Upper Haight pro-density group to kick off new series of monthly meetings

Upper Haight pro-density group to kick off new series of monthly meetingsPhoto: Camden Avery/Hoodline
Camden Avery
Published on January 29, 2019

This Wednesday, January 30, local pro-density group Haight Ashbury Neighbors for Density (HAND) is hosting the first of what will be a monthly series of community meetings.

As we previously reported, HAND launched last year to advocate for "thoughtful growth and better public transit" in the Haight, with the goal of improving affordability and access to housing in the area.

Phillip Kobernick, one of the group's founding members, said this week's meeting is a prelude to a mix of monthly and quarterly meetings, with a range of focuses. It will feature an appearance by YIMBY advocate Sonja Trauss, who ran last year for District 6 supervisor, and will cover the potential impacts of the Haight's first recreational cannabis storefront.

"We’ll do larger community events like this quarterly, with speakers, local politicians, coalition partners," Kobernick said. Monthly meetings will encompass happy hour meet-ups, volunteer days, and project-specific meetings.

"I think the next quarterly meeting will be all about transportation," he said.

One of the biggest items on the radar for HAND is the future redevelopment of the Upper Haight McDonald's, which is set to become affordable housing in 2022.

Rather than focusing on potential interim site uses, though, Kobernick said HAND's main interest is in making sure that when the housing development is constructed, it's built out at seven, rather than five stories.

If you'd like to attend HAND's January meeting, it's being held tomorrow, January 30th at the Park Branch Library (1833 Page St.) from 7 - 8:30 p.m.