SF: North Beach Archives
Rental Watch: All Things Small
Every once in a while, Curbed SF checks in with the San Francisco rental market. And we do it the layman's way: by scouring Craigslist. In honor of the recent debut of Cubix, SF's favorite dorm-room condos, today's episode of Rental Watch is focusing on at studio apartments. We'll start spendy, and work our way down to earth.
What: Furnished Studio Apartment
Where: 350 Union, Telegraph Hill
How Much: $1729 / month
The Hard Sell: "Rent a Furnished Studio on Telegraph Hill! Check out these studios because they NEVER last long! 350 Union is located in the heart of San Francisco's famous North Beach neighborhood! Building Features: 3 Month lease... "
What: Studio Apartment
Where: 195 Margaret Ave, Ingleside
How Much: $1250 / month
The Hard Sell: "Newly remodeled studio with great views!
Rent includes all utilities, except telephone & cable. Available for 1 person only. Lower unit in stylish 60's box house. ... Please note this unit does not have a cook top, however a mini kitchen with refrigerator, microwave, sink, & storage is included."
Drama in District 3: Candidates Throw Down in North Beach
Last night's District 3 meeting, sponsored by none other than North Beach Merchant's Association, erupted (predictably) into the sort of circus we've come to expect from San Francisco politics as seven prospective Supervisors engaged in a rhetorical spectacle designed to win voters' love. The Chron's Phil Bronstein moderated the discussion. (And of course somebody Twittered that shit.) A Curbed operative on the scene reports that Bronstein publicly called out the NBMA for delivering "more than somewhat loaded" questions to the panel: At one point, he said "OK-you-have-30-seconds-to-tell-the-merchants-what-they-want-to-hear-no-go!" At another juncture, he said "I know these questions are loaded, after all, who is for empty storefronts?"
Step into the ring, dearies >>Breaking: North Beach Relents on Building Permits
North Beach restaurant Panta Rei recently scored the building permits necessary to expand its digs into the defunct shoe repair shop next door on Columbus Avenue. No biggie for the restaurant scene, notes Eater SF, but a definite indication that the Powers That Be just might be loosening their Vulcan grip on local building and renovation efforts. Do recall the Fro Yo Wars of a few months back, after all, which ended with a victory for mom-and-pop shop Swirl Culture. A sign? Perhaps. Given today's news about the ongoing kvetch sesh over a freaking *library* in the neighborhood, we can't quite yet believe that the neighborhood will go down without a fight. But still, the thought of new buildings in North Beach sends chills along our spines. Such a tease you are, Peskin.
· Plywood Special: Panta Rei's Expansion (And Its Worth) [Eater SF]
· North Beach Divided: Some Stand Ground, Fear Future [Curbed SF]
North Beach Opposes Library. No Kidding!
The San Francisco Public Library has chosen the infamous "North Beach Triangle, the plot of land bounded by Columbus Avenue, Lombard Street, and Mason Street. Library. Yawn. Right? People, we're talking North Beach here— neighbors tend to be very protective of, well, everything. As one might expect then, choosing a site is quickly proving to be the most controversial stage of this project. The biggest complaint against the just-announced location seems to be the fact that building on the triangle would necessitate — gasp!— the permanent closure of Mason Street between Lombard and Columbus Avenue, a small strip of asphalt that local drivers apparently can't live without. Other opponents say the library is just too damn expensive and unnecessary. Local architecture firm Leddy Maytum Stacy will be designing both the the library and the renovation of the adjacent Joe DiMaggio Playground. Holding ...
· Library selects familiar site for new North Beach branch [Examiner]
Tax This: North Beach Owners Pay for Parties
As if owning property in North Beach wasn't expensive enough, those fortunate enough to possess a portion of the neighborhood may soon have to pay a "party tax" of sorts. North Beach is well known and often derided for its night life, a scene that's always been somewhat boisterous but has been growing increasingly violent. As a result, a greater police presence is often required, a cost that could be offset by the new tax. So area property owners will vote today on creating a new Community Benefit District bound by Columbus Avenue, Broadway, Montgomery Street and Pacific Avenue — the results of which, besides the additional tax, would be a crackdown on loitering (3 minutes max outside clubs!) and the possible use club-specific hand stamps so police can track down troublemakers (totally foolproof!). Sounds like North Beach is looking for a "higher class" of tourist. Supervisors are also scheduled to vote today, but Super-Supe Peskin is hoping to postpone the Board's final vote because many local businesses have complained about not being properly included in the CBD process. Sigh.
· Pay for your right to party [Examiner]
· North Beach to Track Nabe with Hand Stamps? [Curbed SF]
[image via flickr user Kanaka's Paradise Life]
Wednesday PM Linkage: Food Edition
[Take that, NIMBYs. Viva Swirl Culture!]
· Battle-scarred Fro-Yo lands in North Beach [Eater SF]
· Restaurant Whore goes mainstream, takes 'tude with her [Examiner]
· Sushi spot Toraya shutters; spot now up for grabs [Eater SF]
· Ouch: original Chez Papa demoted to 1.5 stars [SF Gate]
· Beloved Despised Famous Rachael Ray working on memoir [E!]
