DTNA websites. She explained that following community engagement this fall, our district will go to the Historic Preservation Commission in December. Former DTNA President and Planning Commissioner Dennis Richards explained how the process started way back in 2002, and emphasized that for most homeowners or renters, this designation would not change anything, except perhaps to increase the value of the property. It is already true that for major modifications to any property over 45 years old, they must be looked at by the Historic Preservation Commission.
Architectural Historian Christopher Ver Planck presented the broad outlines of his survey, which is 175 pages long, and which he encourages everyone to read on the website. The history of the Triangle is covered back to 10,000 years of Ohlone occupation, the Spanish era, the construction of the Victorian and Edwardian architecture in the 1870s through 1910s, little Scandinavia 1910-1930, the post WWII Fillmore-extension era, and the emergence of the Triangle as an LGBTQ+ neighborhood. He notes that the survey identified 37 structures that meet the standards for historic landmarking – a lot for such a small area. He suggests a 2^nd historic district called “Hillside Homes” landmarking the Victorian villas uphill from Noe between 14^th and 16^th.
Neighbors asked a lot of detailed and wonky questions, and Frank encouraged everyone to remain involved and engaged as the process moves forward. Land Use Chair Kevin Riley then gave an update on the last two years of the Slow Triangle process, now known as Duboce Triangle Vision 2030, and told neighbors how to get involved to set priorities for immediate action - painting out parking spaces, adding stop signs, yield signs, and raised crosswalks, and to help plan more rigorous interventions starting with a Noe Plaza “town square”, which DTNA is pursuing in collaboration with the Castro Merchants association. Email landuse@dtna.org if you’d like to be part of the planning.

DTNA Board Meeting Report (August 1 & 29, 2022)

Robert Bush — Thu, 22 Sep 2022 07:04:34 GMT

Board Membership: With a newly vacated seat, the Board will begin recruiting for the current opening in advance of the upcoming Board election.

Website/Membership: The Board discussed changes to the Membership Directory on DTNA’s website. See the Membership/Website Tips article for all the details.

Land Use Updates: DTNA has endorsed YES on Props D and L. At the August meeting, the Board discussed November ballot measures Prop D (Affordable Housing – Initiative Petition), Prop E (Affordable Housing – Board of Supervisors), Prop L (Sales Tax for Transportation Projects), and Prop M (Tax on Keeping Residential Units Vacant). A majority of Board members voted to support Prop D, and Prop L was unanimously endorsed. See the Land Use blog post for additional information and a summary of the Land Use committee's discussion.

October Block Party: In lieu of an October 16^th Phoenix Day Block Party, DTNA will support the Sunday, October 30^th Castro Merchants Halloween Family Block Party.

Greening the Triangle: There are 22 open tree wells in the neighborhood. DTNA is looking for volunteers to commit to watering new trees after they are planted. Email DTNA President Frank Tizedes at president@dtna.org if you are interested in helping with this project.

Upcoming Tuesday, October 11^th Public Meeting Agenda: Duboce Triangle Historic District Report, conversation with Captain Jack Hart (Park Station SFPD), Bureau of Forestry update on trees and repairs in the Triangle.

DTNA Board Meeting Report (June-July)

Robert Bush — Fri, 15 Jul 2022 06:41:53 GMT

Bob Bush, DTNA Vice President

The Board of Duboce Triangle Neighborhood Association meets every month. At the June and July 2022 meetings, the Board discussed the following:

President’s Report

Mayor’s budget approved including $15,000.00 for repairs and improvements to Street Garden parklets on Sanchez and Noe Streets.

Halloween Events on Noe Street: Comfort and Joy “Glow in the Streets 2022” on Saturday, October 29^th and Castro Merchant’s “Halloween Family Block Party,” Sunday, October 30^th.

Discussed Newsletter Byline standards.

Board Slack channel to discuss Social Media presence.

President to interview Capt. Jack Hart, new Park Station SFPD Captain

Newsletter

Jessica Martines willing to be Distribution Manager and maintain the Distributor spreadsheet list.

Website

Need to maintain Peter Otte as consultant with limited funding. New “Initiative” pages created.

Slow Triangle/Land Use Updates

See related newsletter articles. Summer Slow Triangle interns to present their final report at the Tuesday, August 9^th Public Meeting at the Harvey Milk Center of Recreational Arts.

Membership Committee

Will add Slow Triangle participants to Wild Apricot Contact list if not current members.

Environmental Protection Impact Committee

Great neighborhood turnout for June Pride Sweep. Fall 2022 Street Tree planting approaching.

First DTNA Meeting at Harvey Milk Center for the Arts Tackles Fire and Pedestrian Safety

Robert Bush — Wed, 15 Jun 2022 06:47:19 GMT

by Erik Honda, DTNA Secretary

On June 14, our second in-person meeting since the beginning of COVID-19, and the first at the Harvey Milk Center for the Arts (HMCA) in Duboce Park, brought together a lively group of neighbors to hear a San Francisco Fire Department presentation sparked by the major fire on Noe Street in May.

