… with many thanks to Gaelen for sharing this photo taken over the weekend on Bernal Hill.
Author: Todd_Lappin
Bernalwood 2015: The Year in Superlatives
It’s the last few hours of December 2015, so let’s take a moment to review some of The Most Mostest Moments that happened in Bernal Heights this year.
Most Iconic Celebration of Marriage Equality
On the morning when the Supreme Court established marriage equality as the law of the land in all 50 states, Neighbor Valerie shared this magnificent photo taken atop Bernal Hill. “Love always wins,” Valerie said — and she’s so right. (June)
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Most Amazing Ad Hoc Effort to Restore a Doomed Bernal Treasure
There was great sadness when we learned that the City planned to demolish the structures at the historically symbolic Esmeralda Slide Park because decay had rendered them structurally unsound. Luckily for all of us, however, Neighbors Nancy and Joan joined forces to sound the alarm, energize the City’s dense bureaucracy, and rally volunteers to restore the Slide Park and make it better than ever. Bonus Prize: In September their heroic efforts were recognized with a San Francisco Beautiful Award. (June to September)
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Most Mind-Blowing Bernal Rainbow Alert in the History of Bernal Rainbow Alerts
Rainbow sightings in Bernal Heights are a blessedly common occurrence, but the Rainbow Alert that happened on the morning of Feb. 27, 2015 so uncommonly vivid and exceptionally euphoric that even the double rainbows had double rainbows. Afterward, it took several weeks for the Citizens of Bernalwood to clean up all the unicorn glitter left behind by the prismatic barrage.
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Most Inspiring Reminder That Life Is Best Lived Large
Neighbor Bernice Van Eckhardt from Cortland (at Elsie) died in January at age 99. By the time she moved to Bernal in 1972, she’d already enjoyed several enviable decades in 20th century San Francisco — including several years spent living in a bohemian penthouse atop the Phelan Building downtown. As we wrote in her obituary, Bernice “was clearly an expert at the fine art of living, and her decision to settle down in a Bernal Heights farm house was just the final chapter in a lifetime spent living well.”
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Most Unsettling Story That Only Gets More Unsettling With the Passage of Time
In June, San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón announced that the four SFPD officers involved in the March, 2014 shooting death of Cortland resident Alex Nieto on Bernal Hill would not face criminal charges as a result of the incident. There is evidence to suggest that Nieto’s behavior that evening was highly erratic and possibly violent, but nevertheless; Given everything we’ve learned about the conduct of police in situations that result in the death of people of color — in San Francisco and elsewhere — it’s tragic that we may never know what really happened when the SFPD encountered Alex Nieto on Bernal Hill.
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Most Overdue Introduction to a Bernal Institution That’s Been Here for 60 Years
Our local Mosque, The Islamic Center of San Francisco (ICSF), has been on the corner of Crescent and Andover since 1959, but it maintains a very low-profile. That changed this year, after Bernalwood interviewed Bernal native and lifelong attendee Zishan Safdar to introduce Bernal neighbors to our local mosque. The outpouring of welcome and neighborly cheer that resulted from the post culminated in the mosque’s first-ever Open House for the Bernal community. (September and November)
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Most Depressing Discovery About the Long Lines at Our Local Safeway
The ridiculously long checkout lines at our local Safeway on Mission Street are a frequent source of complaint, but the saddest thing of all was the grim discovery that Bernal neighbors were complaining about the long lines at our local Safeway as far back as 1972. As a Bernal Journal writer wrote back then:
I am still mad – for me, and everyone around here who continually has this frustrating time waste wait at our store. The faces in the lines seem to say, “it’s always been like this; we’ve ALWAYS had to wait.”
