Though the as yet unrealized Park Merced plan-- which would tear down and rebuild that ugly (but heavily occupied and therefore popular with current residents) complex—earns honorable mention, Curbed SF wishes to bestow our” Best NIMBY Freakout” elsewhere. For Operation Obscure the Coca-Cola Sign simply can’t be beat. Or... can it? Read on to remind yourself of the year's best rebel-with-a-blog-spot vs. neighbor-with-a-backyard showdown.
Witness the velocity of NIMBY-ism kicked off by one anon neighbor. After someone took offense, in writing, to a retro Coca-Cola mural, a campaign against murals as advertisement, corporate evil-doers and childhood obesity grew with impressive speed and strength.
Never mind the historic origins of the mural, which were painstakinigly sleuthed out by fans of the mural. Never mind the ministrations of Supervisor Campos, who tried in the 11th hour to create a "historic sign district" in Bernal. Property owner Richard Modolo realized his love for the mural wasn’t strong enough to withstand a $100 a day fine from the Planning Commission for displaying an illegal advertisement, and conceded defeat. Instead of a permit to keep the sign, Modolo opted for permits to put up siding to obscure it.
Yet wait, readers, for the power of the blog had been underestimated! And Campos and staff did indeed come through- in part due to Bernalwood and Burrito Justice’s detailed evidence and passionate campaigning-- and though the city would then argue what to officially call the sign, eschewing for no clear reason “historic” and/or "commemorative," Bernalwood stepped in to fill the void with “vintage commercial art." Said art now stands in Bernal as testament to the blogsphere’s power over silly NIMBY shit-storms.
· Ah, Parkmerced, We Hardly Knew Ye[Curbed SF]
· Nameless NIMBY Gets Bullheaded Bureaucrats to Outlaw Historic Coca-Cola Sign [Curbed SF]
· Have a Coke on La Lengua [Curbed SF]
· History 1: NIMBY 0 [Burrito Justice]
· Bernal Heights Continues the AntiNIMBY Parade [Curbed SF]
· Bernal's Vintage Coke Mural to Be Obscured [Curbed SF]
· Memo to the City: Our Coke Sign is "Vintage Commercial Art" [Bernalwood]
[Photo via Bernalwood]
Loading comments...