The gaping hole at the corner of Hayes and Laguna streets will soon be filled by a housing development, but the reach of the project extends farther than just a construction site. The developers of the upcoming mixed-use condo building at 580 Hayes St. have filed two applications with the Planning Department that would add landscaping, widen sidewalks, and impact several parking spots on both the north and south sides of the development.
The first application, filed with the Planning Department in July, would expand the sidewalk on the south side of Ivy Street, east of Laguna. Cars would still be able to pass through, but five parking spaces would be removed as part of the project. A second application aims to expand the sidewalk two feet for the outbound 21-Muni stop on Hayes and Laguna streets and add back one parking spot, bringing the total number of parking spots removed to four.
"With the new multi-family development being installed between Ivy and Hayes at Laguna, the Ivy Street sidewalk will expand to include an eight-foot-wide sidewalk and a five-foot-wide planting area," said Nicole Kelly of Marta Fry Landscape Associates (MFLA), whose landscaping firm has been assigned to the project by the developers of 580 Hayes. "Though not technically labelled a ‘Living Alley’, the expansion will include over 200 square feet of planting, as well as four to five new trees."
"I think this project developer, in 'greening' and expanding the sidewalk on Ivy Street, as well as adding Hayes Street frontage with a bulb-out and relocation of the bus shelter, is enhancing the sidewalks in zones that are currently very constricted," said Marta Fry, design director of MFLA. "The Ivy Street expansion is also being designed in the hopes of traffic calming. All of these streetscape enhancements are designed within the goals for the Living Alleys: Market Octavia Toolkit program."
MFLA is no stranger to the Hayes Valley neighborhood. Prior projects managed by the landscaping firm include 8 Octavia, 450 Hayes, 400 Grove, 150 Van Ness and 1554 Market St.
No renderings have been released of the proposed landscaping, but here's what the 580 Hayes development will look like:
580 Hayes, as seen from the SW corner of Laguna and Hayes. (Rendering: Sternberg Benjamin Architects)
The developers of 580 Hayes St. have already courted some landscaping controversy: they petitioned to remove two large ficus trees on the Hayes Street side of the development earlier this year. Despite opposition from the Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association's Greening Committee, the trees were cut down in the spring.
In a letter to the developers of 580 Hayes last summer, the Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association expressed its support for the Ivy Street project. "In terms of urban design and configuration, this project fits nicely with the Market and Octavia Plan," the letter reads. " We hope for an excellent outcome working with living streets on Ivy."
These two applications come at a time when Hayes Valley is undergoing something of a parking crunch. Proposed safety measures such as daylighting and building bulb-outs around the neighborhood have drawn concern from some residents, who fear that parking in the area may become even more difficult.
An SFMTA hearing to address both proposals will take place on Friday September 4th, at 10am in room 416 at City Hall. A full agenda for the hearing can be found here.