(February)
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Best Reminder That There Was Life Before the Long Lines at Our Local Safeway
Since the line situation at our local Safeway is probably hopeless, it’s soothing to visualize the scene from an earlier time, before our local Safeway was even an idea. This 1904 photo taken on Virginia looking toward Mission contains so many vivid details that you can spend lots of time exploring it — say, on your mobile phone, while waiting on line at our local Safeway. (April)
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Most Over-Passionate Way to Demonstrate That Bernal Heights Is for Lovers
They were young, and they were in love, and they were determined to consummate their affections. That’s what the SFPD learned after arresting two not-so-bright lovers who smashed through the gate on Bernal Hill to drive their car up the access road near Sutrito Tower. The summary of the incident in the SFPD crime newsletter was delightfully deadpan-hilarious. (March)
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Highest-Profile Way to Turn a Local Family Feud Into a Citywide Media Spectacle
A citywide media frenzy ensued when Neighbor Deb Follingstad was given notice that the rent for her Bocana apartment was being hiked from $2145 to $8900 a month— a cruel 315% increase. But the story of real estate woe morphed into a tale of sibling pathos when KQED reporter Dan Brekke revealed that the rent increase could be traced to a long-simmering feud within the Lama family over how to divide the estate they inherited after their father passed away. (March)
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Most Promising Movie By Bernal Heights Filmmakers That We Haven’t Seen Yet
Bernal filmmakers Joe Talbot and Jimmie Fails first made a splash when the teaser for their film, “The Last Black Man in San Francisco” won the “Best of Bernal” award at the 2014 Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema festival. In 2015 the duo focused on raising funds to turn the idea into a feature-length film, and they got off to a great start by crushing their Kickstarter goal in May and garnering plenty of national media attention along the way. Our fantasy: A gala opening night screening of “The Last Black Man in San Francisco,” at the restored New Mission Theater, sometime soon. (May)
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Hottest New Restaurant Opening of the Year in Bernal Heights
When we first learned that the new Old Bus Tavern on Mission near Valencia would serve house-made beer and chili, the concept sounded like standard-issue brewpub fare. How wrong we were. Instead, founders Jimmy Simpson, John Zirinsky and Bennett Buchanan serve modern, sophisticated Southwestern cuisine that garnered rave reviews from the Michael Bauer, among many others. Added Bonus: Thrillist just named the Old Bus Tavern San Francisco’s Best New Opening of 2015, lamenting that “the only thing we don’t like about [Old Bus Tavern] is that we don’t live right next door.” Lucky us; we do.
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Funniest Indication that Bernal Heights Real Estate Has Become Completely Absurd
It was a telling reflection of our ridiculous real estate market that the video created to sell 52 Mirabel was a comedy that featured Mercedez Munro and Katya Smirnoff-Skyy — two glamorous San Francisco drag queens — serving as tour guides. But darling, who are we to judge?
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Most Boneheaded Way to Address Our Housing Crisis
San Francisco faces a chronic housing shortage because we haven’t been building nearly enough new homes to accommodate our growing population. Nevertheless, D9 Supervisor David Campos spent much of 2015 trying to outlaw the construction of market-rate housing — first in the Board of Supervisors, and then with a ballot initiative called Proposition I. Both efforts failed, which was a big victory for common sense, but a big waste of time and energy for everyone else who seeks real solutions to San Francisco’s housing crisis.
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Most Unexpected Indication That The Times, They Are A-Changin’
It’s hard to say if the November 2015 election results in Bernal Heights reflected the crudeness of the propositions on offer, or Bernal’s changing demographics, or some combination of both. Nevertheless, when the votes were tallied, Prop F (the anti-Airbnb initiative) and Prop I (the Mission moratorium) passed in Bernal by only very slim margins, with several Bernal precincts rejecting each. (November)
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Most Unrealistic Reality TV Episode About Bernal Heights (Which Was Still Great for Our Street Cred)
In July, Bravo network’s “Million Dollar Listing San Francisco” focused on a realtor trying to sell a perfectly lovely home in South Bernal. ““We’ve got a great house in a crap neighborhood,” the realtor complained. Normally we might be inclined to take offense, but this is “reality TV” after all, so we don’t expect things to be realistic (Donald Trump notwithstanding). Yet in a paradoxical way, Bernalwood reasoned that the high-profile dis was actually a blessing in disguise: “This week, a million Americans learned that respectable, high-achieving people want nothing whatsoever to do with Bernal Heights. Which, of course, can only mean… WE ARE FUCKING COOL AGAIN!”
