Visitacion Valley Planning Alliance Meeting

Saturday, April 12, 10 am -12 pm
Visitacion Valley Library Community Room
Leland Avenue at corner of Rutland Avenue

Agenda:

GROCERY OUTLET
Derek Navarro and his wife, the operators of the new Grocery Outlet, located at Bayshore and Sunnydale Avenues will discuss the opening of their store. This is an exciting addition to our neighborhood. Come meet the new management, learn about the store and give your input.

SCHLAGE LOCK
There will be further discussion with a representative from UPC, the developer, and from the City's planning team, Emily Lesh,
( Mayor's  Office of Employment, and Workforce Development) about the Schlage Lock Developer's Agreement, which is going before the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors in the next few months. If you missed the other meetings or have questions, please come to discuss the overall process, including the Old Office Building and future involvement of the community in the ongoing planning process.

Update on other Valley issues.

Refreshments

Participatory Budget Kickoff Meeting #2 tonight

A reminder that this is ONLY for District 3, 7, and 10 residents ($100K per district).

At the first D10 kickoff meeting this past weekend, ideas that floated to the top were: wrapping utility boxes in art; safety measures for seniors on MUNI; streetscape improvements; shuttle share program in Vis Valley.  Evidently, we're only able to use the web form at http://sfpb.net/ to submit one idea per home address. Despite this, since I had a couple of ideas, I submitted others to the email address provided on the website. The ideas I submitted were:

1. provide initial funding to new community gardens, such as that at the Palou Community Garden 
2. streetscape improvements to Industrial St, including adding new crosswalks at four intersections, bulbouts, pedestrian islands, bike lanes, and stop signs at Revere 
3. expand SFShines to provide grants for facade improvements at neighborhood corner stores, such as Mike's Market on Silver at Revere (Silver Terrace) and Five Mile Market on San Bruno Ave (Vis Valley). 

The next steps for District 10 are:

• Kickoff meeting #2 Wednesday, April 2, 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.; California College of the Arts, 350 Kansas Street.  Same format as the one on Saturday in Visitacion Valley, where people will be split into groups and will brainstorm ideas
• Residents can submit their ideas via the website at http://sfpb.net/ until April 15. When an idea is submitted, the City's budget office will go over it and determine whether it is feasible or not within the framework of this program.
• ideas that are deemed feasible will be returned to residents at the vetting meeting on April 17 at the Southeast Community Facility, 1800 Oakdale Ave (6-7:30PM).
• ideas that make it through that meeting will be sent out to residents throughout District 10 to be voted upon. We'll be given a window of time to do it in and the projects that get the most votes (one vote per resident) will be funded.

If you want funds to be spent in your neighborhood, you have to vote. Be prepared to get your neighbors to vote, go door to door if you have to, and help get funds directed your way.

Projects that are funded will get a minimum of $5K and a maximum of $25K. If you have an idea, please submit it to http://sfpb.net/

If you want a second pair of eyes to read through your completed draft before you submit an idea, I'm happy to take a look and give you feedback (that you can use or not as you see fit).

San Bruno Avenue Beautification Day!

Saturday, February 15th 9AM-12PM.

Meet at the Burrows Pocket Park (1 Burrows St.) @9AM 

Volunteer with your neighbors and merchants along San Bruno Avenue. We're looking for volunteers to help with the various beautification activities such as tree well replenishing, sprucing up the Burrows Pocket Park and litter removal. We will be giving volunteers raffle tickets to win some prizes! Some of the businesses will be out and about as well, power-washing their storefronts and tidying up sidewalks!

Please stop by, we need all the help we can get!

SF Parks & Rec Community Budget Meetings

The new budget season has begun! Join SF Parks & Rec for an upcoming community budget meeting.

Monday, January 27, at Palega Recreation Center, 6-7:30 p.m

Monday, February 3, at Cabrillo Playground,  6-7:30 p.m

Hear SF Park & Rec's initial plans for the upcoming year, tell them your budget priorities, and find out more information on the city's budget process.

For more information, visit sfrecpark.org. 

Sneak peek: Mayor Ed Lee has a housing solution

From SFGate,

Lee will propose a seven-point plan that includes building housing over existing city facilities and doubling the amount of down-payment assistance that the city will provide to middle-income home buyers, up to $200,000. Lee wants 5,000 new homes built or rehabilitated each year over the next six years. 

With the city's economy growing, construction is already speeding up. This year, more than 10,000 housing units are under construction or are holding building permits and are ready to be built, according to city figures. Another 12,000 units are in the permitting pipeline, with an additional 25,000 part of already adopted development plans, Lee's administration said.

