Two years ago today, a massive fire devastated the building at the southeast corner of Haight and Fillmore. Since that afternoon, we've tried to provide updates every few months as reconstruction on the building has progressed.
Now, with the project nearing completion, here's what will probably be our last update on the topic.
As far as the businesses go, we're almost back in... business. On September 8th, CVS opened in the space formerly occupied by Walgreens. Three Twins and Estela's had originally been hoping to open in June, but suffered some unforeseen delays. The ice cream shop is now aiming for an early/mid-October re-opening, while we're awaiting word on Estela's. We also don't yet know what will open in the third Fillmore Street space, previously occupied by Fecal Face Dot Gallery.
As we wrote on Monday (in our most "liked" story ever, oddly), the renovated residential units have now hit the market, at some eye-popping prices.
Meanwhile, we asked the original residents of 493 Haight to update us on their experiences, and let us know whether they'll be returning. We received a wide range of responses. Some tenants are moving back in, some took a buyout, some feel they were treated well during the process, and some definitely do not.
Here's a sampling of their comments.
Tenant 1:
As far as the businesses go, we're almost back in... business. On September 8th, CVS opened in the space formerly occupied by Walgreens. Three Twins and Estela's had originally been hoping to open in June, but suffered some unforeseen delays. The ice cream shop is now aiming for an early/mid-October re-opening, while we're awaiting word on Estela's. We also don't yet know what will open in the third Fillmore Street space, previously occupied by Fecal Face Dot Gallery.
"As of September 25, I am moving back to 493 Haight, into my former apartment (which I'm told will be ready around Oct. 15 - the move-in date of 10/1 was pushed owing to typical last-minute construction delays) at the rent I was paying for it at the time of the fire. It's been a bit of a struggle to hang in, between the day of the fire and now, but hang in I have. Though it could be argued that the management company didn't go out of their way to keep up posted on progress (not even updating the http://493haight.com/ site, ostensibly there to keep us posted on the progress), at this point in time they seem to be doing right by us. And though management made it very clear that they were willing to talk to me about a buyout, they never pressured me to do so. It was understood from the start that we had the right to move back in, and they seem to be honoring that right. All of us moving back in have had a rough go of it, and I doubt I'm the only one who still feels vulnerable over the whole thing (seeing your home of 15 years on fire will do that). But we're looking forward to being back in the building and starting to make it our home again."Tenant 2:
"I was offered a choice of apartments, and since I assumed my previous studio, which now has a loft and is larger, would be unavailable, I chose one I actually wanted more, same size as my previous apartment before the rebuild, and got it. The management company assured me I would be moving in at the same rate I was paying. So far they haven't notified me of any passthroughs. We learned about our rights as tenants from Christina Olague, The Tenants Rights Committee, and lawyers. Our landlord did say, at the first public meeting in Feb (?) 2012 that they were letting us back in at the same rate because the law requires it. In general Meridian Management and Jay Lieberman, the building supervisor, have been straightforward and pleasant whenever I've asked for information. It's the landlords who make me nervous. I'll probably stop worrying about a year from now."Tenant 3:
"I chose to not move back in. I got my security deposit back following the fire, and that was the end of it. Why? Because I had only been at 493 (and in SF for that matter) for about five months. I didn't have a great deal on rent, and I didn't want to wait around to see when the new building re-opened. Seeing that they're now asking nearly $4,000 for a one bedroom (wtf), I had a steal at $1,700. I miss the Lower Haight, but I am glad to have moved on. I now live in the Mission."Tenant 4:
"So, after two years the management offered me a replacement apartment. Unfortunately, they replaced my one bedroom flat with a studio half the size of my original apartment (which I had for fifteen years) and on the lower floor (I was originally on the third floor). The lawyer told me that they will never give me back a one bedroom and that my only alternative was to go through litigation. I knew that meridian would screw me and I was right. I accepted the unit as I was not prepared to deal with lawyers and lawsuits. Meridian are crooks and they are only concerned with dollars and they don't care about people."Tenant 5:
"I used the lawyer, which we were all referred to, to negotiate the settlement. I also know for a fact, that another person who was in a similar situation (same size apt., moved in at the same time as me) and didn't use a lawyer got 5 times less. But basically, I think I signed a document saying I give up my right to return to the apartment at the same rate, in return for the money... While I did take the buyout money and wasn't planning to move back into the building, I'm still outraged about the current rates they offer the units at."Tenant 6:
"There were too many extenuating circumstances to feel confident that I was going to get the size and value of my old apartment, as well as the technicalities of potentially raised rent in the future, so I opted out of moving back into 493. After almost two years of watching the slow painful reconstruction from just one block away, I have resigned myself to the fact that they never truly intended for nor wanted to help the original tenants of 493. Now, with the staggering costs of the units, and having seen the pictures as it came along (and completed shots), I am almost relieved to say I no longer live there. All of its old San Francisco interior charm is gone and what remains is a shocking pricetag that will only garner snickers and slow head-shakes from Lower Haight residents when you point to the place you live. I'm happily down the street, still in the neighborhood I love, with perfectly working fire alarms and a healthier outlook on life and the important/non-important 'stuff' you might lose during it."We asked Jay Lieberman of Meridian Management Group to provide information for this story, but did not receive a response. We'll keep an eye on those three Fillmore street shops and will update with any news. Otherwise, it looks like things are just about back to "normal" at the corner of Haight and Fillmore.
