Streetsblog San Francisco

A plan to restore two-way traffic on several blocks of Hayes and Fell Streets in Hayes Valley that were converted to one-way streets in the 1950s was approved at an SFMTA hearing today following a strong show of support from residents, merchants and neighborhood associations. It now goes to the SFMTA Board for approval.

The proposal [pdf] follows the spirit of the Market-Octavia Plan, which recommends converting Hayes Street to “a two-way local street, which is best suited to its commercial nature and role as the heart of Hayes Valley.”

It would affect Hayes Street from Van Ness to Gough and Fell Street from Van Ness to Franklin, which residents described as multi-lane, one-way arterials that “inundate” the commercial district with “walls of cars.”

“We want our streets to be safer, calmer, and less like freeways. These changes would be a big move in that direction,” said one 15-year resident who described how he’s forced to “zigzag” down Hayes Street to avoid dangerous crossings.

Noise, air pollution, and the threats imposed by motor vehicle traffic have long made the neighborhood uninviting and dangerous for walking, cycling, and shopping. Closed crosswalks and double-vehicle turn lanes create difficulty for many in crossing the street safely.

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The same neighborhood organizations and community advocates that routinely lobby to prevent the San Francisco Planning Department from granting parking exceptions in excess of progressive neighborhood plans were thrilled with a new project to build a 3-story building in the heart of Hayes Valley, the future home of SF Jazz, a non-profit arts organization. The primary reason the neighbors were so excited was because the project sponsors are building an 800-seat auditorium, with office and rehearsal space, but they aren't adding a single new parking space.

The Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association wrote a glowing letter of support to the Planning Commission, detailing how SF Jazz had met with the HVNA transportation committee ten times and with the entire group four times in the past year, working to address community concerns and become a valuable neighbor before even breaking ground. Planning commissioners voted unanimously to support the project at the commission meeting yesterday, wrapping up a number of conditional use requests for the building architecture in less than an hour, a relatively short process for them.

From the HVNA letter:

The SF Jazz organization found an excellent location for their project. It is in the heart of an already established performing arts district, allowing the type of agglomeration economies that make talent and creativity thrive. It is easily accessible to the BART Station at the Civic Center, and to the Muni Metro Lines on Market Street, as well as the Hayes Street bus line. It is also in the center of a dense, walkable, mixed-use neighborhood with many dining and entertainment opportunities.

The proposed development will replace an existing auto repair and office building and will host a ground‐floor restaurant, a small ground‐floor retail sales area, and a loading aisle on the westerly portion of the site. The project will be at 205 Franklin Street at the Corner of Fell street and measure approximately 38,600 square feet. If all goes according to schedule, the project would break ground in the spring of 2011 and be open in fall of 2012.

Randall Kline, the co-founder and executive director of SF Jazz, said locating in Hayes Valley was all about transit access, which he rattled away in an interview, giving walking times from BART and Muni Metro stations off the top of his head.

"We knew from the beginning in designing this project that transit was a key component. That was the primary reason for selecting the site," he said.

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Famously, we live on a crack in the earth. The San Andreas Fault gets most of our attention, followed not too far behind these days by the equally ominous Hayward Fault. A major earthquake on either of these could alter local landscapes forever, and will certainly damage or destroy freeways, bridges, and the water system. That's one of our catastrophes waiting in the wings, and it's good think about preparing for such eventualities.

Less obvious, but just as much a part of our local natural landscape (largely obscured by asphalt and buildings), are the old waterways on which the city is built. The evidence for these underground waterways is in plain view as well as being represented in various public documents. Joel Pomerantz wrote "San Francisco's Clean Little Secret" a few years ago (first appearing in a book I edited "The Political Edge" City Lights: 2004) wherein he found in SF Water Dept. official reports the saga of the "Mighty Hayes River." Starting deep underground somewhere near Lone Mountain, the subterranean river flows southeast under Civic Center, and as you can see on this map, once surfaced around 7th and Mission.

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