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Best DIY Rescue of a Neglected Patch of City Property
When squalor overtook a neglected piece of City-owned land at the corner of Ellsworth an Bernal Heights Boulevard, a heroic group of Bernal volunteers joined forces with DPW to clean up the mess and make the spot beautiful again. Very inspiring. (January)
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Most Sociable Encounter with a Celestial Phenomenon
When a rare super “blood moon” lunar eclipse filled the night sky, several hundred neighbors gathered on Bernal Hill to laugh, oogle, peek through telescopes, and partake of the awe-inspiring celestial spectacle. The next super blood moon lunar eclipse lunar eclipse happens in 18 years, so we look forward to seeing you all again in 2033. (September)
Miraculous Christmas Snowman Reappears in Precita Park
The winter fairies have bestowed their blessings upon Bernal Heights, because once again a miraculous snowman appeared overnight in Precita Park!
This is clearly a sign that we were very, very good this year.
PHOTOS: @lyjarose and @yuenglingr
Merry Christmas Bernal Heights!
Dear Citizens of Bernalwood, we hope your day will be filled with peace, joy, and neighborly cheer. Have a great Christmas!
PHOTO: The fabulous painted rock on Bernal Heights Boulevard, December 2015, by Telstar Logistics
New Barebottle Brewery to Open on Cortland Early Next Year (Fingers Crossed)
Here’s something to look forward to next year: Barebottle Brew Co. will open a brand-new brewery and brew pub in February or March in the empty warehouse building at 1525 Cortland, along the east end of the street near Peralta.
Barebottle’s co-founders, Lester Koga, Michael Seitz and Ben Sterling, met as students at Cornell’s business school. While pursuing other careers — Seitz at Proctor & Gamble, Koga in counterterrorism strategy — the friends all became avid homebrewers, and got involved as judges in competitions through the Homebrewers Association. “As we started judging these homebrewing events, we began to think that the quality of beer made by homebrewers far surpasses what [some] production brewers are doing right now,” Koga says. “But it’s hard for homebrewers to get on the shelf.”
At Barebottle, they’ll host a monthly competition for homebrewers, each month based on a different beer style. A few winners, determined by a panel of judges, will have their recipes produced at Barebottle and poured in its taproom. Those deemed successful after some time in the taproom will become permanent Barebottle fixtures. Koga says they’re still working out how exactly the homebrewers will be rewarded for their winning recipes.
Cortlandt Toczylowski (Drake’s, E.J. Phair) has joined as head brewer, and is kicking off Barebottle’s proprietary portfolio with beers including a Russian imperial stout and a bourbon barrel-aged honey brown ale.
The 1,600-square-foot space, on Cortland Ave. near Peralta Ave., will incorporate the taproom within the production brewery. “Essentially, you drink around the brew house,” Koga explains. “We thought it would be cool to have that production process front and center.”
Super cool. To track Barebottle’s progress, check out all the construction photos at @barebottlebeer.
BONUS: Via EaterSF, here’s a photo of Barebottle’s new fermenters, installed in their new 17,000 square-foot facility. Sexy!
PHOTO: Team Barebottle greets the arrival of their new fermenters, via @barebottlebeer
Some Parking Advice for Santa as He Prepares for His Forthcoming Visit to Bernal
Dear Santa,
As you know, we’ve been very good in Bernal Heights this year, so we’re really excited about your forthcoming visit. However, as you plan your trip to our lovely neighborhood, we wanted to share this urgent pro tip: Don’t street-park your sleigh while making your rounds in Bernal.
Sadly, it seems there isn’t much seasonal cheer when it comes to street parking here. For example, Neighbor Valerie shared a photo of the sign shown above; it was was spotted on a Prospect Street after some sad neighbors had their car towed away at the behest of another neighbor with an unresolved Grinch complex. Awwww.
