skateboarding

Long Proposed Skatepark and Dogpark Behind Zeitgeist Is Moving Forward

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

The city has been threatening to build a combination skate and dog park behind Zeitgeist for the better half of forever, and now it looks like it's finally happening.  Yesterday, the Board of Supervisors approved Jane Kim's resolution to pay the park's $10,000/month rent for the next 20 years, clearing the final bureaucratic hurdle to building the park.

Here's how the final proposal for the forthcoming (and unfortunately named) SoMa West Skate Park and Dog Play Area:

Located at the corner of Duboce and Stevenson in Downtown San Francisco, the soon to be constructed SoMa Skate Plaza embodies the culmination of over two years of planning and coordination between the local skate community, Civic and State Government agencies and members of our international consulting team. The plaza offers an expansive combination of features inspired by local spots such as Channel Street, 3 up 3 down, and the iconic Justin Herman Plaza - resulting in unique world class urban skate destination with an unmistakable San Francisco feel.

And here's how Bryan Hornbeck of the SF Skateboarding Assocaition described the park to The Examiner:

The park will have banked ledges, stairs, rails and rolling ramps that skateboarders of all skills can use. Unlike the other four skate parks in The City, the new site will be well-lit and have supervision and rules against BMX riders using the equipment.

Now with the land secure, the dog and skateboard park (and, hopefully, a dog on skateboard park) could break ground as soon as this summer, which the opening date scheduled for March 2014.

Previously on Uptown Almanac: 

Tony Hawk Donates $10k to Help Build New Mission Skatepark

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

The construction of the new skatepark slated to be build behind Zeitgeist at Duboce and Mission has been running a bit behind schedule this year, but things are finally starting to look up.  According to the SF Skateboarding Association, the Rec. & Park Department was “signing off on taking over maintenance responsibilities for the park” back in October, the air quality assessment is all wrapped up, and the request for proposals from construction companies is out.

Now, according to the SF Appeal, Tony Hawk is donating $10,000 to help fund the project later this afternoon:

Skateboarders in San Francisco wanting to be like Tony Hawk just got a boost from the skating legend himself—the city announced today that Hawk is giving a $10,000 grant to a new South of Market skate park.

The grant from the Tony Hawk Foundation is helping to fund the SOMA West Skate Park, located at Mission Street and Duboce Avenue, and improve other skate parks around the city, according to San Francisco's Recreation and Park Department.

They're now saying construction will start this spring and the park will be open come fall, and they're still going with that awful “SOMA West Skate Park” name (who even refers to that slice of The Mission as SOMA anyway?), but it looks as though things are actually happening.

Previously on Uptown Almanac: 

Toad & Salmon's 7th Annual Chili Bowl goes down this Saturday

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

This event is consistently one of my favorite San Francisco summer happenings.  It's part skateboard comp, part chili cook-off, part death metal DJ set, a whole lot of daytime 40oz consumption and yelling, with a couple pools of blood thrown in for good measure.

Just give the shaky video I took last year a quick watch:

The vid obviously doesn't tell the entire story, and, if memory serves me, there wasn't much mid-80s action movie soundtrack being bumped.  Lack of hair metal aside, this is a much better time that playing whack-a-mole with roving drum circles in Dolores Park, so grab yourself a Mr. Pickle's pesto sando and post up in Potrero del Sol Saturday afternoon.

Previously on Uptown Almanac: 

New Skatepark to be Built at Duboce and Mission This Fall

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

There's been talk of a new skatepark to be build behind Zeitgeist under the freeway for years, but there was never any certainity that it would actually happen.  First there was the typical “concern” of downer neighbors (because skateparks attract urban blight, like 20-somethings having fun), then Caltrans, the owner of the property, needed to do an “air quality assessment” to ensure skating under a freeway wouldn't give you cancer (conclusion: negative), and then there was some disagreement over how much money the city should pay Caltrans to rent the property (we wanted to pay $5,000/month, they wanted $11,000).  But it looks like that has all been figured out and, according to the SF Skateboarding Association, the $3 million dollar project is expected to break ground this fall, potentially as soon as September.

Proposal by Jovi Schnell.

The final proposal from New Line Skateparks promises a “San Francisco feel” that draws inspiration from favorite local spots:

Located at the corner of Duboce and Stevenson in Downtown San Francisco, the soon to be constructed SoMa Skate Plaza embodies the culmination of over two years of planning and coordination between the local skate community, Civic and State Government agencies and members of our international consulting team. The plaza offers an expansive combination of features inspired by local spots such as Channel Street, 3 up 3 down, and the iconic Justin Herman Plaza - resulting in unique world class urban skate destination with an unmistakable San Francisco feel. 

The only remaining hurdle for what will assuredly be a gawking destination for randy drunk girls filtering out of Zeitgeist is having the SF Arts Commission to approve all the proposed artwork for the skatepark, including a rather, ahem, “bold” 15-foot-tall monument designed by Michael Arcega that “celebrates the sport’s unaccounted for and innumerable risks and failures.”

And if that isn't enough for you, DPW is planning on building a pair of basketball courts, a dog run, a playground, and planting a whole bunch of trees as part of the “Octavia Neighborhood/SOMA West” improvement process:

 

Everything about the project looks rad, but the proposed name “SOMA West Skatepark” doesn't appropriately capture the spirit of the project.  Alternate suggestions in the comments encouraged, as I have no better ideas.

[More info at SF DPW] (Thanks Sunny!)

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