Tony Kelly, President
At the last Boosters meeting, I prepared an updated list of issues facing the Boosters and the neighbors of Potrero Hill. That list is now up on our website, potreroboosters.org. There's gotta be something on the list that you can work on with us so GET INVOLVED! Contact me or Pat Cleveland, Vice President for Membership; our contact information is on the flip side of this newsletter.
The Lingba Lounge - After nearly a year of neighborhood disputes, arbitration, and hearings before City agencies, the Lingba Lounge now has a permit for live DJs and a set of conditions for entertainment that balance the needs of the business and the neighbors.
Booster member and neighbor John Spencer writes:
The Board of Appeals did vote to overturn the Police Department and grant the Lingba Lounge an Entertainment Permit with the planning department's conditions attached. The entertainment hours are limited to Sun-Wed until 10:30 pm and Thurs-Sat until 1:00 am.
If the Lingba abides by the conditions and city law there should be significantly less impact on the neighbors when their entertainment program resumes in early July.
The Lingba's owner, Cody Robertson, wants all of us to contact him directly at (415) 699-2101 anytime if there are issues in the future. From my standpoint this whole matter has come to a good conclusion. Thanks to everyone for their support and time on this.
The Peaker Plants - Last month's Booster meeting featured
a presentation from the SF Public Utilities Commission about the potential of
siting up to four small combustion turbines or 'peaker plants' within City limits,
including on Pier 70 at the bottom of Potrero Hill. We have not taken an official
position on supporting the siting of the peaker plants, but it was clear at
the meeting that there was significant community concern about the idea.
Our concern, or for that matter our outright opposition, may not matter. The
PUC is working on a tight calendar to identify sites for the peaker plants,
with neighborhood approval or not. In the likely event that the City applies
with the appropriate state agencies to place the peaker plants in our neighborhood,
the Boosters can choose to intervene in the application (along the same lines
of our intervention in Mirant's application to expand the existing Potrero power
plant).
Intervention in the Mirant application definitely helped us: we got a seat at the table during dicussions of mitigation and environmental justice, and as opposition to Mirant grew, we were able to coordinate with the other interveners on the most effective strategies toward a better City energy policy.
At this month's meeting, the Boosters will vote on whether to intervene in a City application for the peaker plants. I hope you'll vote in favor of intervention.
In related news, Mirant Corporation's plans to expand their power plant next to Pier 70 suffered some serious blows this month. The City's Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a resolution (introduced by District 10 Supervisor Sophie Maxwell) urging City officials not to enter into any agreements, permits, and leases that Mirant may need to put an expanded power generator online. Within days of that vote, Mirant Corp. filed for bankruptcy, making the expansion of their plant even more unlikely. These developments are great news for all of us interested in containing and eventually shutting down one of the largest stationary polluting sites in the City.
450 Rhode Island Street - At this month's Booster meeting, AF Evans Development, Inc. will be presenting revised drawings and proposals for a supermarket/housing project at 450 Rhode Island Street (the block-long hole in the ground at Rhode Island and 17th). In many ways, this is the project we've been waiting for at that location; after fighting misguided ideas for offices and 'business services' at the site, a plan for a high-quality supermarket and 168 units of rental housing has garnered a significant amount of community support. Over the past months, AF Evans has held community meetings and revised their designs based on neighborhood concerns. Now it's our turn, and here is our chance to review the project (and raise additional questions if need be) before it goes to the Planning Commission in August. At this month's meeting, the Boosters will vote on whether to support the project.
Revised Booster bylaws - The Potrero Boosters Neighborhood Association bylaws have been basically unchanged, and in many ways unreviewed, since the mid-1980s. During that time, the organization has grown and changed, and in some important ways the bylaws no longer match the way that we do our most effective work. With that in mind, the Executive Committee of the Boosters worked over the last year to develop a revised set of bylaws. There aren't many significant proposed changes to the old bylaws, but some changes are important to consider, and the whole document merits careful review.. Our current bylaws, the proposed new bylaws, and a summary of proposed changes are up now at our website, potreroboosters.org, and we'll discuss the proposed changes at the membership meetings this month and next. We hope to vote on the changes next month, since some changes affect membership categories and dues for 2004. Check it out when you can, and feel free to ask questions or raise red flags about anything you find at any time. Thanks for thinking about our organization, and our neighborhood.
BLDG PERMIT APPLICATION #2002.04174123: 1919 22nd/900-904 CAROLINA Sts. Proposed vertical/horizontal alteration to existing single family house into 3-unit, 3-car garage bldg in an RH-3, 40-X zone. SUPER BIG! SUPER LOT COVERAGE! Contact: Julian Banales, Planner, ph: 558-6339.
BLDG PERMIT APPLICATION #2003.05305895: 647 KANSAS/18th Sts. Propose to alter existing duplex (replace rear deck) in an RH-2, 40-X zone. Contact: Kate McGee, Planner, ph:558-6367
BLDG PERMIT APPLICATION #2002.10038088: 2116 18th/Kansas Sts. Proposed vertical addition; stair penthouse and sun rooms in an RH-2, 40-X zone Contact: Kate McGee, Planner, ph: 558-6367.