San Francisco’s Visitacion Valley to get first grocery store in decades

From KALW,

Almost 30 million Americans live a mile or more away from a supermarket. That may not sound very far, but for the five million plus who don’t have cars, that distance can mean the difference between eating a healthy meal and getting fast food. 

That’s how it is for residents of San Francisco’s Visitacion Valley neighborhood. But change is on the way. The district is slated to get its first supermarket in three decades.

Read more at KALW

Portola WINS Curbed Cup 2014

Booyah!  Way to go Portola!  Read more at Curbed SF.

Bringing design to the Portola

From Lincoln Now,

 

The challenge at hand is Burrows Street Park. This once depleted empty lot will be a plant-filled, seating-friendly “pocket park” in San Francisco’s Portola District. Part of the Lincoln Reimagine Project,™ the construction of the pocket park is a collaboration between The Lincoln Motor Company, Architectural Digest, and Architecture for Humanity. The park is in phase two of its implementation: finalizing the actual design of how the park will be used. To Jacobs, this phase is the hardest, but also a fun challenge.

More at Lincoln Now

Visitacion Valley Tree Planting Party!

There will be a tree planting in Visitacion Valley on Saturday, December 21 from 9 am - 12 pm with Friends of the Urban Forest.

Volunteers will meet at the Visitacion Valley Greenway Herb Garden on Arleta Avenue between Alpha and Rutland Avenues at 9 am, then disperse to plant trees in the neighborhood. Tools and gloves will be provided.

Afterwards, they will regroup at the Herb Garden for a picnic.

Recology will provide a barbecue. Those who are interested, please bring side dishes for a potluck lunch - salads, pasta, desserts, appetizers - whatever you would like to bring.

Come join in this community volunteer greening effort that is helping transform the Valley. 

ALSO!

Fruit Tree Pruning Workshop in Visitacion Valley: Beginners Welcome
Learn from the Experts!

On December 21 from 9 am - 12 pm the Friends of the Urban Forest will present  a free fruit pruning workshop. You must register beforehand with Blake Watkin, Tree Care Coordinator for Friends of the Urban Forest. Class size will be restricted to 15 people, so register early.
RSVP for meeting location to Blake@fuf.net

Instructor:
Zoe Hitchner is an organic farmer in Soquel, ca. In the offseason she prunes and maintains fruit trees in orchards and backyards across the Bay Area with Orchard Keepers out of Santa Cruz. Zoe was trained in horticulture at the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems at UCSC and studied fruit trees under Chadwick Garden manager/horticultural wizard, Orin Martin. She teaches gardening and fruit tree workshops through the Friends of the UCSC Farm and Garden.

The workshop will be held at the same time as the Friends of the Urban Forest's  Visitacion Valley tree planting - separate, but related events. At noon there will be a potluck for tree pruners and tree planters at the Visitacion Valley Greenway's Herb Garden on Arleta Avenue, between Alpha and Rutland Avenues.

McLaren Park Jump in the Lake and Rake at Louis Sutter

From Help McLaren Park,

It's that time again to get in some waders and jump in McNab Lake. I hear this year we are going to be sporting new duds so no one will be getting wet (unless someone decides to fall!). Everyone did such a marvelous job in the summer the lake doesn't look half bad. I think we are really going to make a huge dent in the slime/garbage reduction overall this time around.  

Thanks to all who braved the green waters in years past. I sure hope you can come back and help us again. Don't forget we need volunteers of all ages. We also tackle the cleanup of the play structure at the same time. This semi annual deep cleaning helps keep the play area clean and fun for all to enjoy and is especially important in the dark and sometimes wet winter months. 

Local grocer Fresh & Easy on Silver Ave. is once again sponsoring Help McLaren Park's the "Jump in the Lake and Rake" event at Louis Sutter Park Dec 14th, 9AM - noon.

More at Help McLaren Park on Facebeook 

HOLIDAY HONEY SALE!!

Please support our neighborhood bee farm.

Sunday, December 8

10AM - 2PM

The Bee Farm

Sam Bruno Ave at Ordway

If holiday shopping is beginning to be more stress than fun, we can help. Come to The Bee Farm this Sunday, 10 AM-2 PM, for our Holiday Honey Sale. 

A jar of hyper-local honey, produced by honey bees under the ethical and loving stewardship of volunteer beekeepers, is a gift idea that cannot be beat. Honey stores indefinitely, it is a sweet aid for a sore throat/cough, it is reputed to help with allergies, and is a healthy sweetener. And, all sale proceeds benefit non-profit San Francisco Bee-Cause in our quest to support local bee populations.

Our honey is attractively bottled in glass “queenline” style jars. With proper packing, they can be (and have been) shipped cross-country without breaking.

