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QUARTERLY NEWS AND UPDATES
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Civic Center Public Realm Plan Unveiled
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The Civic Center Public Realm Plan was unveiled to the public on February 27 at an Open House at City Hall. Hosted by the San Francisco Planning Department, plans designed by CMG Landscape Architecture featured reimagined spaces for Civic Center Plaza, Fulton Mall and United Nations Plaza.
With staff on hand to address questions, concerns and comments, the plans feature elements such as closing off Folsom Street to traffic and adding lawn space, repurposing the
Lawrence Halprin fountain in UN Plaza, adding more trees and a water feature to Civic Center Plaza. The SF Chronicle described the plans as, "an ambitious, inventive balance between Beaux-Arts grandeur and small-scale welcome..."
See the plans on the
Civic Center Public Realm Plan site
.
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CCCBD Renewal Underway
District renewal is underway for the next term with expanded boundaries, more cleaning & maintenance and public safety services.
Every vote counts!
PLEASE RETURN YOUR PETITION by Friday, April 12
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CBD Ambassadors & Clean Team Attend Mental Health Training
Our District Ambassadors and Cleaners recently joined their other downtown CBD colleagues to attend a day-long mental health training -- generously underwritten by Lendlease.
The training covered effective support techniques for helping those in need on our streets; as well as how our Ambassadors and Cleaners should take care of themselves given the intense work they do day in and day out. Attendees also heard a presentation from San Francisco's HSOC team. The Healthy Streets Operations Center (started last year) has been instrumental in helping our District find solutions when multiple City agencies are needed.
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New Light Art Debuts on Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
W.F.T (San Francisco), created by conceptual artist Joseph Kosuth, has been unveiled on the facade of the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. Regarding this piece, the
SF Arts Commission writes, "
Through the use of language, Kosuth's artwork reflects the historical significance of the Auditorium while also demonstrating how words reveal relationships to cultural and social realties." The piece was privately funded by Emerald Fund through the Public Art Trust.
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Better Market Street Pop-Ups & EIR Report
Better Market Street hosted a public information station at A.C.T.'s Strand Theater in February. Following this, the Planning Department unveiled the draft EIR report, which is open for public comment through April 15. The largest element of focus may be the plans to close 2 miles of Market Street to private cars, from Steuart Street to Octavia. This would allow for a sidewalk-level bikeway, expanded MUNI-only lanes as well as shared bus lanes, new landscaping and more.
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BART Station Elevator Program Deemed a Success & New Escalators Coming to Downtown Stations
BART shared a series of tweets in February about the success of the elevator attendant pilot program for Civic Center and Powell Street stations, so much so they're seeking funding to make it permanent for the next two years by applying for a joint grant with SFMTA.
BART will also be replacing 41 escalators, including those at Civic Center and Powell Street stations.
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Important Budget Hearing Meetings at City Hall
KEY CITY HALL BUDGET HEARING MEETINGS TO ATTEND:
-Public Safety (April 17)
-Homelessness and Housing (April 24)
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Mental Health & Substance Abuse (May 1)
-Other Policy Priorities (May 8)
All meetings take place at City Hall
Room 250, at 1pm.
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CIVIC CENTER EVENTS & PROGRAMS
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Lines Ballet Training Program students perform for the public.
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See photos of the events on the Civic Center Commons Flickr page.
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More Commons News
* Hunters Point Family's dedication to their work in Civic Center was highlighted in the SF Chronicle, noting "City officials credit the Hunters Point Family crew for its significant role in reactivating Civic Center and U.N. Plaza..." The staff's dedication has also saved lives and lead to expanded services -- they're also now providing services for the BART elevators and the restrooms at the City's Main Library.
* February 14 marked the one year anniversary of the Grand Opening of the new Helen Diller Civic Center Playgrounds, a popular kid spot that's already been highlighted as one of the best playgrounds in the City by Red Tricycle, and earned an award for design from the American Institute of Steel Construction.
