My office just received word from the Planning Department that the environmental documents should be issued within the next couple of months for the Alexandria development. The plans for this site have changed quite a bit over the last few years and many discussions have taken place between the developer, the Planning Department and community partners and neighbors of the site such as the YMCA. As of now, the proposed project consists of a Planned Unit Development (PUD) including adaptive reuse of the Alexandria Theatre building and construction of a new 65,385 ground square feet mixed-use building with subsurface parking on the site of the existing surface parking lot on 18th Avenue north of the Alexandria.

The mixed-use building would contain approximately 6,550 ground square feet of retail, including a small eatery, 46 residential units on four floors, and underground parking. The garage would provide 136 parking spaces, including 84 commercial spaces through attendant-operated stacker parking, and 50 residential spaces, with 2 ADA parking spaces, and 32 bicycle parking spaces on two levels. The Alexandria is one of the key historic icons of our neighborhood. I and other longtime residents have fond movie going memories in the unique art deco building.

Within the historic Alexandria Theatre, a 250-seat boutique theatre would remain at the upper level and a new approximately 8,000 ground square foot restaurant would be constructed on a new second floor, set slightly back from the auditorium walls. Many character-defining features of the theater would be retained, including Art Deco features of the exterior, lobby, and auditorium. Changes to the exterior of the building consist of refurbishing the 1942-era blade sign and marquee and creating openings along the 18th Avenue for storefronts, protecting murals and decorative finishes within the auditorium and lobby. Please contact my office if you have ideas or concerns about the project.

As I hear more, I’ll keep you updated!

Sarah B.

Photos: de Young Museum – CTG/SF | Academy of Sciences -Steven Perry

Ever since the de Young and Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park completed their renovations and re-opened their doors to the public, people have been debating the merit of each one’s style.

Their architectural styles could not be more different, with the de Young sitting like a dark, metal lockbox in the park, complete with a tower that juts up into the airspace over the Richmond District. Contrast that with the Academy with its more classical facade, green innovations and bright, airy interiors.

They were designed by different architects – the de Young by Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron, and the Academy by Italian architect Renzo Piano. The two museums serve different audiences and display very different things, and their opposing structures on each side of the concourse make for an odd pairing.

Architect Glenn Lym put his thoughts into a video where he examines the two structures in more detail. His starting point: “To me, the most interesting aspects of these buildings is not how they raise the bar for design in an architecturally parochial San Francisco. Rather, what interests me is how both buildings are fundamental opposites of each other and embrace as well as ignore the park in completely different ways.”

It’s not a short examination, but if you’re into architecture and how it impacts the environment in which it sits, you’ll find Lym’s analysis interesting.

What do you think of the two buildings? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Sarah B.

[via Inside the Outside Lands]

The free two-day event features lots of vendors (booksellers, distributors, independent presses and political groups, from the local area, the west coast and North America) displaying books, pamphlets, zines, art, information and other interesting stuff – plus an art show, free bike valet parking and more.

To add to the street cred of the show, one of their featured speakers, Gabriel Kuhn, will not be be permitted to attend by the US government (find out why here). But don’t worry – there will still be over 30 different speakers teaching you about everything from obscenity laws to gay liberation.

Admission is free and the fair runs on Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday from 11am-5pm at the County Fair Building at Ninth and Lincoln in Golden Gate Park. Head over to funcheapSF.com for more details on speakers, panel discussions and other special events.

Sarah B.

According to the Examiner, that pilot program netted $46,000 during the test run. At the time they only allowed people to make reservations online or over the phone.

Now Rec & Park is looking for someone to set up a permanent kiosk near the bandshell to offer tours. They expect the vendor to pay at least $35,000 a year for the privilege. The Examiner reports that Segway of SF / Silicon Segway will be vying for the concession again.

After a quick search, it looks like Segway SF Bay currently offers tours and rentals in Golden Gate Park. So perhaps it will be a bidding battle between Silicon Segway and Segway SF Bay for the business. Tours could begin as early as July.

I took a Segway tour of Golden Gate Park back in 2008 and it was a blast. Even though I’m a San Francisco native, I still learned a few tidbits about the park’s history, and had a great time zipping around to see the sights. And I secretly enjoyed whizzing by walkers on our way to the top of Strawberry Hill.

Segway tours are also offered on Angel Island.

Sarah B.

Because the video below contains just the relevant clips of Sutro’s from the film, it won’t make a bit of sense. As Spots Unknown put it, “it involves one terribly sketchy Eli Wallach, a mysterious dude in a wheelchair, a cop, a blimp, and nuns.” Great shots of both the exterior and interior of the play palace.

What a great record of what used to be! Enjoy,

Sarah B.