Meanwhile, Neighbor Ashley explains why she won’t be parking on Newman:
I just learned something that I think some of my fellow Bernalese (at least those south of Cortland) traveling this holiday season may appreciate knowing as they prepare to depart. If you leave your car on Newman for more than three days, one of the residents of that street will apparently call the city and have your car ticketed, or so I was warned.
Backstory: I’ve lived on Ellert for 9 years and never noticed that Newman didn’t have street cleaning. I went to move my car this morning and asked a couple who was standing outside of their house if they had street cleaning today (it being the 2nd Monday of the month). They told me they had no street cleaning. Shocked, I blurted out, “So I can leave my car here when I go away?” One of them replied, “Well, we like to park here too.”
I get it. I feel slightly inconvenienced when I have to park more than a block away because I’m so used to being able to park on my street or right around the corner. I know that’s ridiculous.
I told them that I was only going away for three days – I didn’t want them to think I was going to become a parking squatter or anything. I also hoped it would garner me some sympathy. That’s when the other person told me that “one of the neighbors” will call the city if you leave your car there for more than three days.” I got the message and promised I wouldn’t park there. Which I won’t. I don’t want to inconvenience my fellow Bernalese or come home to a ticket.
I’m not passing judgment on the neighborliness of calling the city on your fellow Bernal residents who park on a street not their own for extended, or semi-extended periods of time, forcing residents on that street to park a block or two away. I’m assuming this is a real problem (otherwise why would they call the city?), and it’s one I don’t face so I don’t actually know how frustrating it is. I’d probably be bit miffed though. The point of this long, boring story is just to let other people facing a similar parking dilemma that Newman St. may not be a good idea.
Happy holidays!
Got that, Santa? Just leave the sleigh in hover mode, and we’ll have some sugar cookies waiting on a plate when you drop by.
Oh, and one more thing: If you could also pick up any reindeer poop left behind by Donner, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen,, et al., bag it, and put it in a nearby garbage can, that would be great too. Cool?
Thanks again, big guy!!
Yours,
The Citizens of Bernalwood
Murals Proposed for Sutrito Tower Utility Building on Bernal Hill
A proposal is currently making the rounds to paint murals on the walls of the bunker-like utility building that sits inside the Sutrito Tower complex atop Bernal Hill. Under the current proposal, Precita Eyes Muralists would create four murals on each side of the building.
Omar Masry from the City’s Planning Department is circulating details about the proposal:
- The radio tower and building are privately operated by American Tower Corporation (ATC). The Planning Department has been working with other City agencies (Public Safety, Department of Technology) and ATC on improvements to the site such as repairing fencing, adding landscaping (no trees well outside of the fence line are affected), a water tank (using recycled water), security (primarily motion-based) lighting, removing any abandoned antennas, and so on.
- The tower features antennas for both commercial users, as well as those used by the City to communicate with police and firefighters in the neighborhood. So, improving security here is important, and we would appreciate your assistance in being an extra set of eyes for any suspicious activity, trespassing, or vandalism.
- ATC is considering hosting a mural by a local artist group, Precita Eyes, on the walls of the building. Please see attached.
- Please feel free to let me know your thoughts, or to contact Susan with Precita Eyes Muralists directly.
- Because the building is privately owned, the mural is not subject to City review.
Precita Eyes has done conceptual drawings for each of the four proposed murals, with a narrative written to explain what the murals represent:
Bernal Heights Tower Medicine Wheel Mural Project Narrative
The initial concept of this project was inspired by the building’s natural surroundings, and its alignment with the cardinal directions, corresponding to the Ohlone (Aboriginal peoples of the greater Bay Area) medicine wheel. The four colors of the wheel represent all our relations, and declare peace for each other and the creatures found in the wild. Because it is a telecommunications tower, included are crystal mineral formations and geometric shapes to compliment ground built from surrounding native plants and trees.
The brief descriptions to follow reflects the properties and essences of each cardinal direction, which serves as the base color for each wall.