The meeting was chaired by Membership Coordinator and Beaver Street neighbor Paige Rausser. Robby Roller, the facility coordinator for HMCA, described multitudinous programs now going on at the Center.

Lieutenant John Baxter, the Fire Department’s public information liaison officer, presented information about how fires are handled, how the public should respond when there are fires in the neighborhood, and various ways for the public to protect themselves. He said that recent fires in the area have been from undetermined causes, but most are suspected electrical fires. The Noe Street fire started between the buildings, but within the walls, the most likely cause again being electrical.

Lt. Baxter particularly recommended watch- ing the “Close before you doze” video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=Nu5ICj3LwqE which explains the importance of keeping bedroom doors closed at night to give extra time to escape a fire. He also suggested having a working smoke alarm in every room, even though current code only requires alarms in hallways and bedrooms. If you can’t afford it, contact the fire department, they have donated alarms.

Baxter also went over some of the SFFD’s new services; they are taking care of some of the things that police used to do. They have a Street Opioid Response Team, which responds when people are shooting up or overdosing, and that includes follow-ups to get folks into services or on a medication regime. Soon there will be a system to call this Team directly and not get the police. They also have a Street Crisis Response Team which handles unhoused individuals in crisis, as well as a Street Wellness Response Team for people suffering psychological breakdowns or bothering other citizens in a nonviolent manner. For more information text your zip code to 888-7777 for Alert SF, or email Lt. Baxter at firepio@sfgov.org.

Our new DTNA Summer intern Martine Kushner then went over the series of Slow Triangle Workshops she is planning so that neighbors can help design the neighborhood upgrade plans we will present to the City. DTNA Secretary Erik Honda gave a brief history of Slow Triangle efforts so far, and introduced Martine, who is a graduate student pursuing a dual masters degree in City Planning and Architecture, with a concentration in Environmental Planning & Healthy Cities. Martine explained that the work- shops would start the following week and include a June community meeting for initial design input, an early July charrette to con- sider various alternatives, a community meeting in late July to look at the designs based on input, and a final presentation and discussion in early August. Many neighbors at the meeting eagerly signed up to be involved, and if you missed it you too can participate by emailing landuse@dtna.org to be put on the contact list.

We adjourned in concord at about 8:10, and several neighbors stayed to chat and to volunteer to deliver the Duboce Triangle News. Thanks neighbors!

DTNA Board Meeting Report including Committee and Initiative Updates (May 2, 2022)

Robert Bush — Sat, 21 May 2022 17:43:42 GMT

The Board of Duboce Triangle Neighborhood Association meets every month. At the May 2022 meeting, the Board discussed the following:

Meetings

The Ballroom at the Harvey Milk Recreation Center has been secured for bimonthly in-person Tuesday evening Public Meetings as the venue is currently closed on Mondays. The community room at Chase has been secured for in-person Board Meetings. A hybrid format with both in-person and Zoom options is being developed.

Treasurer’s Report

Transfer of records and accounts to new DTNA Treasurer, Kimyn Braithwaite, should be completed in May. Last month DTNA Board approved opening a QuickBooks account which Wild Apricot is set up to work with.

Newsletter

Rose continues to solicit contributors to provide more varied content.

Website

A map depicting membership eligibility “one block beyond” DTNA boundaries has been posted. So far $4,065.00 of the 2021 $4,275.00 budget has been expended. Additional work is needed to make the site more dynamic and highlight current DTNA initiatives. A new budget for 2022 is needed.

DTNA Board Updates

Board approved DTNA support for Supervisor Mandelman’s ‘A Place for All’ ordinance.

Slow Triangle Updates

Slow Triangle Working Group selected two excellent interns to work this summer with goal of (1) obtaining Community Input regarding creation and nature of a Slow Triangle, holding 3 to 5 Community workshops, (2) design concept for bulb-out gardens/public space, and (3) design suggestions for the Duboce & Sanchez-Steiner intersection. Waymo has donated $2,500 for the summer project. Additional funding is needed to reach a goal of $10,000.

Land Use Updates

The mixed-use multi-family apartment buildings at 2135 and 2140 Market Street are being presented to the San Francisco Planning Department in June for entitlement. The Committee reviewed the updated designs, which include more on-site affordable units and higher quality facades. The Committee voted to endorse both projects and will issue a letter of support.

The 1 Church Street apartment building is looking to activate its ground floor, which could include reopening the child care center on Webster St. and finding a new use for the retail space on Church St.

Membership Committee

A brainstorming meeting was held. Suggestions for expanding membership are being developed.

DTNA Logo Contest

A Zoom meeting is being set up.

