The GrowSF Report: SF needs more growth like Stonestown Galleria
The GrowSF Report: SF needs more growth like Stonestown Galleria
PLUS: Brooke Jenkins is stepping up SF’s felony drug convictions.
What You Need To Know
Here’s what happened around the city for the week of July 14, 2024:
- Stonestown Galleria to become urban neighborhood with 3,500 homes
- Sideshow crash marks the end for Market Street Cycles
- Brooke Jenkins is stepping up SF’s felony drug convictions
- Assistant principals cut from 10 San Francisco schools for 2025
- SF Oasis nightclub robbed at gunpoint
Recent & upcoming openings:
- Ushi Taro opens ramen spot in SoMa
Stonestown Galleria to become urban neighborhood with 3,500 homes
The plan to transform Stonestown Galleria into an urban neighborhood has finally received the green light from the Board of Supervisors. This massive project will turn 30 acres of parking lots into 3,500 homes, including a senior village, parks, and a main street filled with shops and restaurants. It's a huge win for the West side, offering much-needed subsidized, senior, and market-rate homes, plus new community spaces.
The first phase will kick off with infrastructure improvements and townhomes, all while the mall stays open. This is awesome, and it can't come fast enough. It's a game-changer for the community and a model for future urban development.
Sideshow crash marks the end for Market Street Cycles
A driver in an illegal sideshow (idiots in cars doing donuts) slammed into Market Street Cycles this week, destroying the storefront. For the owner, John McDonell, it was the final straw; he’s closing his bike shop after 13 years. McDonell's shop has been struggling with declining foot traffic, drugs, and homelessness, and the crash was a tipping point.
If you are running a business in San Francisco, you shouldn't have to worry about crime, dirty sidewalks, sideshows, or car crashes. Instead, a 13-year business is shutting down because our city officials have failed at the basics. It's time for change this November.
Brooke Jenkins is stepping up SF’s felony drug convictions
It is no coincidence that crime rates are dropping and narcotic convictions are climbing under Brooke Jenkins' leadership. But there is a long way to go; more than 800 people died on San Francisco streets from overdoses in 2023.
Jenkins has pushed a coordinated effort to intensify penalties for drug offenses in San Francisco, reflected in the rise of narcotics patrol staffing, arrests, and serious charges. “Everybody’s working towards this mission of cracking down on drug dealing,” she told the SF Chronicle.
Our DA is showing what leadership looks like. If you deal fentanyl in San Francisco, there will be consequences.
Assistant principals cut from 10 San Francisco schools for 2025
Due to a decade of mismanagement and an immense budget deficit, San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) has to make some hard choices. The latest is opting not to hire some assistant principals for the upcoming school year.
In a letter, District Superintendent Matt Wayne said the decision was beyond the district's control, as it is part of a larger hiring freeze affecting the entire district.
“We know that difficult decisions directly affecting our schools are on the horizon — and are now becoming a reality that schools are feeling,” Wayne said in a statement.
We’re thankful for the adults in the room making the hard choices to keep the school district afloat so we can keep educating our children. This November we need to elect fiscally-minded people to the Board of Education to ensure we can dig ourselves out of this hundred-million-dollar hole and rebuild our schools into the envy of the nation.
SF Oasis nightclub robbed at gunpoint
Four armed men broke into LGBTQ nightclub SF Oasis on Thursday. The robbers held the cleaning crew at gunpoint while breaking several doors and causing damage. No one was physically harmed, and the damage to both the crew and the venue was not worse. But this is a somber moment for safety in San Francisco and protection for our downtown businesses.
“While we are discouraged by the crime that took place, we are resilient and dedicated to being a safe and welcoming space for everyone,” read an Instagram post from SF Oasis.
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Recent & upcoming openings
A great city is constantly changing and growing, let’s celebrate what’s new!
Ushi Taro opens ramen spot in SoMa
Ushi Taro has opened its second location in San Francisco, this one in SoMa on 8th St. They offer an alternative to traditional ramen bowls with their beef broth, moving away from typical chicken and pork varieties. Opt for the paitan if you crave a more traditional taste, but don't miss out on options like the oxtail tomato ramen. And don’t miss the roasted bone marrow.
WHERE: 343 8th St San Francisco, CA
Your action Plan
Now that you know what’s happening, help us shape what happens next:
Support ‘Build Candlestick Now’
We can help San Francisco's severe housing crisis by prioritizing affordable and diverse housing developments. The Build Candlestick Now project does just that by creating an innovation center at Candlestick Point, encouraging technological advancement and entrepreneurship, and generating thousands of new jobs. Infrastructure and transportation improvements will reduce traffic congestion, and smart land-use planning will transform Candlestick Point into a vibrant community.
Sign this petition to advocate for timely action and move this transformative project forward.
The Spirit of San Francisco
There’s a lot to love about our city and the Bay Area. Here’s what makes it great. Brought to you by The Bold Italic.
What we’re doing this week
Free day rave comes to the Embarcadero
Another Planet Entertainment is gearing up to host a massive electronic music event at the Embarcadero on July 21, and the best part? It's free.
The main act is Sacha Robotti from Dirtybird, a Belgian-born DJ and producer now based in Los Angeles, known for his performances at Burning Man, Coachella, and Lightning in a Bottle. The event will kick off with a back-to-back set by Deron Delgado and Moody Jones, with two more performers to be revealed soon.
WHEN: July 21 at 2 p.m.
WHERE: Embarcadero Plaza at Market Street
Suds Francisco Beer & Music Festival
Barebottle Brewing Co., renowned for its family-friendly Bernal Heights taproom, is leveraging its reputation to host a unique family-friendly beer festival this summer at Salesforce Park.
Dubbed Suds Francisco, the event will take place on Saturday, July 20, at the park atop Salesforce Transit Center. Inspired by the SF Beer Week kickoff event that Barebottle co-hosted in February 2023 (Barebottle operates a beer garden in the park), Suds Francisco will showcase 25 breweries offering tastings, live music, and fun activities for kids, including bounce houses and face painting.
WHEN: Today, July 20th 12pm to 5pm
WHERE: Salesforce Park, 425 Mission St, San Francisco, CA
What we’re writing about
Here’s what to expect from Outside Lands 2024
As August rolls in, Golden Gate Park gears up for Outside Lands 2024, set to bring the city together from the 9th to the 11th in between our foggy avenues. Headliners like The Killers and Sturgill Simpson promise electrifying performances. Tyler, the Creator exited in June and was replaced by Sabrina Carpenter. Here’s more about the artists and what to expect from OSL this year.
Art Battle at Great Northern: Clubs are boring, this isn’t
Art Battle is as much a competition as it is an art walk. This week at the Great Northern, painters positioned themselves in center stage with their easels and ring lights, and the audience moved around them in unison to watch the progress, drink, and dance. Canvases go from white nothingness to an imaginative expression of each artist’s experiences, memories, and traumas in just 20 minutes. It’s mesmerizing.
North America’s oldest Chinatown is in San Francisco
This is the Chinatown we see now: A quintessentially San Francisco concoction of buildings constructed using Western techniques, embroidered with Chinese motifs. In addition to presenting an image that appeals to tourists, the goal was to create a city within a city, one that could supply its occupants with all essential services, from schools to hospitals, from banks to funeral homes. This is our latest in SF Throwbacks, telling us about San Francisco history.
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