Back in August, we reported on plans that were underway for a new parklet on the north side of Clement Street near 3rd Avenue (in front of Cumaica Coffee).

In his monthly newsletter today, Supervisor Eric Mar included a sketch rendering of said parklet. The sketch shows an L-shaped bench at one end, planter boxes on the street side, and a counter level span on the street side. A bike rack sits outside the east end of the parklet.

If you’re new to the world of parklets, they are mini “urban” parks that have been installed in parking spaces around the city. Usually they take over 2 or 3 parking spaces, and each has their own individual design. They were developed as part of the city’s Pavement to Parks program; its goal is to reclaim or offer additional public open space in areas that are lacking.

The cost for constructing and installing a parklet varies, but averages around $20,000. Typically businesses foot the bill (after all it does add more seating right outside their door) or funds are contributed via donations.

Back in September, some residents took over the proposed parklet space during the worldwide PARK(ing) day event, to show how it could be used as a recreational space.

There are currently 36 parklets in San Francisco (view map), including three in the Sunset District. The Mission has the highest concentration of them along the Valencia Street corridor.

Mar mentioned the proposed parklet in his newsletter because he is looking into the impact that parklets have on communities:

“As parklets proliferate, it is important that the City study and understand the impact they have on communities. While evidence to date suggests that the increase in pedestrian activity outweighs the loss of parking, we need a stronger understanding of the overall effect so that we can work with businesses and residents better. To review all of these issues, I am convening a hearing at the Land Use Committee.”

Mar says that if residents have any input on parklets that they’d like to share with his office, they should contact his aide Nick Pagoulatos at nickolas.pagoulatos@sfgov.org or 415.554.7412.

Sarah B.

Word is spreading like wildfire among residents and merchants about a Richmond District Farmer’s Market.

In a recent email to market supporters, aide Peter Lauterborn from Supervisor Eric Mar’s office wrote, “We are at the point of nearing approval for a significant market entering the neighborhood!”

The proposed farmer’s market would take place on Sunday mornings from 9am to 1 or 2pm, and would require closing the blocks of Clement Street between 2nd and 4th Avenues. The market would be run by the Agricultural Institute of Marin (AIM), which currently runs other markets at Stonestown, Civic Center, and in other Bay Area locations.

According to Lauterborn, the Clement Street farmer’s market will feature a wide range of local products, including eggs, milk, cheeses, meats, plus children activities, live music, and bouncy houses. The market will also provide matching dollars for “food stamp” users, and additional bike parking.

Lauterborn states that “the parking loss should be a non-issue” on Sunday mornings, and that they are “planning outreach to all of the existing produce merchants along Clement” with the help of AIM, who has hired a Cantonese speaker to assist. He says “so far, the merchant support has been excellent”.

To ensure that the market gets off the ground, Lauterborn is asking the community to show their support by either writing a letter of support to the SFMTA (who will need to approve the street closures on Clement), or attending a public meeting on May 20.

If you’d like to write a letter of support, send it to Peter.Lauterborn@sfgov.org and be sure to explicitly mention your support for the street closure on Sunday mornings on Clement between 2nd and 4th Avenues.

A community meeting will also be held on May 20 from 5:30pm-6:30pm at the Richmond District Police Station, which is located on 6th Avenue between Geary and Anza.

Lauterborn says they’re targeting Sunday, June 9 for the opening, pending approval by the SFMTA for the street closure during their May 23 meeting. The approval would be for an initial 6 week trial run of the Sunday market.

UPDATE 5/22/13: Lauterborn commented that “The MTA had an internal hiccup, so the hearing will be on June 13 rather than May 23, pushing back the opening to (likely) June 23.”

Are you all excited by this news? Leave a comment to let us know.

Sarah B.

Photo by geekstinkbreath

For the past few years, the Sunday Streets events for the northwest end of San Francisco have been held out on the Great Highway and along JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park. The Great Highway is closed down from Fulton to Sloat streets, welcoming walkers, bikers and other modes of non-car transit to enjoy the beachside road. The next Great Highway Sunday Streets will be held on July 7.