Environmental Protection Impact Committee

Street pruning has begun, starting with Castro Street. The latest pruning appears severe, but MUNI requires clearance of 10 feet from wires and 2 feet from poles. Street gardens are spreading on Potomac Street. Survey for tree plantings continues.

Safety Reports

Fire safety concerns can be addressed by inviting SFFD to make a presentation at a Public Meeting.

April Community Public Meeting

The April 11^th in-person meeting at Café du Nord which included a Zoom hybrid component was well attended. See Public Meeting article.

DTNA Board Meeting Report (March 7, 2022)

Robert Bush — Mon, 07 Mar 2022 23:48:36 GMT

The Board of Duboce Triangle Neighborhood Association now meets every month. At the March 2022 meeting, we discussed the following:

2022 DTNA Election

The Board welcomed two new members, Sugam Jain and Jessica Martines, Frank Tizedes new President and Kimyn Braithwaite the new Treasurer.

Treasurer’s Report

Past Treasurer, Nick, presented a financial report and is to meet with new Treasurer, Kimyn Braithwaite, to complete transfer of records.

Newsletter

New Advertising is putting pressure on space needed for content and impacts cost if additional pages are needed. Rose is looking at alternatives and suggested consideration of a low cost classified section that could also help with engaging new members.

Website

Annual single year and auto-recurring membership payment levels have been created. A map depicting membership eligibility “one block beyond” DTNA boundaries is being developed. So far $2,675.00 of the $5,000.00 budget has been expended. Tutorial meetings will be set up for Board members needing website Admin access.

Land Use Updates

14^th Street calming proposal approved with painted buffer zones and no alteration of parking. A proposal has been submitted for a UC Berkeley summer student to develop a values statement and a design concept for common areas/public space and the Duboce-Sanchez-Steiner intersection in the Triangle. Funding is being sought.

Environmental Protection Impact Committee

Focus will be on expanding the green canopy. Some funding has been secured from Supervisor Mandelman’s office.

Safety Reports

Website or Facebook may be better suited than newsletter for these reports.

Upcoming April Community Public Meeting Agenda

The April 11^th meeting will be held in-person at Café du Nord and follow SF safety protocols that are rapidly changing. This will be the first in-person Public meeting since February 2020. The meeting will be primarily social with a brief Slow Triangle report.

DTNA Board Meeting Report (January 10, 2022)

Robert Bush — Tue, 11 Jan 2022 02:00:00 GMT

The Board of Duboce Triangle Neighborhood Association now meets every month. At the January 2022 meeting, we discussed the following:

2022 DTNA Election

Plan to conduct online voting using Election Runner and mailing paper ballots to those few members for whom DTNA has no email address in February, as DTNA did in 2021. Current Board members have expressed an interest in continuing on the Board, although the current DTNA Treasurer would like to pass the baton for that position and return to his Director’s role if a new Treasurer candidate can be identified. There are currently two Board seat vacancies. Two DTNA members have reached out to the Board expressing their interest in serving on the Board. See DTNA 2022 Election Post in News/Update blog.

Board Goals for 2022

Each Board member was asked what Goal they would be the champion for in 2022 and what Goal they would help another Board member address. Five working groups were identified: Land Use: Kevin Riley; Open/Public Space (Beautification, Trees, Slow Triangle): Frank Tizedes, Erik Honda, Hans Galland; Membership: Paige Rausser; Website: Bob Bush; Newsletter: Rose Linke.

2022 Meeting Schedule

Reaffirmed new monthly first Monday Board meetings; every odd-numbered month second Monday, Land Use; and maintaining every even-numbered month second Monday Public Community meetings shortened to one hour (07:00PM to 08:00PM). Meetings will remain virtual for now with expectation to add periodic in-person social meet-ups like the October 17^th block party or, when feasible, the December 2019 meeting party.

Newsletter

With additional new advertisers need to review how many pages are needed to ensure space for needed content. Further discussion referred to the Newsletter Working Group.

Website Migration

Bundle membership for all membership levels above Household approved. Online ordering of newsletter advertisements has been added to website.

Land Use Updates

DTNA will address desired inclusion of 20% Affordable Housing based on recommendations from the Land Use committee on a project-by-project basis instead of a 2015 Letter of Intent that other signatories no longer adhere to.

Upcoming February General Meeting Agenda

2022 DTNA Election of Officers and Board Directors; Duboce Triangle Street Trees and Public Works tree trimming planned in 2022; and introduction of some new neighborhood businesses.

Neighbors Vet the Slow Triangle at December General Meeting

Robert Bush — Tue, 14 Dec 2021 02:15:00 GMT

by Erik Honda, DTNA Secretary

A large and feisty crowd showed up for the DTNA December General Meeting to see the data collected by three teams from a UC Berkeley Urban Design graduate research class, who have been looking at the Triangle through the frame of our plans for a Slow Triangle. We apologize for the problems folks had getting in on Google Meet, and will work on solutions to get that fixed for future meetings. So sorry!

