From the comments, "j" asks...
Are there any existing neighborhood organizations for those of us who are feel unrepresented by the "Friends" et al.?
I'm not even sure how active Friends of Noe Valley is, I keep hearing the name but the website hasn't been updated in eons. That doesn't mean they aren't still sending out newsletters, and I have no idea what their position on this would be.
The Noe Valley Association has a FAQ on this project. This is the Community Benefits District, which I don't think equates to a grassroots public effort.
I can't find a website for the "Upper Noe Neighbors".
Most any generic organization is bound to have disagreements on this project. I am steadfastly in support of a plaza plan and am not interested in a watered down parklet. I plan to drum up a group to show up in force for the Public Outreach meetings - I mailed Andres Power and he suggested that if I felt strongly about this that I do so.
Anyone interested in joining up - solely for the purpose of promoting a plaza for this project - please send me an Email
There is a new "plaza" being proposed for Noe Valley - this will close off Noe St at 24th St.
My first reaction? Awesome. The intersection of 24th/Noe has a huge pedestrian presence, and navigating it is always tricky, in either a car or on foot. It's a four way stop with non-stop pedestrians during many periods of the day. Castro St, one block West, has fewer pedestrians crossing and is controlled by a traffic signal, a better street to handle cross traffic. Certainly the plaza would have traffic impacts, and Castro would see more traffic. Noe is a pretty crappy cross street though, the traffic through that intersection isn't so heavy that it would destroy the neighborhood if it were diverted. I am applying the "cyclist test" - as a cyclist I need to be keenly aware of the texture of each 4 way stop. Noe is trivial compared to Church or Sanchez, which are both flatter on stretches that serve more residences.
Well, some NIMBYs decided that this is going to ruin the neighborhood. Apparently a minor inconvenience for getting to 24th Street is more important than a major enhancement to your time once you get out of your car.
Sadly - someone got a bug into planning's ear. They are considering watering the thing down to a parklet. It's unclear if the parklet would be on Noe or 24th. If it's on Noe, it's useless, you can't see the main thoroughfare from where you'd sit - just the cross traffic. While the parklet at Mojo overlooks traffic, it also overlooks the main drag.
I think this comment summed it up best...
cr said...
It's NIMVY. Not in my Noe Valley. And it's a big problem in the neighborhood. We're going to be a joke -- the first neighborhood to rally around killing one of the Pavement to Parks.
Amusing comment and response...
Tara said...
This is ridiculous. What we need in Noe Valley is more parking spaces. And the parking spaces we have now don't accommodate the vehicles that most families drive now. You expect me to haul my groceries from Whole Foods on Muni? That is an unreasonable expectation. Let's plan smartly. If people want to sit outside in a park, they can go to Dolores Park. More parking options NOW!
yizzung said...
In this case it's NIMFY's
Good point.
If people want to sit outside in a park, they can go to Dolores Park.
If people want parking garages, they can drive to SOMA...
Posts
2 comments:
=v= You missed the worst of it, when the Friends [sic] of Noe Valley complained mightily about the handicapped ramps at Church and 24th. Everything from the lost parking to the apparent ethnicity of the mosaics on the sides of the ramps were poo-pooed.
A lot of us living there were peeved that these bozos presumed to represent us, as they did indeed make our neighborhood into a laughingstock.
Are there any existing neighborhood organizations for those of us who are feel unrepresented by the "Friends" et al.?
Post a Comment