Neighbors are invited to the Barbary Coast Neighborhood Association's annual meeting, to be held this Sunday, June 28th, from 4–6pm at Il Fornaio (1265 Battery St.). The event will feature board elections and an appearance by District 3 Supervisor Julie Christensen. Non-members are welcome to attend, socialize, and enjoy discounted drinks and complimentary appetizers. New members will be enrolled on-site, and no RSVP is required.
"We’re always looking for people to get involved in BCNA," said Carol Parlette, the organization's treasurer. "We’ll have opportunities to serve in the future and we need leadership in the community ... We look out for the best interests of the neighborhood."
The BNCA has worked on a number of projects intended to improve quality of life in the area, including the bocce courts at Justin Herman Plaza, the grassy, dog-friendly 2.5-acre Cruise Terminal Plaza at the James R. Herman Cruise Terminal at Pier 27, and the children's playground at Sue Bierman Park. "That’s one thing we’re really proud of," Parlette said of the playground. "It’s full of kids all the time. It's super successful."
The children's playground at Sue Bierman Park.
The nonprofit organizes several social events throughout the year. Recent events have included a Halloween party at the Gateway Apartments and Townhomes, Barbary Coast history walks, and a health fair at Sydney G. Walton Square. "It knits up the community in a nice way," Parlette said.
BCNA also represents its members on the Port of San Francisco's Northeast Waterfront Advisory Committee (NEWAG), the SFPD Central Station Community Police Advisory Board, the Coalition for San Francisco Neighborhoods, and more. The group is very involved in shaping development in the area. "Being on the board is a really active way of getting to know what’s going to happen and being able to put your two cents in," Parlette said. "We often meet with developers before anything is even on paper, to act as a sounding board for what the neighbors may or may not like."
Cruise Terminal Plaza.
In recent months, members of the group have approved a new site for Teatro ZinZanni at Broadway and the Embarcadero, given input on a market-rate condo project proposed for Pacific Avenue near Battery Street, and strongly advocated for an active street level and middle-income units to be added to a proposed affordable housing project planned for Broadway and Front Street.
Membership in BCNA is open to everyone, even those who don't live within the group's borders. Individual membership is $25 per year, and information on how to join is on the website.
Disclosure: Hoodline's Geri Koeppel is a former BCNA board member and continues to volunteer as its website manager. The Barbary Coast News, which she published for more than a year prior to joining Hoodline, was an independent business and not part of the BCNA.