Board member Hans Galland, who is coordinating the project, introduced it as research-based, but also part of an iterative process that will involve the community at all stages, of which this meeting was an early part. The three teams presented, and details of their presentations can be found in the Slow Triangle updates article elsewhere in this newsletter, and also on our website at dtna.org.

Following the presentations, one neighbor took issue with most of the recommendations and proposals that came out of the data the students collected, on the basis that since they are not from here they can’t fully understand what it’s like to live here. Others celebrated their suggestions and hoped for even more radical transformations. All agreed that we need better enforcement of traffic laws in San Francisco, that different parts of the neighborhood and different streets need different treatments (this cannot be a “one size fits all” proposal), and that they were very appreciative of all the hard work and many hours the students spent in our neighborhood, observing traffic, conducting surveys of pedestrians and business owners, and sketching out solutions to make our neighborhood a better place.

Thanks again so much to the teams! Hopefully they will return in future years to celebrate the fruits of their labor.

Team 1: Streetside Mini-Plazas

This team found the corner bulb-outs or “mini-plazas” to be the key urban design element of the Triangle, and made suggestions for repairing and upgrading the plazas.

Shuqi Li, Master of Urban Design – Houzhou China
Jieqiong Chang, Master of Landscape Architecture – Hebei Province, China

Byron Li, Master of Landscape Architecture – San Francisco California, U.S.A.

Team 2: Parking Configurations’ Effect on Traffic Calming and the Public Realm

This team found that easy “paint-only” reconfigurations of parking orientation could make the neighborhood safer for pedestrians and bicyclists.

Andy Cheng, Master of Urban Design – Taipei, Taiwan
Diksha Singh, Master of Urban Design – Delhi, India

Joann Martinez, Master of City Planning – Lodi California, U.S.A.

Team 3: The Potential for a Safe and Walkable 14^th Street

This team provided suggestions for widening sidewalks and other changes to allow for better pedestrian movement and business access on 14^th Street.

Vedanti Agrawal, Master of Urban Design – Mumbai, India
Wenzheng Fang, Master of Urban Design – Beijing, China

Pawida Bualert, Master of City Planning – Bangkok, Thailand

Call to all neighbors: Please involve yourself in the process going forward (see links and info in the 2022 Feb-Mar Duboce Triangle News Slow Triangle article), because the more participation we have, the better the final product will be. Thanks to all who attended!

Safeway came to the 2021 December General Meeting

Robert Bush — Tue, 14 Dec 2021 02:00:00 GMT

Wendy Gutshall (Director, Public and Government Affairs, Safeway - Northern California Division) and Shawn Robertson (Market Street Safeway Store Director) discussed recent changes to address challenges Market Street Safeway is facing: there is now only one site for entrance and exit, self checkouts have been consolidated to one space, and the store closes at 09:00PM. So far these changes have had a positive impact.

Neighbors raised concerns about the impact of early closure at 09:00PM, especially on those who work non-traditional shifts, noting that Whole Food is open to 10:00PM. Supervisor Mandelman said he is working to get hours extended.

DTNA Board Meeting Report (November)

Robert Bush — Tue, 09 Nov 2021 02:00:00 GMT

by Bob Bush, DTNA Vice President

The Board of Duboce Triangle Neighborhood Association meets every other month. At the November 2021 meeting, we discussed the following:

Board Function: Discussed how to improve the Board experience and functioning through more frequent in-person interactions that have been missing with COVID restrictions. Board members to meet in the Noe-Beaver Community Garden, Sunday November 21, 2021, at 02:00PM.

Website Migration: Migration of membership data onto the new website for DTNA members who paid dues 2018 though 2021 is complete and an email blast introducing the new website has been sent to them. The website is still a work in process.

Land Use Updates: Kevin Riley, Land Use Chair, summarized what is detailed in Land Use Blog Update.

Phoenix Day Block Party: Sunday, October 17th, Noe Street between 14^th and Henry Streets. Many neighbors helped set up the successful Block Party which was well attended.

Upcoming December Community Public Meeting Agenda: UC Berkeley master students who are researching various aspects of traffic calming in the Duboce Triangle as part of their course in Urban Design Research Methods will present their research findings.

October General Meeting: Legislative Updates by Senator Wiener, Assemblyman Chiu (SF City Attorney designate) and Supervisor Mandelman

Robert Bush — Tue, 12 Oct 2021 02:00:00 GMT

Political Bigwigs Descend on DTNA General Meeting

by Erik Honda, DTNA Secretary

The October DTNA General Meeting was a nexus of state and local political power, as former Asssemblymember and now San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu joined State Senator Scott Wiener and Supervisor Rafael Mandelman for a confab. Chiu, who started his political career as a neighborhood association president, has been bringing San Francisco values to the state assembly and intends to preserve those same values as City Attorney, working hard to see citizens’ civil rights protected, and taking down corporate bad guys. He will continue to fight evictions, and to secure funding for affordable housing; this year the Assembly was able to pass $10 billion for affordable housing, plus $4 billion for tenant subsidies to prevent evictions.