Yellow- East
Represents the male energy and direction of the rising sun and fire. Animals present are the San Francisco Garter Snake and the Tule Elk.Black- West
Also known as the direction of the feminine aspects seen as turtle, the continent known as Turtle Island stretching from North to South America. The word Tonantzin seen in the sky means Mother Earth in Nahuatl, the ancient language of the Mexica. Also important are the sacred waters and relationship with Metzli (The Moon), the death of one day (represented by the Flicker bird) leading to the next along with a pair of Great Blue Herons. The Lotus Flower and Native sage are also visualized.Red- South
Held by the youth, essence of will and discipline, symbolized by the hummingbird. The wild curiosity of the Raccoon’s and Coyote’s trickster spirit is ever present in our modern day environment. The Black Widow web represents our collective web and security on the far left side connecting to an abstract version of native mother bird nesting.
White- North
The north side serves as an homage to our past, present and future relations and the word ancestors is read within the wings of a Golden Eagle with silhouetted figures underneath enjoying the sights and tranquility of Bernal Heights.Leading Design Artists:
Max Marttila
Eli Lippert
Fred Alvarado
Dno Deladingo
Suaro Cervantes
Ok, got all that?
Here’s my personal $0.02: Putting murals on the walls of the Sutrito Tower utility building is a great idea, and long overdue. Yet Precita Eyes is already very, very well represented in our neighborhood. To name just a few, Precita Eyes did the piece on the front of the Bernal Heights library. Precita Eyes did the mural on the Precita Neighborhood Center, on Precita near Alabama. Precita Eyes did the murals on Leonard Flynn School, facing Precita Park. Precita Eyes has a mural on the Walgreens, on the northwest corner of Mission and Cesar Chavez. Precita Eyes has also been tapped to do a 9-story mural on the side of the subsidized housing project for senior citizens on Shotwell near Cesar Chavez. Most of these are terrific pieces, but there’s no need for us to live in a mural monoculture, especially when there are a so many artists (young and old) who live in Bernal Heights, and who could bring an alternative perspective to this iconic. high-profile site. This is an excellent opportunity for us to diversify our public art and celebrate a broader range of Bernal talent. Why not give someone else a chance? Please, American Tower Corporation?
Of course, your opinion may differ. If you’d like to share your feedback on the current proposal, you can comment below or email Omar Masry from the Planning Department at omar.masry@sfgov.org.
PHOTO: Aerial view of Bernal Hill from Telstar Logistics
This Weekend: Open Studio Sale at Recycled Glassworks
Still looking for that special something for the home-decorista on your Santa’s list? Lucky for you Santa, Neighbor Lauren from Recycled Glassworks on Bonview is having an open studio sale this weekend:
What breaks in Bernal, stays in Bernal. Windows break or get replaced. Neighbor Lauren turns plate glass into unique, functional tableware. The plates, bowls, and platters are handmade in Recycled Glassworks’ studio in Bernal Heights. As popular gifts, they’re ready for their second life on the dinner table.
This weekend, Recycled Glassworks invites you to its Open Studio for the Holidays.
Over the last three years, Recycled Glassworks has become a popular source of relief for last-minute gift anxiety. Neighbors can browse the entire collection at its place of (re)birth, see many one-of-a-kind pieces, and get specials at outlet prices.
Saturday/Sunday, December 19-20, 12pm-5pm
238 Bonview Street (just off Cortland) in Bernal Heights, SFHope you can stop by.
PHOTOS: Courtesy of Recycled Glassworks
A View of an Undeveloped Valley as Seen from St. Mary’s Park in 1941
Courtesy of our friends OpenSF and the Western Neighborhoods Project, check out this terrific November 1941 view of the Islais Creek Valley on the south side of Bernal Heights, looking east from St. Mary’s Park, with Portola rising on the right side of the image.
That’s Alemany Boulevard running through the valley, and check out the cow (!!) grazing calmly on the hillside, roughly on the site where Alemany Farm sits today.
Even without knowing the date, there are a few visual hints that that this photo was taken just before the outbreak of World War II. What are the clues?
- St. Mary’s Park was excavated in the 1920s, so the fact that the park exists in this shot tells us that the photo was taken sometime afterward.
