CVIA Blog
Please Volunteer at Alvord Lake this Saturday, April 27
Join the SFRPD gardeners in a recurring habitat restoration volunteer project at Golden Gate Park Alvord Lake.
Join the RPD gardeners and the Alvord Lake Task Force to beautify the eastern entrance of Golden Gate Park. A wide range of gardening tasks is available. Please wear closed-toed shoes, long pants and layers. The event will occur rain or shine. All supplies, tools, and gloves are provided by RPD. Meet at the Haight and Stanyan entrance to Golden Gate Park.
To learn more and register, please visit our Volunteer Calendar.
UCSF PARNASSUS HEIGHTS UPDATES
You're Invited: May 1st Hybrid Quarterly Construction Meeting
Please join UCSF on Wednesday, May 1st from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. for a hybrid community meeting about upcoming construction and other planned projects at UCSF’s Parnassus Heights campus.
UCSF will share the progress of campus projects and potential impacts on the neighborhood, including but not limited to:
· New Hospital Parnassus Heights
· Parnassus Research and Academic Building
Location: UCSF Parnassus Heights Campus
Faculty Alumni House
745 Parnassus Ave, San Francisco, CA
Light refreshments will be served.
Please register to attend either in-person here or virtually by Zoom here.
Sutro Stewards Upcoming Programming
NATURE WALKS
Join the Sutro Stewards for a guided spring nature walk on the Mount Sutro Open Space! Their experienced leaders will lead you through the trails on a two-hour tour on a variety of focused topics. However, on each walk you'll learn about the unique ecology of the area and the efforts being made to preserve and protect it. Check out the Eventbrite Page to see dates and topics!
MINDFULNESS ON MOUNT SUTRO
Learn and practice Mindfulness 101 basics outside with the community of Mt. Sutro. Experience self-care tools for increasing awareness, opening the heart, relaxing, and developing compassion. Each week has a different theme of practice: Mindfulness of the Body, Mindfulness of the Breath, Mindfulness of Emotions, Mindfulness of the Mind, and Mindfulness of Self-Compassion. Register for the series here.
Please Volunteer at Alvord Lake this Saturday, March 23
Please Volunteer this Saturday,
March 23 2024,
10am - Noon
The fourth Saturday of every month
offers an opportunity to help beautify
the eastern end of Golden Gate Park.
Meet at the plaza above the lakelet
at Stanyan and Haight Streets.
Look for the SFR&P vehicle to determine our location.
Volunteer slots are limited-
so please sign the waiver in the link quickly.
The link below will take you to the SFR&P Calendar.
Scroll until you find the "Alvord Lake Task Force" listing.
(We are in District 1-Horticulture Maintenance.)
https://sfrpd.secure.force.com/SFRPDCalendar
For a peek into Alvord Lake's past, check out this link:
https://www.foundsf.org/index.php?title=Alvord_Lake
To ensure the safety and comfort of all parties involved, if you are feeling unwell, please do not come.
Volunteer Guidelines
The supervising gardener is your host. Please respect his/her knowledge and experience. Park gardening is not the same as home gardening. Ask questions and seek assistance.
Safety:
Please wear closed-toed shoes. Wear comfortable clothing that covers your entire body (long sleeves, long pants, etc.) And don't forget the sunscreen and perhaps a hat!
Wear gloves and use tools provided in ways demonstrated by the work crew supervisor.
“Eyes before hands.” When picking up trash from under bushes, behind trees, and under benches, use the tool provided to pull things out where you can see them. Then pick them up.
Be aware of the locations of other workers and members of the public to ensure your safety and theirs.
Lift with your legs, not your back.
Wear long sleeves, long pants, and closed–toed shoes (ideally boots); you may be work in or around poison oak or blackberries.
Avoid picking up broken glass and hypodermic needles. Notify the gardener if you find anything undesirable.
Drink water to avoid dehydration. Wash hands or use hand sanitizer before touching and eatingfood
Volunteers are not allowed to use power tools, or apply herbicides/pesticides.
Work Site:
Stack debris out of the way of the public but still accessible to staff trucks. Stack cut branches with butt end to road. Keep bagged trash separate from organic debris, weeds separate from brush. Pile weeds to be picked up in small piles (handled by one swoop of pitchfork) so that staff can easily load trucks.
EARLY SUBWAY CLOSURES IN MARCH
MUNI is planning early subway closures from Friday, March 8, 2024, through Friday, March 15, 2024.
The Market Street subway between Embarcadero and West Portal stations will close early each night at 9:30 p.m.
Buses will connect all stops on Market Street, beginning at 9:30 p.m. through the normal end of train service at 12 a.m. while the subway is closed for maintenance.
The T Third Line will provide regular service from Sunnydale to Chinatown until 12 a.m.
Owl service will remain unchanged.
Trains will start regular morning service each day.