Senator Wiener has had a recent run of legislative success. He has always been a legislative powerhouse, but this year he was able to get a ton of bills signed, including SB9 and SB10, which he has been pursuing since he arrived in Sacramento. Wiener pointed out that San Francisco has only a three-person delegation in Sacramento (compared to 30 for LA county), but they are strong – Ting, Chiu, and Wiener, and they get a lot done. This session Wiener would like to give San Francisco more tools to address the 700 people who died of drug overdoses last year. He has spent six years pushing for safe consumption sites, he wants to get usage off the streets, and get folks into treatment. There have been decades of positive outcomes with these facilities in Europe, Canada, and Australia. A vehicle-miles-traveled fee instead of a gas tax is also moving forward.

Supervisor Mandelman sparred with Senator Wiener a bit on the housing issue, saying he is a little bit less hardcore than Wiener on housing, but that he agrees with Wiener that too much local discretion has definitely caused problems, and San Francisco is among the worst places (ironically, shortly after our meeting Mandelman was one of eight Supervisors who voted down a new building South of Market that would have included affordable housing).

Despite the controversy, we adjourned in concord, significantly more knowledgeable because the movers and shakers were engaged with their constituents.

General Meeting: Harvey Milk Plaza/Castro Transit Station; Port of San Francisco Waterfront Resilience Program Erik Honda

Robert Bush — Tue, 10 Aug 2021 06:37:31 GMT

DTNA General Meeting Notes August 2021 (Virtual Meeting due to Covid-19 pandemic)

Kimyn started by giving Kevin a bit of time to talk about Land Use issues. He reported on the progress on 14^th Street and the Slow Triangle process.

Pat asked about the Duboce Triangle Historic District. David Troup reported that the historic content statement is complete. David and Dennis Richards have reviewed and sent their feedback. They are scheduled to do a walk around in the next couple of weeks that will determine what will be the historic district, what buildings are eligible for landmark status, etc. He will report at next Land Use or send info to Kevin to report.

At 7:10 Kimyn handed over to Bob to facilitate the Harvey Milk Plaza discussion. Bob laid out the agenda and that there would be a 5-minute question period after each of three presentations – city architect, Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza, Advocated for Harvey Milk Plaza. Kevin will monitor the questions, Bob explained how to do that in the chat and in the Q and A function on Google Meet.

Bob gives background – the transit station opened in 1980, the plaza was dedicated to Harvey Milk in 1985. He outlined the problems with the current station – accessibility, weather protection, and lack of fulsome dedication to Harvey Milk. The City has gotten funds to improve the accessibility, including an elevator and a canopy. That is an opportunity to re-envision the plaza. City will present the accessibility, then presentations on how to improve the other elements, one with a completely new design, one not.

Alita Sweat from SFMTA, and Jane Chan, DPW project architect, presented the City’s plans. Jane said the project was initiated in 2016, but has been moving along very slowly. Project is now ready for bid, will be ready in the next few months, will start construction in early 2022.

Jane showed the plans for the new elevator, which will be accessible both from Market Street and from Castro. Street level improvements include widening the now very narrow sidewalk along Market to make it safer. Plan is to replant the garden, including removing current plants as it will be a staging area. But they will save the palms. Will replace the poles along Market and replace brick paving with concrete to aid wheelchair users. They are also planning to replace parts of the terrazzo paving for the same reason (it’s slippery). They are re-fencing the area to create an arrival/lobby area separate from the plaza. There is a plan to re-fabricate the Harvey Milk Memorial signage and enlarge them, and hang in a similar space. Jane explained there will be a safer bus on and off-loading space. The elevator will be glass, fully transparent, which will aid in safety and structurally independent of the plaza. Annette Williams, director of accessible services explained the need for the elevator.

Q and A: Pat asked if the elevator will be wheelchair accessible, A: yes. Pat: Some sort of guard rail to protect from cars? A: Railings are usually on back side of space, there will be a wall there, can’t do a rail at the curb as that prevents bus egress. David asks if the lower plaza will be closed when the MUNI station is closed. A: Yes, that’s why they added the new fencing. At night the plaza will be open, station will be fenced and closed. Kevin asked about the replanting, will the planting be brought up to street level? A: No, not part of this project. Will existing elevator will remain, as well as existing staircase and elevator? A: Yes, all will stay in operation during construction. Bob asks about a canopy over the escalator and the stairs, was that considered for Castro? A: Has been in discussion, but is not in this project. Canopy projects on lower Market were done in conjunction with BART. They will let us know. Bob thanks them for their work.

