Whether you want to call it NIMBYism, racism, or straight-up real estate business, the deal in Noe Valley to build a mid-rise condo project on the site of a current church is tense. The October Noe Valley Voice article describes how about a year ago the non-denominational church wanted to host a temporary shelter for women, and the neighbors around 28th and Church (natch) weren't feeling it. Now that the church has decided to sell and leave, there is a sense of relief in the 'hood. As the president of Upper Noe Neighbors said, "[The church] doesn't have a warm place in many people's hearts." It seems pretty mutual based on the Pastor's comparison of his situation in Noe to the Israelites' exodus from slavery in Egypt: "'It's the equivalent to being set free,' he says. 'I've been here for 10 years and I've just reached my wit's end. I've tried everything I could to be neighborly.'" No word on whether the church has found a relocation destination in the land of milk and honey or Oaktown.
· Fed-Up Pastor Sells Church to Condo Developer [The Noe Valley Voice]
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