The Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association (HVNA) met last night for their monthly meeting. With a goal of promoting community involvement and serving as a liaison to city officials and a sounding board for neighborhood ideas and complaints, the organization meets on the last Thursday of each month at the Hayes Valley Playground.
There was a lot of information presented by city and community representatives. Read on to learn more about new buildings, old gardens, and how quickly Hayes Valley is growing.
WHAT'S REPLACING THE COMMUNITY GARDEN?
As we shared last week, the Community Garden at Octavia and Page received an eviction notice. The garden was always meant to be a temporary use of the space until the property was sold. While the land still isn't technically sold, negotiations are underway.
Just yesterday, the city signed two developers to work on the new housing project that will be constructed on this property: Build Inc. and DM Development. Both are San Francisco firms: Build Inc. is located next to Blue Bottle in Linden Alley, and DM Development is working on several new buildings in the neighborhood.
The team will spend this summer reviewing geo-technical details (like soil samples) before vacating the lot for a few months. We might see a pumpkin patch or Christmas tree lot utilize the property this fall. Permits will be obtained in late 2015 and construction will begin in late 2015 or early 2016. The project is expected to be ready for occupancy in 2017.
SO WHAT ABOUT ALL THOSE PLANTS, FLOWERS, AND FRUIT TREES?
The last day the Community Garden is open to the public is Friday, July 4. The Department of Public Works does not want to rip up everything people have worked so hard creating, so all plants, flowers, and fruit trees in the garden are free to anyone who can come and get them.
The garden will be open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 12pm-5pm until they close at 2pm on July 4. Swing by between those hours and check with a volunteer to see what's available or has been spoken for. They don't have any materials to help with the removal of your desired ficus, so please bring your own pots, digging spades, or shovels.
SPEAKING OF PARCELS, WHAT'S GOING ON WITH PARCEL O?
While construction is moving forward with the Avalon Bay apartments on Parcel P, Parcel O has remained unspoken for... until now. A Request For Proposal (RFP) has been issued for affordable/family housing on the large piece of land located at Laguna and Fell. The process (and development) is moving faster than originally expected and the city hopes to move forward with a potential developer by the end of July or early August.
WOW, THIS IS A LOT. ANYTHING ELSE?
We're so glad you asked. Alexis Smith from the SF Planning Department shared more information about the Market and Octavia Neighborhood Plan Review. While much of the information can be found here, one interesting thing to note is when it comes to growth in San Francisco (as defined by housing and jobs), Hayes Valley accounted for 5-6% over the past few years. The plan outlines how 6,000 new housing units are being added to our neighborhood over 20 years. Since 2008, 1,300 units have been built and over a thousand are currently in construction.
If you're interested in learning about the details of the next HVNA meeting, check their calendar for a time, location, and agenda. We hope to see you there next month.