· Open house tour: Schtuff rates agents' catering skillz [SF Schtuff]
Peskin on Pagoda: Can't We All Just Get Along?
C.W. Nevius throws in his two cents' worth on the Pagoda Theater in today's Chron; nothing new here, save a few priceless lines from the inimitably quotable Aaron Peskin who paraphrased Rodney King (1992 L.A. Riots, North Beach NIMBY quibble— total correlation there) while assessing the state of the nabe. In response to developer Joe Campos, whose plans to transform the site into residential condos remains caught in the crossfire, Peskin said: "I told him, 'Hey, dude, I just want to get along ... In no way is this legislation aimed at the Pagoda Theater.'" Peskin claims no ill will toward those who support redevelopment in the area, including the single mother who mortgaged her house in order to open the long-beleaguered (and as of Sunday, now open) Fro-Yo shop, Swirl Culture. The Pagoda's property owner claims that opposition is "coming out of one household" (i.e. Peskin's). The kicker, however, goes another disgruntled North Beacher: "If that legislation passes, Aaron Peskin's legacy will be an aviary." Not to mention a whole lot of shit.
· Serious Shitshow: Curbed Presents the Pagoda Theater [Curbed SF]
· North Beach Says: "Enough With the Plywood" [Curbed SF]
· Theater of Absurdity: North Beach Wars Over Pagoda Development [Curbed SF]
· (Pre) Development Watch: Reincarnation at Columbus and Powell [Curbed SF]
· Ask Curbed SF: Graf Can't Mask North Beach Eyesore [Curbed SF]
Serious Shitshow: Curbed Presents the Pagoda Theater
Shitshow. For once, the situation at hand begs for literal use of this, our most overused cherished of all pejoratives. Behold the Pagoda Theater, in all its bombed-out, faded, pigeon dung-encrusted glory; the theater-cum-bunker is one of a battalion of buildings at the center of North Beach neighbors' ongoing skirmish over building, zoning, and preservation (not to mention Fro-Yo). Following a very special invitation, Curbed SF dispatched an operative over to 1701 Powell Street in order to document a site whose ruins, as you see here, may not inspire the sort of romantic vision wistful preservationists tend to cling to. A couple of phone calls and a few IMversations with our operative garnered the following intel:
· The building has been gutted entirely— no furniture, fixtures, or remnants of any kind, save an obscene coating of pigeon doo. Following an impassioned tirade on the doings of North Beach's infamous nabe groups, our informant insisted "there's nothing here to preserve! No columns, no arches...!" Rant roll call: Supe Aaron Peskin, wife and Telegraph Hill Dwellers prez Nancy Shanahan, and NB Chamber of Commerce prez Marsha Garland, natch. Not-so-incidentally, if all systems remain at a "go," 17-20 residential units, parking, and restaurant space will eventually occupy the site.
Act II >>North Beach Says: "Enough With the Plywood"
Under the cover of night (or the North Beach Festival) a fed-up hooligan or two scaled the shuttered building at 1701 Powell Street, on the corner of Powell and Columbus, in order to deliver a pointed message to the notoriously NIMBY-infested nabe below: "Enough with the plywood," says the strategically-placed banner. Built in 1909, the former Pagoda Theater has soldiered through a long series of identity changes including— shocker— a stint as a 24-hour Rite Aid. Next up: Around 17 dwellings, underground parking, and (via per Eater) a rumored second resto for La Corneta on the ground floor. Now don't expect any of this to go down soon— as per our last post on the subject:
Naturally, nabe cronies from rival groups the North Beach Neighbors and the Telegraph Hill Dwellers are going fisticuffs over the plan which, if approved (as if!), could be under construction as soon as August. Everyone has something to say on the subject, of course, least of all Supervisor Aaron Peskin and Marsha Garland, president of the NB Chamber of Commerce. Says Garland of Nancy Shanahan, Telegraph Hill Dwellers president (and Peskin's wife) who Garland claims puts the block on any and every project: "She says, 'It doesn't look like it did back in the '30s,' " ... "Well, neither do you, lady." Harsh.· North Beach Quickly Tiring of the Empy Storefronts [Eater SF]
· Theater of Absurdity: North Beach Wars Over Pagoda Development [Curbed SF]
· (Pre) Development Watch: Reincarnation at Columbus and Powell [Curbed SF]
· Ask Curbed SF: Graf Can't Mask North Beach Eyesore [Curbed SF]
North Beach to Track Nabe with Hand Stamps?
Insanity now! In its latest effort to quell alcohol-fueled crime in North Beach, the local police precinct has asked the City's Entertainment Commission to approve a system of traceable hand stampings. Each club will have its own distinctive mark (bidding war for the Playboy bunny: on) so that the Po may trace the paths petty perps followed throughout the night. Two words: Swiss. Cheese. As in, holes. This plan is filled with 'em: Club owners have already shot it down neatly— counterfeiters, they contend, could easily copy the stamps thus allowing for cover-dodgers and underage drinkers alike to enter clubs and bars. [Examiner]
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From the Golden Gate to The Mission, in San Francisco, it all comes back to our neighborhoods: where we live, where we work, where we eat, and where we play. Covering real estate sales, rental prices, and news-making deals and much more, it's all on Curbed SF. More about Curbed SF...
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