But unlike other Sunday Streets events which take place right in the neighborhoods of the city like the Mission, Embarcadero, etc., ours has always been relegated out by the beach and away from homes and businesses. Merchants and organizations set up tables out on the Great Highway but it’s just not the same feel as having a Sunday Streets that is a living, breathing part of the neighborhood.

But that could change. At a recent Board of Supervisors meeting, Supervisor Eric Mar announced that this year’s event, planned for late October (final date TBD), will take place within the neighborhood itself, as well as in Golden Gate Park.

The route has not been finalized yet but the intention is for it to incorporate the early blocks of Clement Street and a major section of Balboa Street, running all the way out to the Great Highway.

JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park will also be incorporated, but that is already car-free every Sunday.

We’re looking forward to a route that incorporates more of the neighborhood, but do hope that it’s a continuous route not broken up by cross streets. It should be interesting as the proposed route would likely include many more residential blocks than commercial (it’s a LONG way out to the beach!), which is atypical for a Sunday Streets route.

What do you think? Are you looking forward to this change in our Sunday Streets event? Leave a comment to let us know.

And mark your calendars for the next Sunday Streets on the Great Highway, scheduled for July 7.

Sarah B.

[via Streetsblog]

This Saturday, Supervisor Eric Mar and other city officials will host an American with Disabilities Act Town Hall event at the Richmond District Branch library (351 9th Avenue) from 2pm until 4pm.

The event has been organized to highlight the new programs the city has put in place to help small businesses better assess their ADA compliance, and if needed, get into compliance.

Last November, the city officially announced a $200,000 pilot program to help small businesses receive ADA inspections and if there are issues, receive advice and planning assistance for coming into compliance. The ADA Small Business Assessment Program also gives merchants access to grant money and a $1 million loan fund to make needed improvements.

The program is designed to help merchants avoid what Mayor Ed Lee calls “irrational and abusive” lawsuits that have been threatened or filed in the past few years against restaurants and other small businesses in the city, alleging that they are not ADA compliant.

Several dozen businesses here in the Richmond District have been threatened with ADA lawsuits. Some have been able to afford the upgrade construction expenses – like Han Il Kwan – while others have had to close like the Video Cafe on Geary and 21st Avenue and Thidwick Books on Clement (which thankfully was able to re-open a year later in a new location near 12th and Clement).

The process typically begins with merchants receiving a letter from a lawyer who represents a disabled plaintiff, alleging the business’ ADA violations and threatening to file a lawsuit if the business does not offer a financial settlement.

In September, Governor Jerry Brown signed a new law banning these types of “pre-litigation demands” and gives a break to businesses that fix their violations in a timely manner:

The law bans “pre-litigation demands,” i.e. letters demanding money from small businesses under threat of an ADA suit being filed; reduces fines for violations if they’re fixed within a certain period; and, except in rare cases, eliminates “stacking”- the levying of additional fines for each day a small business is out of compliance.

The new city pilot of The ADA Small Business Assessment Program will cover ADA inspections and planning for about 40 businesses. Qualifying businesses must be located in the Sunset District or the Richmond District, though the initial pilot is only open to businesses on Geary Boulevard between 14th to 28th Avenue.

Today, Mayor Ed Lee and Supervisor Mar went on a “merchant walk” along the Geary corridor that is part of the pilot program, to stop in at businesses and tell them about the new program.

The City also has a ADA Requirements & Your Small Business page up on the Office of Small Business website with helpful resources.

Saturday’s event at the Richmond District Branch library begins at 2pm and will include representatives from the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD), the Mayor’s Office of Small Business (OSB), and the Northeast Community Federal Credit Union (NCFCU), who will explain the various City assistance programs available to help small businesses become ADA compliant.

Sarah B.

Photo by @trichris

It has a name! And a sign! The new restaurant on Geary and 21st Avenue is called “De Place”. Yup, that’s it.

As @nance_sf commented” “let’s have dinner at de place”. “What place?” “De place!” Oh dear.” Yeah, we think it could be a better name too.

Driving by at night you’ll see lots of tv screens; EaterSF posted a photo earlier this week of the modern interior. Supervisor Mar left a comment earlier this week saying it is run by the owners of Chinatown’s City View Restaurant on Commercial Alley near Kearny Street, known for its dim sum.

