We heeded to this oddly-placed stop sign while cruising along South Van Ness Ave. yesterday, braking to investigate an inkling that proved spot-on. It appears that Burlingame-based DAK Development Inc. is feeling skittish about the Mission, where the local constituency can become quite upset over new construction, to put it nicely. The solution? An embarrassingly conspicuous hack at disguising the site with so-called "urban camouflage." Why not lift a few pieces of plywood from Valencia or Mission Streets, where such walls are common ground for bill-posting? Why not create a secret fortress for the workers, marked only with a blazing orange cone? No one will notice, for sure! In this back-asswards take on the mantra "if you build it, they will come," Dax has drawn a big, red "X" to mark the spot for would-be vandals. As for the actual project, one of the covert operatives construction workers on site informed us that three lofts will grace this spot, just a block away from The Citrino, between 18th and 19th Streets.
We would have never guessed...