- The Allemany Farmer’s Market doesn’t exist yet. The farmer’s market moved to it’s present location in 1947, after relocating from the area around Duboce an Market Street.
- The valley itself is still undeveloped, which tells us that the photo must have been taken sometime before the development of the Hunter’s Point Naval Shipyard during World War II. During the war, this valley became the site of a large barracks-style development created to give shipyard workers a place to live. Here’s a view of how those houses looked around 1950, as seen from the area just above the Farmer’s Market:
Today, of course, I-280 runs through this valley, and little remains of this rustic scene other than the terrain itself. But at least you can now visualize how it once looked. Mooooo!
Thursday: Eat, Drink, and Shop Merry During the First-Ever Holiday Walk on Mission Street
We are blessed with much bounty here in the Dominion of Bernalwood, including two terrific commercial districts; each of which now plays host to its own holiday celebration.
Last week was the 2015 Cortland Holiday Stroll, and tomorrow, Thursday, December 17, the fabulous merchants, chefs, and barkeeps along the La Lengua stretch of Mission Street will hold the inaugural Mission-Bernal Holiday Walk:
Please join the Mission-Bernal Merchants Association for our first ever Mission Bernal Holiday Walk on Thursday, December 17, 5-8pm.
40+ businesses between Cesar Chavez and Randall Streets will honor you with holiday cheer. Follow our festive balloons and custom wreaths (made by Cole Hardware) to experience all that our neighborhood has to offer.
We have a great list of participating businesses for #MBMAWinterWalk2015. Hit up the craft fairs and do some holiday shopping at Secession Art and Design, Avenue and Cafe St. Jorge. Then wander down the street for some food and drinks. The following restaurants and bars are offering specials. Participating businesses will have a wreath on the door!
Blue Plate SF: Drink specials
Emmy’s Spaghetti Shack: wine tasting on the patio
Cafe Seventy8: $2 peppermint mochas and free holiday cookies
Cole Hardware: Glass of wine
The Front Porch: Children’s Activities and Mulled Wine
Iron & Gold: Drink specials
Old Bus Tavern: Drink specials and brewery tour
Secession Art & Design: 20% off Art!
The Royal Cuckoo Organ Lounge: Drink specials
Virgil’s Sea Room: Drink specials
BEL: Drink specials and free fries with purchase
Moxie Yoga: Check out our new location at 3232 Mission Street
Ichi Sushi: Food and drink happy hour specials
Cafe St. Jorge: Art + Craft Fair featuring local artists selling their wares
There Was a Water Main Break on Holladay This Morning
The string of unwelcome excitements on Holladay in eastern Bernal Heights continued today, as a water main burst between Faith and Costa.
Neighbor David shared this photo of crews working on the scene to repair the damage.
PHOTO: Neighbor David
New Details, Less Controversy for Latest Northeast Bernal Infill Housing Proposal
Proposed site plan, from December 2015 Design Review Board meeting
As you may recall, there was another Design Review Board meeting last week to look over the revised plans for the very longstanding, very controversial plan to build infill housing on the secret interior lot bordered by Hampshire, Peralta, York and Cesar Chavez.
In case you missed it, Neighbor Margo shared these terrific summary notes from the Design Review meeting:
About a dozen neighbors attended the East Slope Design Review Board meeting Wednesday evening to see the most recent architectural plans for the six-unit infill development behind our home. Local contractor Patrick Quinlan wants to build three-bedroom homes and a cliff-side elevated driveway on two undeveloped interior lots. Access would be from his lot at 1513 York Street.
The project has been in and out of the development pipeline for 15 years or more.
The latest iteration from San Francisco-based architect Stephen Antonaros drastically cuts the number of parking places. Mr. Antonaros said the city Planning Department directed the builder to reduce the number of dedicated parking places in the four three-bedroom homes from three spots to one per unit. That goes against what the neighbors had advocated for many years, but the directive is apparently in keeping with the city’s transit-first policy.