Prices (Cash Only): ½ lb jar - $10; 1 lb jar - $15

Holiday tree decorating in the Portola

San Bruno Avenue is getting our very first Christmas tree. Please join us in decorating the tree this Saturday, Dec. 7th 3-5pm next to Four Barrel Coffee (1 Burrows St.) Feel free to bring some of your own non-breakable decorations. Hope to see everyone there!

For those of you who are connected to the Portola Neighborhood Association on Facebook, here’s an event link that you can use to let us know if you’re coming and for you to share with friends:

https://www.facebook.com/events/184622791728330/

First Cup at Four Barrel

Greenhouses for the Garden District

For seventy years, commercial greenhouses characterized the vibrant urban-agricultural heritage of the Portola, once known to all as “San Francisco’s Garden.” Today, the neighborhood still prides itself on being San Francisco’s “Garden District,” yet the University Mound Greenhouses, built in 1922, are the last of its greenhouses. The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission currently has plans underway to "daylight" the upper portion of Yosemite Creek (see project description here: http://sfwater.org/index.aspx?page=699). Inclusion of the greenhouse property in PUC's design for this multi-million dollar investment will help meet four neighborhood priorities: urban agriculture, self-sufficiency, leadership, and blight removal.

Please sign the petition at http://www.change.org/petitions/greenhouses-for-the-garden-district to ask the SFPUC to include the greenhouse property in their overall plan for the Yosemite Creek watershed.

Happening this weekend

You can't do it all, but you can do a lot this Saturday in D10!

Four Barrel Opens! Opens at 7AM, with festivities beginning at 10
HPS Bus Tour 10AM - 1PM
Free Dental Exams for Children 10AM - 2PM
SF City Walks Vis Valley 10AM
Halloween at Pier 70 noon - 5PM

BRITE General Meeting 10AM - noon
Potrero Hill GBD Workshops 12:30 - 2:30PM

Four Barrel Opens in Portola!!

Saturday, October 26 
1 Burrows St 
10:30AM - 2:30PM 

  The long anticipated opening of Four Barrel this weekend!! We just heard there'll be a mobile petting zoo between 10:30am and 1pm. A local brass band, Brass Magic, will be playing between 1:30-2:30. Hope you can bring your family and friends down to 1 Burrows St for that delicious cup of coffee!

SF City Walks: Visitacion Valley

Come see a part of town you probably don't know...You pass it every time to & fro from the airport! 

Event: Visitacion Valley/Little Hollywood City Guides Walk

Host: Cynthia Cox

Time: Saturday, October 26, 2013 10:00AM

Location: Walks start at the Corner of Leland & Desmond 

Additional information:

There are two walks...10am & 2pm  Both start from the same location.

more info needed check sfcityguides.org

PNA Community Meeting

The Portola Neighborhood Association (PNA)
invites you to our next

COMMUNITY MEETING
Thursday, October 24, 2013

PNA Committees and projects updates
Burrows Pocket Park Project Phase II - Architecture for Humanity Design Update
AT&T electrical cabinets in the Portola
PUC Sewer System Improvement Program & CleanPowerSF
Community Safety Update Bayview Station Captain O’Sullivan
OEWD assessment of opportunities for San Bruno Ave
Find out ‘What’s on’ in the Portola over the coming weeks!!
Food & Refreshment to be generously provided by Astound Broadband

6:30pm to 8:00pm
Saint Elizabeth’s Church (Cantwell Hall)
490 Goettingen Street

Portola Neighborhood Association

For any questions, please contact: Jack Tse Corridor Manager jack@portolasf.org (415) 574-9170 

Saturday Events: Portola Safety Bash

Saturday, October 5
ER Taylor Middle School
350 Burrows St
10AM - 2PM

Food, Refreshments, and Fun!

Bring your kids and their bikes for free, hands-on activities to teach and promote safety

Featuring riding lessons, bike blender, bike rodeo, helmet giveaways, obstacle course

Tonight: Three Important Community Meetings

Portola
Yosemite Creek Daylighting
What: Community Open House 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm, Site Walking Tour: 5:30 pm
When: Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Where: SFPUC Building - Yellow House, 401 University Street (at Bacon)

Bayview
San Francisco Transportation Plan
What: Open House
When: Wednesday, October 2 at 6:00 PM
Where: Bayview Opera House, 4705 3rd Street

Potrero Hill
Eastern Neighborhoods Planning Forum
What: Forum When: Wednesday, October 2, 2013, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Where: International Studies Academy
655 De Haro Street

SF Transportation Plan | Eastern Neighborhoods Planning Forum | Yosemite Creek Daylighting