* Civic Center Commons also had the opportunity to moderate a panel at the Night of Ideas at the Main Branch of the San Francisco Public Library in February on the "Welcoming City." Panelists discussed how inclusive public spaces can serve as a model for creating a more holistically welcoming city.
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Hayes Street Grill Celebrates 40 Years
On March 17, the Civic Center classic celebrated its fourth decade with a week of celebratory dinners. The birthday was noted with
an article in the SF Chronicle, calling the restaurant a classic -- we couldn't agree more. And preceding this,
Edible magazine featured Civic Center CBD Board Member
Patty Unterman on the cover with a feature about her work at the healm of the grill. You can read the article here.
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New Redwood Credit Union Opens at Fox Plaza
Bay Area-based
Redwood
Credit Union opened a 6,600 square foot branch in the old USPS location in Fox Plaza. Services include: business and personal banking, loans and credit cards, mortgage lending, wealth management, insurance, and more. For more information, visit their website.
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New District Businesses
A recent
Hoodline article shares "the freshest" additions to the area, which includes a couple places to eat in the District -- and follows with a place to workout. Urban Bowls, a Hawaiian and Japanese spot, is now open at 340 Grove. The article also notes the Civic Center Bi-Rite Cafe -- with a large image of a delicious ice cream sandwich; but -- it also shares a new place to burn off the calories: Core Power Yoga at 150 Van Ness.
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Market to Expand Inside Twitter Building
The SF Market announced an expansion that will bring 8-12 new vendors that will "
feature ramen, Korean food and burgers, and there might even be a vegan deli;" according to the SF Chronicle article. One new vendor includes Smokebread, which is offering its popular dips.
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Van Ness
Improvement Project
The first quarter of 2019 saw work on sewer and water main installation, sidewalk replacement, paving and installation of street light conduits, among other elements.
The improvement project is projected to be completed in 2020.
For more information on the project,
check out the informational
video, and visit the
SFMTA site.
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New Housing Project Readies To Break Ground
The
SF Business Times notes the housing project at
1629 Market St. could break ground by the end of the year -- when completed it will feature 480 market-rate rental units and 100 affordable units. This project includes renovating the Civic Center Hotel and providing brand new affordable housing on site.
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WeWork to Open in Uber/Square Building
The popular co-working office
WeWork is opening their latest location at 1455 Market St
., renovating 67,000-square-feet into for-rent work spaces. They're also opening an office in Union Square.
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New Buildings Popping Up at The Hub
The SF Chronicle's urban design critic John King authored a piece on the buildings popping up along Market and Van Ness, an area being dubbed The Hub. Among the buildings at The Hub include District parcels 1 Oak, 30 Van Ness and 10 South Van Ness, which has not approved as of yet, but developers are proposing features such as sky gardens, being carbon-neutral, and $13 million towards affordable housing. The article goes on to state that beyond the current and future building plans of The Hub,
"city planners want to go further - the area is being studied for a rezoning that would allow three towers in the 600-foot range at the vast intersection of Market, Van Ness and South Van Ness."
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AERIAL PERFORMANCE DEBUTS IN DISTRICT
The acclaimed aerial dance company Flyaway Productions' new show, in partnership with the Essie Justice Group, THE WAIT ROOM will debut in April, and is "a performance installation that exposes the physical, psychic, and emotional burden of incarceration for women with imprisoned loved ones." Show dates and times on their website.
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HOLOCAUST ART EXHIBIT
Coming to
Civic
Center
Plaza on
April 17, the art piece "Lest We Forget," is an installation by German artist Luigi Toscano that features 78 portraits of Holocaust survivors. The installation runs through May 19, and is presented by the Goethe-Institute San Francisco and the German Consulate in partnership with the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department and San Francisco Arts Commission.
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CLUSTERFEST LINEUP DEBUTS
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| Bikes and bouquets -- a colorful burst on a District sidewalk. |
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