— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |
I've always felt that 24th Street is one of the most beautiful commercial corridors in the city, but apparently Mayor Lee doesn't agree. So the mayor is rolling out a $50,000 fund this summer to beautify one of the last unspoiled treasures in the neighborhood and, naturally, the local business community is skeptical of the plan. Mission Local reports:
“What’s made 24th Street vibrant over the last 23 years since I’ve been here has had nothing to do with the City. It has had everything to do with the nature of the people who own businesses and shop in the neighborhood,” said Eric Eberman, a former business owner. […]
During the outreach process in 2010, the report showed that community members wanted physical improvements to the neighborhood, such as increasing the number of outdoor spaces for events, better street lighting and adding more greenery.
At a meeting last week at the Brava Theater Center, a group of nearly 30 residents and business owners almost unanimously criticized the follow-up initiative for including physical improvements to the neighborhood in its plan, but not addressing the issue of how local businesses are increasingly being affected by displacement.
“I think back in 2010 we focused more on superficial stuff, and unfortunately over the years we’ve learned that beautification equals gentrification,” said Anabelle Bolanos, a community member. “We do need lights and we do want beautiful trees, but the priorities of the neighborhood have changed.”
Comments (27)
Could not agree more, re: 24th St. being a beautiful commercial corridor as-is. The last thing it needs is to be fucked up by Liar Lee’s “Beautification” Committee.
When the City is spending the money, isn’t $50,000 just a little more then 200 flower pots.
Absolutely. 24th Street is gorgeous.
Boom and bust coming up here all the way to Potrero? Saw it coming. One thing about the big worldwide bust coming very soon, is this will stop. and commercial rents will immediately drop %50 over most of the city just like after 2001. But, hell, that will also mean a complete destitution of ‘us’ of the bottom 40%. But yes, NOTHING needs to be done on 24th street, except COMMERCIAL rent control. Stay the fuck away mayor.
Under Section 1954.27 of the California Civil Code, no public entity is allowed to enact or enforce any type of commercial rent control in the state.
Hear, hear. Commercial rent control would be an excellent change.
Commercial rent control? How about you figure out how to run a successful business? There are plenty of small businesses who can afford to pay their market-rate rents. If you saw it coming, why didn’t you lock down a lease instead of demanding commercial rent control?
and another thing. Remember Gonzalez, the willie brown appointee supe, that did not win re election? Not Matt.
He proposed back in the 90’s CUTTING DOWN all the trees on 24th, cuz they helped crime, somehow. I kid you not. It shaded the criminals or some such shit.
Matt Gonzalez was political enemies with Willie Brown. He did win re-election, and Matt was a powerful Board of Supervisors President. More famously the big election that he lost was a close one for mayor against Newsom.. But the cutting down trees by the Green party candidate is interesting story to here from you.
I think the above poster is referring to Jim Gonzalez (who was a supervisor in the late 80s early 90s), not Matt.
There’s probably a reason then Supervisor Jim Gonzalez “proposed back in the 90’s CUTTING DOWN all the trees on 24th,” that reason being he was most likely from San Francisco, perhaps even went to movies at the York Theater, and thus would have seen how quickly that stretch of 24th St went downhill after the brilliant City Planners put in Ficus trees to make lively vibrant street life.
The City was tearing down the Bernal Dwellings and that drug cesspool at 26th/Treat was disbanding which allowed Hispanics to begin taking over the crack business from the blacks. The street dealers on Hampshire wore T-shirts “Selling Rock On the Block” so cars driving by would know who to buy from. The Ficus trees (“sustainable” because they needed little water) sent out roots that buckled the sidewalk, the dark leaves made that whole strip seem foreboding, the dealers took over that little park which necessitated putting a tall metal fence around it.
So that’s right, “I kid you not. It shaded the criminals or some such shit.”
It did indeed shaded the criminals and such shit.
Bullshit.
Your history doesn’t sound. SF gate’s article in 2001 says Bernal Dwelling were demolished 4 years before that. http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Joyful-Return-for-First-Bernal-Dwelle…
Or about 1996 or 97
And Wiki says Jim Gonzalez was out as a supervisor by 1993. Three or four years before they printed you tee shirts.
The idea that we should reject anything labelled “beautification” on the theory that it will lead to gentrification is sad and self-defeating. By that logic we should all throw our garbage into the street to keep outsiders from wanting to visit or (god forbid) move in. Absolutely, we need to strengthen the laws (rent control, etc) that are meant to keep people who live here from displacement. But we should *also* invest in small things that benefit the people who already live here. These aren’t mutually exclusive goals.
Look at the actual website of this program, including the page of projects already funded: http://www.oewd.org/IIN.aspx So far only one has gone to 24th street–$ for Sunday Streets. Grants that have gone to other neighborhoods have been for street trees, mini parks, and a film festival. Everyone should be part of the process of deciding what kinds of things the neighborhood needs (by going to these mtgs etc) but there’s no reason to reason to reject it altogether.
I agree that beautification shouldn’t be a bad thing in theory, but if you consider how fast Valencia went to hell within months of its beautification, you’d be rightly concerned as well.
“months”?
The Valencia Beautification project was started almost 6 years ago, no business which you despise on Valencia was open two years ago even (with the exception of mine).
I’m referring to the Streetscape project of 2010.
I honestly don’t even remember that. What did they do? Add those fancy sign posts and the day of the dead tree grates?
There used to be a middle loading lane up Valencia. It was removed, corner bulbouts were added, and sidewalks were widened between 16th and 20. I was living over El Toro when they started it and I still think the changes are for the better. I seriously doubt that improving pedestrian space was a major contribution to the rising rents in the Mission.
Don’t forget that the flower baskets and tiled sidewalks on Mission are also city “beautification” and it remains rundown (for the time being). So there are other factors involved in gentrification. Valencia was already changed before the streetscape project. Hard to predict the effects on 24th.
It’s true that Valencia did more or less go to hell in a handbasket around the same time as the streetscape project there. But this was also around the same time the current tech hiring boom took off, the national and regional economies started growing again, and commercial and residential rents all over the city took a huge jump. Any and all of these things are more likely responsible for the current state of things on Valencia than the streetscape project.
Because these same trends (tech, citywide rent trends, etc) are continuing, I am definitely concerned about the future of the 24th St zone’s businesses and residents (myself included). I just don’t think that opposing things like better street lighting, bike racks, and parklets is a helpful or productive way to deal with the threat of displacement.
Ed Lee and his band of cronies could give two fucks about 24th Street. this is just some outsiders imposing their vision, residents be god damned.
Fuck him and fuck his bullshit. I can’t believe that asshole is likely to get re-elected, too.
If they want to beautify the neighborhood, they could start with cleaning up all of the litter on 24th. Not another parklet or some bullshit like that.
god forbid they put bike racks and greenery on 24th st!!! ….there goes the neighborhood
+1.
What’s all this crying about?
Note to Pakman Lee: Clean up that latrine known as Chinatown, then we’ll know whether you’re sincere or a bullshitter.
Hey, motherfucker, I’ll tell little Eddie when he can come anywhere near Chinatown. No bullshit vote Ed Lee 2015