Next presenter is Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza, who envision a new plaza that will improve on the weaknesses of the current design. Brian Springfield, Executive Director and Daniel Cunningham of SWA consulting (former Triangle resident), presented.

Brian thanks MTA for listening to the community – they made the elevator have four stops not three, including one on Market Street. Brian says that the idea of how to honor Harvey Milk more fulsomely is the main thing the community is concerned about and wants to see that move forward. Brian emphasizes that the project is still in iteration and they can still take more input. He went over the same slides he did at Land Use (see August Land Use notes for more details), with a history of Harvey Milk’s life and the aftermath of his death. He went over what the community wants, given the input they have gathered. 1) Public space 2) Safety issues addressed, but most importantly 3) Honor Harvey Milk and portray his significance. He also went over the history of Friends community outreach and polling which has been significant, especially when compared to that of the Advocates.

Daniel Cunningham explains what they asked the community and what the results were. For locals, or the world? A: Both. Design is based on Hope and Action. Uses the Grace Paley quote again – “the only recognizable feature of hope is action.” SWA has a cohesive, narrative design. Moves staircase west to allow more space for gathering, includes canopy that was requested earlier. Pedestal is a space for people to get up and speak, but does not block the historic façade of the B of A building. Lighting focuses back to the pedestal and a has a nod to the candlelight vigil after Milk’s death. They want to raise the sunken plaza (the 1970s-flavored part of the current design) to allow for more gathering space, and also provide sight lines all the way along. The want to emphasize the garden by bringing it up to grade. They want to have a Harvey Milk historic mural on the concourse level, and a skylight in the garden will allow for a soundscape with Harvey’s hope speech, and for more modern and updated voices too. Have figured a way to make the pedestal accessible. The elevator would be upgraded with a digital programming that would both honor Harvey and be updated to cover neighborhood issues.

Q and A: Kevin thanked them for addressing a question from Land Use about accessibility (speaker’s pad is now accessible). K says questions in the chat about why do all the demolition and change, why not just put in the elevator? Brian says that just upgrading the elevator does not allow for increased honoring of Harvey Milk. In 2016 when MTA said they were doing construction, Friends of Harvey Milk was created as a response to that. January 2017 were the first visioning sessions, and community was thinking big. Hans asks about the possibility of activation, like food and beverage stands, other things that would bring folks in and make them stay? A: Yes, please. Lyric Youth could run that.

Last HM presenter. Bob introduces Howard Grant, the plaza’s original architect, founder of Advocates for Harvey Milk Plaza. Denies responsibility for nooks and crannies that have been neglected. Says he is supportive of Friends desire to honor Harvey Milk. Says that Harvey Milk Plaza is eligible for listing as a historic place. Says that Harvey would want the community together. Points out that the station is a busy transit hub and is functioning well. Worries about the limited access to the station during construction. Shows some examples of possibilities like a transparent canopy that could include some art spaces, but generally presents few new ideas. His presentation is more of a “No, leave it as it is”. There were no questions.

Moving on, we finished with a presentation by Matt Bell Civil Engineer from the Port of San Francisco, who gave a Waterfront Resilience Program update. He explained that seismic resilience and sea level rise are the major issues they are working on. Prop A bonds covered the part of the waterfront from Hyde Street pier to the ballpark. The seawall is 100 years old, and there is a seismic risk in a big enough earthquake - the wall could fail. Studies will run through 2025, but some projects are already out to bid, the first construction will start in 2026. The port is in partnership with the Army Corps of Engineers. If the Corps thinks it is good, federal money could pay up to 65% of the cost. As far as sea level rise they have learned the problem gets really bad and far inland at 2 to 3 feet which could happen this century and cause $30 billion in damage and destruction through 2100, so acting now is worth the investment. Matt showed a slide of the Army Corps study which goes further inland, and includes for example all of South of Market. He had some slides with examples of mitigations, like the wave wall that protects South Beach harbor.

Prop A was a significant investment, but they are looking at more – State funding, federal funding. Looking at key things to protect, the Ferry Building, the ballpark, the sewage treatment plant. Erik points out that there is a concern that if we "harden" our shoreline we will push the problem to somewhere else (other Bay communities). Q: What managed retreat or natural (wetlands) strategies are we considering to avoid that risk?

A: Embarcadero is already hard, so we are not adding to it.

Bob asks how they are coordinating with other Bay stakeholders (other cities)? A: Not really. The Bay Conservation and Development Commission says SF is farther along, so we get to do what we want, other cities will learn from us.

Bob: Any specific projects? A: Yes, 20, just haven’t figured out which ones to do.

Bob and Kimyn wrapped up the meeting at 8:33.