UCSF Parnassus Heights Construction Update
New Hospital Parnassus Heights (NHPH)
There are multiple utility projects still underway in preparation for the building of NHPH. Medical Center Way will continue to have single lane closures on weekdays and both lanes will be closed on weekends. Flaggers will be present to direct vehicle and pedestrian traffic.
Utility project work hours will be Monday - Friday, 7:00AM - 5:00PM and weekends 8:00AM-5:00PM.
The demolition of the former Langley Porter Psychiatric Hospital is complete. The next major phase of construction to create a retaining wall known as shoring has begun. During this phase, there will be periodic early morning material deliveries and days of increased truck traffic. Flaggers will be present to direct vehicle and pedestrian traffic, monitor truck idling, and ensure all trucks are covered when leaving the jobsite. Current trucking routes can be accessed here.
The hours of shoring work will be Monday - Friday, 7:00AM - 5:00PM and Saturdays 8:00AM - 5:00PM.
Parnassus Research and Academic Building (PRAB)
The next major phase of construction to create a retaining wall known as shoring has begun. The expected completion date for this phase of work is the fall of 2024.
Trucks will be accessing the jobsite from Parnassus Avenue and Koret Way. Periodic increased truck traffic is expected to remove material from the jobsite. On days of high truck traffic, flaggers will be present to direct vehicle and pedestrian traffic, monitor truck idling, and ensure all trucks are covered when leaving the jobsite. Current trucking routes can be accessed here.
As a safety precaution and to allow more space for construction logistics, Koret Way will remain closed to parking indefinitely. ADA parking spaces and a pedestrian route to the Koret Vision Center will be available.
Hours of work will be Monday - Friday, 7:00AM - 5:00PM. Saturday work is expected through the month of March from 8:00AM - 5:00PM.
VOLUNTEER @ ALVORD LAKE FEB 24
Please Volunteer this Saturday,
February 24 2024,
10am - Noon
The fourth Saturday of every month
offers an opportunity to help beautify
the eastern end of Golden Gate Park.
Meet at the plaza above the lakelet
at Stanyan and Haight Streets.
Look for the SFR&P vehicle to determine our location.
The ground should be soft from the recent rains
and those weeds should be easy to pull.
The weather forecast promises us a lovely morning.
It is possible we may be doing some planting as well!
Volunteer slots are limited-
so please sign the waiver in the link quickly.
The link below will take you to the SFR&P Calendar.
Scroll until you find the "Alvord Lake Task Force" listing.
(We are in District 1-Horticulture Maintenance.)
https://sfrpd.secure.force.com/SFRPDCalendar
For a peek into Alvord Lake's past, check out this link:
https://www.foundsf.org/index.php?title=Alvord_Lake
Volunteer at Alvord lake this Saturday
Please Volunteer this Saturday,
January 27 2024,
10am - Noon
The fourth Saturday of every month
offers an opportunity to help beautify
the eastern end of Golden Gate Park.
Meet at the plaza above the lakelet
at Stanyan and Haight Streets.
Look for the SFR&P vehicle to determine our location.
The ground should be soft from the recent rains
and those weeds should be easy to pull.
The weather forecast promises us a lovely morning.
Volunteer slots are limited-
so please sign the waiver in the link quickly.
The link below will take you to the SFR&P Calendar.
Scroll until you find the "Alvord Lake Task Force" listing.
(We are in District 1-Horticulture Maintenance.)
https://sfrpd.secure.force.com/SFRPDCalendar
For a peek into Alvord Lake's past, check out this link:
https://www.foundsf.org/index.php?title=Alvord_Lake
We are excited to get out there, but we also want to ensure the safety and comfort of all parties involved. If you are feeling unwell or have a family member who is experiencing COVID symptoms, please do not come.
Volunteer Guidelines
The supervising gardener is your host. Please respect his/her knowledge and experience. Park gardening is not the same as home gardening. Ask questions and seek assistance.
Safety:
Please wear closed-toed shoes. Wear comfortable clothing that covers your entire body (long sleeves, long pants, etc.) And don't forget the sunscreen and perhaps a hat!
Wear gloves and use tools provided in ways demonstrated by the work crew supervisor.
“Eyes before hands.” When picking up trash from under bushes, behind trees, and under benches, use the tool provided to pull things out where you can see them. Then pick them up.
Be aware of the locations of other workers and members of the public to ensure your safety and theirs.
Lift with your legs, not your back.
Wear long sleeves, long pants, and closed–toed shoes (ideally boots); you may be work in or around poison oak or blackberries.
Avoid picking up broken glass and hypodermic needles. Notify the gardener if you find anything undesirable.
Drink water to avoid dehydration. Wash hands or use hand sanitizer before touching and eatingfood
Volunteers are not allowed to use power tools, or apply herbicides/pesticides.