The plan envisions four three-bedroom homes on the R-2 interior lots, and two one-bedroom townhouses above a driveway/garage-door structure on the York Street access lot. The total of 14 bedrooms is unchanged from the previous plan, which we saw 18 months ago in May 2014.
But one of the concerns that neighbors voiced for many years was that the parking spaces in the development should reflect real life. The last set of plans met that concern; most neighbors thought the 18 spots for the six units would avert a flood of drivers seeking a place to park in neighboring streets, where parking is already extremely challenging, particularly at night. So, for those of us who were hoping that this project would not worsen parking in the area, the new plan, with just six parking places, is a setback.
The other major change is that the four interior buildings had been oriented in the previous layout in a sort of slanted configuration, facing northeast, following the contour of the hill, leaving some space between the buildings, and some space at each side of the lot. The city directed the architect to reduce the mass of the development, so he took that as a directive to push the houses closer together and over to one side, as well as to configure them parallel to the neighboring streets. The development now would be more like a cluster of four buildings hard up against the York Street side of the property.
The owner of the adjacent property on York Street pointed out that he had previously noted that the building on the access lot would abut two existing windows on the north side of his house. He had asked the architect to modify his plans, perhaps with a light-well. Mr. Antanaros responded that when you install a window on your property line, you take a risk that someone will construct a building there. In any case, that modification was not made.
Two neighbors asked that the builder consider leaving the space open, perhaps as an organic garden. Mr. Quinlan said the finances of the situation make that option unrealistic.
The East Slope Design Review Board volunteers, led by Wendy Cowles, went point by point through their previous concerns, expressed in a letter to the Planning Department following the last neighborhood meeting in May 2014. Mr. Antonaros tried to show how his new plans answered them. A few spirited exchanges ensued.
The Board’s concerns included traffic density within the project itself, which, of course, would be lessened by reducing the number of parking places. Another traffic concern was the “pinch point,” the area near the gate to the project, where cars can safely wait while turning into and out of York Street, which is quite steep and narrow on this block.
A retaining wall and elevated driveway directly above the back yards of the adjoining properties on Cesar Chavez were a concern both aesthetically and for safety. The builder plans to excavate, with earth-moving equipment, to reduce the scale of parts of the wall, but the proposed driveway remains right on the property line, and was not moved back.
One part of the project, the two one-bedroom townhouses on York Street, was over the neighborhood’s 30-foot height limit, and it was lowered.
The architect and builder expressed frustration at the pace that city planners are moving this project. In the 18 months since the last meeting, Mr. Antonaros said, he has had but three email exchanges with the planner, Mr. Doug Vu, and the directives he’s gotten have not added clarity for him, he said.
The review board will write another letter to the Planning Department and expects to see plans again at a later date.
Despite the contractor’s and architect’s frustrations, and several neighbors’ skepticism about the whole project, Ms. Cowles succeeded in keeping the atmosphere relatively civil and efficient. The meeting wrapped in a bit over two hours.
Many thanks to Neighbor Margo for sharing her most excellent notes.
Sad Fixer-Upper on Nevada Sells for $725K
Depending on your point-of-view, the butt-ugly fixer-upper house at 412 Nevada that just sold for $725K is either a ridiculous symbol of our grotesquely overpriced housing market, or it’s an entry-level bargain for an ambitious home-buyer looking for a way to get a foothold in Bernal Heights. CurbedSF has the details:
The latest very expensive fixer-upper to sell in San Francisco is a seemingly unlivable Edwardian filled with piles of rubble on the south side of Bernal Heights. Its final price of $725,000 may not be as high as some of the fixers in neighborhoods like Noe Valley or the Mission, but given the state of the home it’s certainly enough to make heads turn. Windows are boarded up, the old tile in the bathroom is nearly destroyed, and there are holes in the wooden garage door.
The place was on the market for just a week before going into contract. It currently has two bedrooms, one falling-apart bathroom, a bonus room, and a garage that “possibly” could house a vehicle, according to the listing. Of course, it’s likely that none of that will matter, because there’s no way the new owners are moving in as-is.
PHOTOS: via Google Street View and CurbedSF
Bernalwood 