We haven’t seen the menu yet and they don’t appear to be online anywhere, even on Yelp. If you’ve popped by, leave a comment to let us know!

Sarah B.

City Hall was bathed in 49er colors when we drove by last night, and it seems Supervisor Eric Mar is in the playoff spirit too. We were contacted last night with word that our Supe wants to give away his 49er playoff tickets to someone in the neighborhood – yay for us!

Mar wrote: “The 49ers give each Supervisor tickets to every home game. Typically, I give mine away to local schools and community groups. This time, I wanted to honor the active participants here on the Richmond SF Blog! From the arts and nature updates to the changes of businesses and streetscapes, this website serves as a vibrant hub of the neighborhood.

Your participation here helps build community and provide useful insight to our community. So, good luck getting the tickets– I am sure the 49ers will represent us well this Saturday!”

UPDATE: Entries are now closed. Thanks to all who entered and GOOD LUCK!

Entries are due by 2pm TODAY, January 11 so don’t delay. And you must live in the Richmond District (94118 or 94121 zip codes) to be eligible for entry.

Good luck and GO NINERS!!

Sarah B.

And the winner is… (watch the video)

After a hard-fought race for District 1 Supervisor, incumbent Eric Mar came out on top last night, earning 54.0% of the vote.

Challenger David Lee received 38.5% of the vote, despite his list of impressive endorsements from the likes of Senator Dianne Feinstein and Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom, and campaign funds that neared the half million mark.

Lee tweeted this to supporters towards the end of the night: “A big THANK YOU to those who helped the campaign…my staff, my wife & family, my volunteers and all the residents!”

The District 1 race set a new record for campaign “soft-money” spending. SF Appeal reported over the weekend that “there was $714,745 in third-party spending in District 1″, the most in any San Francisco district election.

SFAppeal went on to report that of that spending, “$550,806 was spent on supporting Lee or opposing Mar, and $163,939 was spent on supporting Mar or opposing Lee, according to records.”

The spending was very evident here in the neighborhood, as most residents’ doorways were papered with campaign flyers from both candidates nearly every day, and campaign workers were out in force across the neighborhood for the last week.

Sherman Dsilva, the third candidate in the race, earned 7.5% of the vote in last night’s tally. Not bad for a man who pledged to only spend $500 on his entire campaign. Dsilva fared much better in our poll here on the blog, where he earned 16% of the votes.

Mar did not post any statements on his website or social media last night about his win, but told the Chronicle, “Richmond District voters have sent a strong message that our neighborhood is not for sale,” making reference to the pace of Lee’s campaign spending which far surpassed Mar.

For more results from yesterday’s election, visit sfgate.com.

Sarah B.

It’s taken nearly two years but Supervisor Eric Mar’s office will announce tomorrow that Grocery Outlet has signed a lease on the former Delano’s Market property at 6333 Geary Boulevard. Delano’s closed in December 2010 after filing for bankruptcy.

Grocery Outlet is a family run business, known for their value pricing and “bargain market” tagline. They offer “brand name products at up to 50% off conventional retail prices” according to their website.

Headquartered in Berkeley, California, Grocery Outlet’s holdings include 185 stores in Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Pennsylvania. Most stores are independently operated by locally-based families.

This will be the chain’s first store in the city of San Francisco. The closest current Grocery Outlet is on Hickey Boulevard in South San Francisco.

“Grocery Outlet started in San Francisco 65 years ago and we are delighted to be coming back home,” said Grocery Outlet Co-CEO MacGregor Read. “Our customers have come to expect quality, variety and value at our stores and we will be offering the same to San Francisco shoppers.”

This should set up an interesting competitive dynamic with the Fresh & Easy market that opened on 32nd and Clement – just 6 blocks away – in June 2011.

No word yet on when Grocery Outlet will open the doors on its 12,360-square-foot store. There will be a press conference on Wednesday at 12noon to announce the new tenancy; perhaps we’ll find out then.

UPDATE: Grocery Outlet plans to open in early to mid 2013. According to Paul Lauterborn of Supervisor Mar’s office, “They need to do some serious renovations to make the site ready and attractive.”

Glad to see this empty space getting filled!

Sarah B.