Work Site:
Stack debris out of the way of the public but still accessible to staff trucks. Stack cut branches with butt end to road. Keep bagged trash separate from organic debris, weeds separate from brush. Pile weeds to be picked up in small piles (handled by one swoop of pitchfork) so that staff can easily load trucks.
UCSF Parnassus Hights Updates
Please join UCSF on Wednesday, February 7th from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. for a hybrid community meeting about upcoming construction and other planned projects at UCSF’s Parnassus Heights campus.
UCSF will share the progress of campus projects and potential impacts on the neighborhood, including but not limited to:
New Hospital Parnassus HeightsParnassus Research and Academic Building
Location: UCSF Parnassus Heights Campus
Faculty Alumni House
745 Parnassus Ave, San Francisco, CA
Light refreshments will be served.
Please register to attend either in-person here or virtually by Zoom here.
UCSF PARNASSUS HIEIGHTS UPDATE
Greening Parnassus Heights Community Meeting
In 2022, UCSF announced the Greening Parnassus Heights initiative to replace street trees that needed to be removed along Parnassus Avenue to make way for the new hospital construction at a 2:1 ratio in the surrounding neighborhoods.
UCSF has been hard at work to bring this project to fruition. Friends of the Urban Forest (FUF) has been chosen to plant the trees. Over the past few months FUF has been working to identify potential viable sites. The goal is to plant the trees by the end of February.
Interested in learning more? FUF will be holding a hybrid community meeting to explain the next steps for the planting process.
Date: Thursday, January 11
Time: 6-7pm
Location: UCSF Clinical Sciences Building, Room 0101
521 Parnassus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94143
Zoom Information: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86775350460
Meeting ID: 867 7535 0460
One tap mobile
+14086380968,,86775350460# US (San Jose)
+16694449171,,86775350460# US
Upcoming volunteer day with the Sutro Stewards
Woods Beer & Wine Co. Cole Valley Open House
Inside still under construction Woods Beer & Wine Co.’s Cole Valley location.
A couple of CVIA board members were fortunate enough to visit the Woods Beer & Wine Co. Open House at the companies most current location in Cole Valley on Dec 6. Jim Woods, Founder and CEO, set expectations that the site is still under construction, but that didn’t dampen turn out from folks invited to the special event.
Inside still under construction Woods Beer & Wine Co.’s Cole Valley location. This is from near the rear of the space looking out towards the front.
It was a bit strange to walk into the former Reverie Cafe space and see stark white walls and empty room instead of the familiar dark orange walls. The Woods team was pouring a couple of beers and some wine from their selections while Jim talked about the space and how they’re going to approach it as well as talking about the company and it’s unique investment business plan in which members of the community can invest in the company.
Jim assured everyone that the Cole Valley Woods location would have it’s own vibe and be a unique design from the other locations. He mentioned basically keeping the same layout as Reverie had from a bar and food prep point of view. While the new bar was not yet in place, tables were set up in roughly the same location as the counters and displays from Reverie. Presumably the same footprint for the new bar, food service.
Sample of the Lovely’s menu posted for folks to check out.
For bar munchies, this Woods location will have food from Lovely’s—pretty well known in the East Bay for their burgers. We were sort of hoping for some Detroit style pizza from Joyride Pizza as the food choice, but after some thought about it, we realize that it’s really not that far for us to make the short trek to Woods Lowside on Haight Street for some Joyride Pizza (which we’re already accustom to doing.) Plus, the burgers do sound Yummy.
Jonathan Reddick, Lovely’s owner, was available to field questions. We hit him up on how authentically Detroit (while we’re on the theme of Detroit’s best food exports) the Lovely’s Coney Island hot dog was going to be. We reminded him how the topping on a classic Detroit Coney is not chili per se, and certainly does not have beans anywhere near it, but more like a hollandaise sauce. Perhaps seeing my off the charts scrutiny level, he set my expectations that it may not be exactly like a Detroit coney dog, but will be a solid chili hotdog. We’ll give it a shot.
Jim Woods mentioned to the assembled crowd of neighborhood folks that while there wasn’t a specific opening date set in stone yet, he is hoping to have the place open by early 2024.
Citywide Cultural Resources Survey
The San Francisco Citywide Cultural Resources Survey (SF Survey) is underway! SF Survey aims to identify places and resources of cultural, historical, and architectural importance to San Francisco's diverse communities. Cultural resources may also qualify for historic preservation incentives.
The San Francisco Citywide Cultural Resources Survey (SF Survey) is a multi-year effort supported by the San Francisco Planning Department to identify and document places and resources of cultural, historical, and architectural importance to San Francisco’s diverse communities. These places and resources include tangible aspects of our environment, such as buildings, structures, objects, sites, and districts, as well as intangible aspects, such as oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, festivals, and traditional crafts. SF Survey is taking steps to center preservation in racial and social equity, better reflecting the dynamic cultural resources that make San Francisco unique. The findings of SF Survey will help guide the Planning Department’s work on future landmark designations, heritage-based initiatives, environmental review, new development projects, area plans, and building permit applications.