[via Eye on Blogs]

Kulich is a kind of Easter bread, traditional in the Orthodox Christian faith. Traditionally during the Easter service, the kulich, which has been put into a basket and decorated with colourful flowers, is blessed by the priest. Leftover kulich that isn’t blessed is eaten with Paskha for dessert. Blessed kulich is eaten before breakfast each day [Wikipedia].

The fair will include children’s games, piroshki, easter bread, pascha, easter egg coloring, kulich decorating, decorated pussywillows for Palm Sunday, easter baskets and cards, soups and much more. To guarantee your child a kulich to decorate and take home, call Biba at 379-4837.

All proceeds benefit the church’s youth programs. The fair will be held in the downstairs church hall from 9:45am to 3pm at the Holy Virgin Cathedral at 6210 Geary at 26th Avenue.

Sarah B.

The Examiner reports that the Rec and Park Commission voted yesterday to charge non-residents to visit the garden.

The garden has been free for all visitors for the past 60 years, but “because of the disproportionate number of gardeners compared to any other park in The City, the commission decided it had to be done to justify spending so much money on one open space”. The Botanical Garden employs 11 full-time gardeners.

As you may recall, there was a big fight last year to block any admission fees. While there was opposition to this latest effort, the furor from earlier fights seems to have died down. The Rec & Park Dept. also did not hold as many public forums to discuss the issue, which effectively silenced the opposition.

The Commission approved the following fees for non-residents: $7 for adults, $5 for seniors, $5 for youth (12-17), $2 for between ages 5-11, free for children under 4. There’s also a family rate for $4.

No word yet on when these new fees will go into effect. The Rec & Park Commission says they will review the fees again in a year. Let’s hope that doesn’t result in adding on a fee for SF residents as well.

What do you think? Will it change whether you recommend the Botanical Garden to visiting friends and family?

Sarah B.

CAPTAIN RICHARD CORREIA’S MESSAGE
The arrest of a hit and run driver and the subsequent discovery of a Marijuana production facility in the Richmond District in the early morning hours of March 1, 2010 are recounted below. I visited the facility shortly after the arrest and want to share several of my observations.

The “grow” as it’s called in police work was in a commercial building with a store front entrance. About six feet inside the door there was a partition separating the front from the back of the store. On the ground level officers located many marijuana plants drying on lines, large bags of bulk marijuana and small bags of cut and dried product ready for sale. The magnitude of the operation was quite large in terms of the production capacity of the operation, size of the building and nature of the neighborhood.

The officers that discovered the “grow” were doing good follow up work checking on the well being of the individual injured in the accident. Their discovery of the marijuana facility, while the result of good police intuition (and sense of smell), was none-the-less, by chance. The operation may have continued on for some time without discovery had the driver not fled to his business after crashing his car. Maybe it would have never been discovered or maybe it would have come to our attention after a fire or some other criminal activity.

There are second floor residential units above the store front. My sense, given the high intensity lighting, heaters, blowers and pumps utilized in the operation, all powered through substandard wiring, was that the risk of fire was extreme. The wiring was installed without circuit breakers. Moreover, the commercial unit had been converted rather haphazardly into a residence presumably for the operators. A fire in this corner location with residential units above and wood frame construction type homes on each side could have had catastrophic results.

Given the magnitude of the operation and amount of marijuana on site, this facility was a high value target for criminals who attack illicit businesses. A “grow” like this could well have become the site of an armed “takeover” robbery or a robbery related kidnapping. The risk of harm is high when you consider that 21st Avenue and California is within a vibrant commercial area that supports nearby residents and within a block one finds Alamo School, Gold Star Laundry, Rumblefish Bistro, Rainbow Wash, Cal’s Pet Supply Aki’s Cleaners, Bazaar Café, Angelina’s and the 6001 California Market.

I am delighted that the officers discovered this illegal operation and arrested the perpetrator. The city family responded as well with firm action by the Department of Building Inspection and the Fire Department. Immediate corrective action was ordered to make the structure safe. I personally met with the Building Inspector and the Fire Inspector, and I stood by while they met with the owner of the property.

If you see anything unusual in your neighborhood, which sometimes may be a lack of usual activity or even a strange smell, please Call Richmond Station’s Resources Lieutenant Mark Mahoney at 666-8042. You can also leave a message on our anonymous tip line by calling 415 668-7387.

NOTEWORTHY ARRESTS
On 02/27/10 at 12:26 am officers on patrol in the area of Geary Boulevard and Stanyan Street observed a vehicle traveling over the speed limit (approximately 50 mph) along Geary Boulevard. The officers stopped the vehicle for the vehicle code violation and made contact with the driver who was found to be driving under the influence of alcohol. The driver failed the field sobriety tests and was consequently placed under arrest. Further investigation revealed that the driver was on probation for a prior DUI conviction.