Board Members 2021

1.President: Kimyn Braithwaite - Sanchez Street

2.Vice President/Advertising Manager: Bob Bush - Beaver Street

3.Land Use Chair: Kevin Riley - Sanchez Street

4.Secretary: Erik Honda - Henry Street

5.Newsletter Editor: Rose Linke - Noe Street

6.Treasurer: Nikolai Sklaroff - Castro Street

7.Board Member/Membership Coordinator: Paige Rausser - Beaver Street

8.Board Member: Hans Galland

9.Board Member: Frank Tizedes

10. Immediate Past President: Vacant

11. Board Member: Vacant

Board Attendance: Kimyn, Bob, Kevin, Erik. 4/9 Board members attended

Attendance: (Including board members and presenters): 23

Land Use August 2, 2021 Kevin Riley, Chair

Robert Bush — Mon, 02 Aug 2021 21:53:26 GMT

Duboce Triangle Neighborhood Association

LAND USE COMMITTEE
Monday, August 2nd, 2021 – Zoom – 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM

Attended:
Kevin Riley – Sanchez Street– Land Use Chair
Kimyn Braithwaite – Sanchez Street– DTNA President
Bob Bush – Beaver Street, DTNA Vice President
Erik Honda – Henry Street, DTNA Secretary
Paige Rausser – Beaver Street, DTNA Membership Coordinator
Frank Tizedes – DTNA Board, Noe/Beaver Community Park Coordinator David Troup – 15th Street
Jo Ellen Kaiser – Alpine Terrace
Jamison Weiser – Noe Street
Leah Culver – Walter Street
Pat Tura – 16th Street
Shannon Cairns – Henry Street

Presenters:
Jeremy Schaub – 240 Church
Ty Bash – 240 Church
Brian Springfield – Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza
Daniel Cunningham – Design Representative for Harvey Milk Plaza Lauren Hiller – SF Planning

PRESENTATIONS

7:05 - 8:10 PM 1. 240 Church St (20 min) Ty Bash

Ty Bash and Jeremy Schaub presented a slide show of the updated façade.
The building is now 7-stories, a story taller than what was previously presented. Ty said Planning determined they could increase the number of units to 24 units total while maintaining only 13% BMR (2 units). Ty said that $1 million of fees will go towards supporting other housing - “fee-out”.
Ground floor has a garden, Michel from Thorough Bread will get a bigger rear yard. Outdoor space for residential goes to the roof, allowing for a “fantastic” outdoor space. Longer (51 foot) façade for storefront is also a bonus. Ty says they are trying to relate to the existing street facades on Church. They plan to use modern facade tile to compliment the surrounding brickwork. Lots of articulation on the ground floor façade.

Q and A:
Erik makes clear we need more than 2/24 units (8%) affordable. John agrees.

Kimyn asks how long will Thoroughbread be displaced. A: 24 months is the plan.

... asks how can you ensure us that you really will build this, not entitle it and flip it? ... doesn’t think that Thoroughbread will really go come back after two years. Ty Bash is “humbled” by a tenant that is doing good business and wants to come back. Says he is a builder in the city, does not flip properties.
... asks what has he done as a builder to fill retail spaces. Ty says he has done everything he could to accommodate tenants. Meaning he kept the lease from 2017 with no increase (no cuts either), built, and paid for the parklet. Says he has designed the space for Thoroughbread.

2. SF Planning’s Housing Element (18 min) Shelley Caltagirone Shelley is a planner with a background in historical preservation, approved Duboce Park historical district. Explained what the Housing Element is, including equity focus, including desegregation. Housing targets have tripled, 80,000 units in SF total with a focus on affordable housing. Says there will be a focus on bringing back displaced communities, especially Black and Native American communities.

Q&A:
... points out that there is a total disconnect between talk and action at Planning. They talk about supporting affordable housing, but as we saw in our last presentation, Planning allows developers to build housing with little to no affordable units. Shelley acknowledges the disconnect.
... says that in racial equity work you are supposed to center the voices of those communities – what do the NA and African American folks say? Shelley says that they are doing focus groups in Bayview/Mission, trying to get folks to let them in to their spaces.
Kevin sums up, we want the Planning Department to move now towards building more affordable housing.

3. Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza (20 min) Brian Springfield Brian reported that he has lived or worked in the Castro since 1998. Lives at Sanchez and Market, adjacent to the Triangle. Daniel Cunningham – Design Representative. Lived in the Triangle for 6 years. Gives background on Harvey Milk (the person). Gives background on how the current plans were developed, who the input folks were. The design will be refined. They have had 2 visioning sessions, and 4 community meetings going back to 2017, as well as 4 more meetings this year. Those polled want 1) a gathering space, 2) a safe and secure space.