Share Your Story
Everyone has a role in sharing and sustaining culture. If you see us in identifying SF Survey gear, feel welcome to come out, meet us, and share any photos or memories that you feel are important to the story of your community, neighborhood, or San Francisco. Staff will be collecting information on survey devices, or you can share by contacting staff at CPC.Survey@sfgov.org or leaving a voicemail at (628) 652-7573.
For more information go to https://sfplanning.org/sfsurvey
Reverie Closing, Feb 19
A sad note from Reverie owner Roger Soudah to the CVIA board…
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
It is with a heavy heart that I announce to you the permanent closure of Reverie Café.
I extend my heartfelt thank you for all of your support through the last twenty-one years. We have shared many meals, raised many glasses, raised many kids, made many friends and lost some. We married people, celebrated birthdays, funded schools, and charities, supported campaigns but most importantly we created and maintained a community in a time when it has been most needed. For that I am grateful and honored to have been able to provide that over the years. Those of you who have been so kind to me and my family which includes my staff, please accept my deepest gratitude. I am not only losing a business but a lifestyle that has made me proud every day. Again, our last day of business will be Sunday, February 19th. We will conclude our journey that day with live music, drinks, and hot links. Please join us.
Roger Soudah
N JUDAH Will be Shuttle Buses February 18th and 19th
In support of important maintenance work along the N Judah Line, locations listed in the map, the SFMTA is running bus shuttles between Church & Duboce and Ocean Beach.
STORM IMPACT UPDATE
Bay Area storms continue to impact Mt. Sutro and weather service reports indicate that more storm activity is expected this week. High wind and rain events lead to dangerous conditions at Mt. Sutro, the public is advised to avoid Mt. Sutro at this time.
UCSF is monitoring the storm and impacts to Mt. Sutro, and we will provide updates as appropriate.
Storm impacts:
Tree removal: Starting today, January 3rd, trees will be removed rendered unsafe by storm conditions in the landslide area of Mt. Sutro on Koret Way.
Koret Parking Lot: The lot is closed until further notice, we expect this closure may be extended for a significant period while site and soil conditions are evaluated.
Medical Center Way: For safety reasons, Medical Center Way has been partially closed due to street flooding, the potential for landslides, and falling tree/branch hazards. The closure area is from north of Institute of Regenerative Medicine loading dock road to south of Surge/Woods Parking Lot. To access the Surge/Woods Parking Lot, access Medical Center Way via Clarendon. Medical Center Way will remain partially closed until further notice.
If there are any questions or concerns, please reach out to Jaclyn Drexler with UCSF Community Relations at Jaclyn.Drexler@ucsf.edu.
Reminder: November 9th Parnassus Research and Academic Building Community Meeting
Please join UCSF on Wednesday, November 9th from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. for a community meeting about the new Research and Academic Building at Parnassus Heights.
UCSF has brought on renowned design and architecture firms, Snøhetta and HGA, to create a space that will help scientists, clinicians and learners stay at the cutting edge of discovery, learning and care in state-of-the-art spaces that catalyze collaboration. The project will create newly opened vistas and a publicly accessible promenade to take advantage of San Francisco’s spectacular scenery.
This will be the first of multiple community meetings where neighbors will have the opportunity to meet the new Parnassus Research and Academic Building project team and provide initial feedback on the site and design plans.
WALLER STREET SKATE PARK REOPENS
Skateboarders and neighbors celebrated recent improvements to the Waller Street Skate Park on October 25, a project spearheaded by local skaters who helped shape its inclusive design that honors its street skateboarding roots.
The skateboarding area on the eastern edge of Golden Gate Park has been beloved since 2011, despite its cracked surface and markings leftover from days as a parking lot. The improvements unveiled this week aren’t just a makeover but a transformation of the area from informal gathering spot to officially sanctioned skate park. It's the first time in the nation that a city has transformed a decommissioned street into a permitted skate park.
The $218,000 makeover includes a high-quality asphalt repaving topped with acrylic overlay ideal for skating. The park kept its nontraditional spirit with elements meant to mimic the urban skate environment such as k-rails, granite blocks and curbs. A new landscape strip allows skaters to both sit and skate amid trees and shrubs. Many of the new elements were salvaged from San Francisco Public Works storage by DLX Skateshop—including granite ledges that once lured skaters to Market Street. Old defensive architecture elements that once attempted to stop skaters from grinding the edges and corners were removed.
A special thanks to the skate community that made this project possible, including Low Key San Francisco, DLX Skateshop, The Skatepark Project, San Francisco Skate Club, Mission Skateboards, FTC, Thrasher Magazine, and more!