On 02/27/10 at 9:15 pm officers stopped a vehicle with expired registration at Geary Boulevard and 20th Avenue. The driver did not have registration or proof of insurance. A computer check revealed that the driver had an expired license. The driver was arrested, cited and released.

On 02/28/10 at 12:55 pm a vehicle was double-parked in the area of 18th Avenue and Geary Boulevard. Officers determined that the registration tabs were false and the driver’s license had been suspended. The driver was arrested, cited, and released after establishing proper identity. The vehicle was towed.

On 02/28/10 at 9:06 pm a vehicle traveling northbound on Arguello was observed making a right turn on to Geary Boulevard against a red light without first stopping at the limit line and yielding the right of way. A traffic stop was conducted on the vehicle at Geary and Spruce. The officers contacted the driver who appeared intoxicated. The driver was unable to satisfactorily perform a field sobriety test and a breath test indicated that his blood alcohol level was beyond the legal limit. The driver was booked in the county jail for DUI.

On 02/28/10 just prior to midnight Officers responded to a single car injury accident on Park Presidio Boulevard. There they found an unoccupied car that had sustained serious damage after striking a light pole. They noted blood inside the car and became concerned for the driver’s well being. After determining the address of the registered owner, officers responded to the 5900 block of California Street to search for him. At a commercial building on that block officers encountered several individuals who said that the owner was in the area and covered with blood. They stated that the suspect ran out the back door of the building just as the police arrived. The officers also noticed a strong smell of marijuana. The officers went inside the building searching for the owner of the vehicle and discovered a marijuana cultivation operation. One individual was cited for delaying a police investigation and the owner of the vehicle was apprehended and arrested for numerous felony charges including cultivating marijuana, hit and run and driving under the influence. Subsequent investigation disclosed that the entire basement area of the building was setup to grow marijuana and officer confiscated 290 growing marijuana plants, including many adult plants. Additionally, many pounds of harvested drying marijuana were located inside the building, some of which was being packaged for sale.

On 03/02/10 at 9:35 am two suspects were arrested for aggravated assault in the 400 block of 33rd Avenue. The first suspect used pepper spray on the victim, causing the victim to become temporarily blinded. After a struggle, the victim was able to place his attacker in a headlock. The second suspect, a female with keys in hand, began striking the victim on his head. The victim found himself going through the glass wall of a bus shelter, causing it to break. The victim was lying on broken glass on the ground and both suspects kicked him numerous times. Nearby witnesses called 911 for assistance. The suspects were apprehended before they were able to flee the scene. Both suspects were arrested. The victim was treated for minor injuries.

On 03/02/10 at 7:18 pm a motorcycle was stopped for a signal light violation. The rider was unable to provide his license to the officers. A computer check revealed that the rider’s license was expired. The rider did not have any photo id on his person therefore he was transported to Richmond Station for proper identification. The rider was cited and released from Richmond Station. The motorcycle was towed.

On 03/02/10 at 8:42 pm a victim was attacked by his neighbor in the 1900 Block of Broderick Street. The suspect first came towards the victim with a metal pipe then with a meat cleaver while threatening to kill him. The suspect was arrested and booked at the county jail for threats and possession of a deadly weapon with the intent to assault.

On 03/03/10 at 11:23 pm a vehicle was observed going through an intersection without stopping for the posted stop sign in the area of Geary Boulevard and Arguello Boulevard. The vehicle was stopped and the officers immediately smelled a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from the inside of the vehicle. The results of the breath test were unfavorable to the driver and he was placed under arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol. Further investigation revealed that the driver was on probation for a previous DUI conviction.

NOTEWORTHY INCIDENTS
On 03/01/10 at 9:00 pm an unknown suspect pried open a lock box in the 200 block of 23rd Avenue and stole a key that allowed entry into the garage. The suspect stole a bicycle and miscellaneous power tools. There were no witnesses.

The show will feature Lakay & Mystic Man. The 9-piece band is known as Lakay, and was founded by Mystic Man, the lead-singer, composer, and arranger of Lakay’s music. Mystic Man was born in Haiti. Below is a video of them performing “Como Se Hama”.

The show begins at 9pm at the Rockit Room (406 Clement Street) and will include spinning by DJ Jay Yzer. Tickets are $5 in advance, $10 at the door. For more information, call 387-6343.

Sarah B.

Thanks to Hugh of ob-kc.com for sending over these pics. If I didn’t know better I would say it was snowing!

Sarah B.