Daniel reported on some of the poll results that were taken about what folks wanted in the design. People want something unconventional, both for the community and for international visitors. Hope/action are twin themes of the design. Grace Paley: “The only recognizable feature of hope is action.” The new station/plaza needs to address the lack of gathering space. They propose a “pedestal” at the center. Also important not to block the historical Bank of America façade (now Soul Cycle). Lights in paving sprinkle out into the plaza, lead into the grove end. A digital billboard will allow the space to adapt over time. The new garden will be lifted up to street level and made accessible. Brian states that Tumlin is excited about bus landing could be street level, and will be a better transit/pick-up drop off point than the current stop.

Q&A
... is excited about the Grace Paley quote.
... is excited about the raising of the garden and the idea of the bus stop.
John feels like there could be more tribute to Harvey Milk, says there are 800 signatures on his petition to not add more concrete. He doesn’t like the sight-lines in the western end and wants two escalators (not one).
... echoes John’s idea of honoring Harvey more and points out that the elevator is a separate project that has been held up. Thinks two years is too long for construction for minor improvements. ... thinks we can honor Harvey Milk without tearing up a plaza that serves many people every day.
... says the current west end is unusable, is dangerous, wants it changed. Likes the design. Is the “pedestal” ADA compatible? A: Not known yet. ... thinks it should be fully accessible. ... asks where is “Harvey Milk Plaza” and what is “Castro Station”. A: Good point, need to balance the memorial and the station, also need to have better signage.

DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS (active items are bold) 8:10 PM - 8:25 PM 1. 240 Church St. - 7-story residential Kevin

We discussed how we need something from Thorough Bread that says they are willing to come back. Erik reached out to them, as did Mandelman, but no response. Pat says you have to catch Michel there in the early morning. ... is doubtful that Thorough Bread would come back after construction. Could Thorough Bread move to 2175 Market? DTNA will likely not support this project as only 8% of the total units are BMR and our values look for buildings that have 20% BMR units.

ACTION ITEMS (active items are bold) 8:25 PM - 8:40 PM 1. Traffic Calming (14th St) Shannon & Kevin

Shannon and Kevin reported that they are focused on safety for 14th Street. Neighbors and McKinley school have advocated for a road diet. SFMTA and MUNI are adamant about back-in angle parking on the uphill side, by CPMC (other side would stay parallel). Not traditional angle, similar to parallel parking. Back-in angle parking offers more visibility, is easier to maneuver than parallel. MUNI doesn’t want illegal passing of a bus, very dangerous. Shannon says to look at Brannan and Townsend, those streets have back-in angle parking. This will be a new move for drivers, so SFMTA will make the spaces wider.

Frank says that what they did on Palou is similar, but no hill, but he is a strong advocate for what they did there, it improved the street a lot.
David asks what is the hill grade compared to the other places they have done these angled spots?

Shannon clarifies changing the parking does not significantly increase the number of cars driving on the street.
Leah lives on Walter and does bike up 14th St. Wants to know if there is any accommodation for Walter Street, says Walter Street needs daylighting.
Frank reiterates that the 2-lane side of Noe is very dangerous, he lives right there and it needs to be changed.

Kevin says we will keep moving forward, will meet with neighbors if needed but hopes to send a letter of support soon. We need to improve these dangerous conditions while there is motivation to do so.

NEXT MEETING
1. September 6th, 2021

Adjourned at 8:46.

8:30 PM

ADJOURN

DTNA Land Use Committee June 7, 2021 Meeting Update: Kevin Riley

Robert Bush — Mon, 07 Jun 2021 22:00:28 GMT

At June's DTNA Land Use meeting we discussed development projects, street conditions, and had a presentation from Refuse RefuseSF.

There are several developments in our neighborhood at various stages of being proposed or permitted for construction that have stalled during the pandemic. We continue to support additional housing in our community and advocate for positive growth in our neighborhood.

The use of our streets is another recurring topic of conversation at Land Use meetings. While we wait on SFMTA to issue the results of their Noe Slow Street survey, we continue to work with City officials and agencies to explore how we can make our public rights-of-way safer for pedestrians, cyclists, commuters, and drivers.

Efforts like traffic calming on 14th Street will make our neighborhood safer while maintaining access and accessibility to and through our neighborhood.
14th Street neighbors have expressed support for traffic calming but they have raised concerns about perpendicular or angle parking on the hill. While the Land Use Committee has reviewed various parking options for 14th Street, DTNA is not advocating for any changes to the existing parking layout.

Refuse Refuse SF is a group founded by San Franciscans who wanted to clean up their neighborhood and are spreading their message across the City. They are working with DTNA and Friends of Duboce Park to set up a trash pick-up day in the Duboce Triangle. Stay tuned for more details!

In view of the July 4^th holiday, our July 5^th Land Use meeting has been canceled. Our next meeting will be on Monday, August 2nd. Please email landuse@dtna.org for a Zoom invitation to the August meeting or to ask questions regarding Land Use.

Read more about the June 7^th meeting, DTNA initiatives and Triangle news in the August-September issue of the Duboce Triangle News.