An Update On Hayes Valley's Outdoor Movie Plans

An Update On Hayes Valley's Outdoor Movie PlansPhoto: Hoodline / Andrew Dudley
Andrew Dudley
Published on August 21, 2014
Exactly three months ago, we reported that outdoor movie screenings were being planned for the PROXY space at Hayes and Octavia, as a giant metal frame had been erected at the site.

This morning we checked in with Lindsey Schott, communications director for envelope A+D (the design firm behind PROXY), for an update.

Though the original goal was to have the screen up and running in time for a fall film festival, things have been delayed a bit as Proxy seeks a new, comprehensive permit for the space.

"At the suggestion of the Planning Department, we applied for a change of use permit for the PROXY EVENT/PLAY plaza to more officially reflect how we intend to use it," Lindsey told us. 

"It had still been classified as a surface-level parking lot though we had included our programming plans on the permit from its inception. We wanted to make sure we were being as transparent as possible with not only the city but with the neighborhood residents and businesses as well."

The new permit seeks to cover a slew of possible activities at Proxy.  That includes the movie screenings and other recent uses like fitness classes, as well as some tantalizing potential ideas like live performances, holiday craft fairs, and farmer's markets.

However, Lindsey cautions that not all of these activities will necessarily come to fruition.

"Because of our overarching goals of forthrightness and being good neighbors, we listed a pretty exhaustive set of potential uses on the updated permit. While not all of those kinds of programming may take place at PROXY, we wanted everyone to know that the potential exists for us to host a range of uses like a farmer's market or limited live performances."

PROXY must now wait for the permitting process to conclude before moving forward with any of these plans.  As such, the timetable for movie screenings -- or any of these other possible activities -- is uncertain. We'll keep an eye on it, and will let you know when there's news to share.