The GrowSF Report: 189 new homes — will the Board of Supervisors say no, again?

PLUS: Roller disco debuts for the winter

Oct 14, 2022

What You Need To Know

Here’s what happened around the city for the week of October 10, 2022:

- 189 new homes — will the Board of Supervisors say no, again?
- Dogpatch named a top neighborhood in the world
- After seven years of trying, abandoned car wash won’t be housing
- Roller disco debuts for the winter

189 new homes — will the Board of Supervisors say no, again?

189 homes in exchange for a parking lot is a great trade, if the Board of Supervisors doesn’t get in the way. Plans for an 11-story apartment building at 1500 15th St. in the Mission are scheduled to be reviewed this week by the SF Planning Commission. If approved, the Board of Supervisors will have final say, and could potentially block the construction of these homes. That’s exactly what happened with the 469 Stevenson St. project, which would have turned a valet parking lot into a 495-home apartment building.

We’ll keep saying it: We need more housing in SF! And more market rate housing doesn’t mean less low-income housing; of the 189 units in this project, 25 would be subsidized low and moderate income housing. To make San Francisco truly a city for all, the Board of Supervisors needs to get out of the way!

Dogpatch named a top neighborhood in the world

You may have heard that the Dogpatch neighborhood is fast growing, but did you know that is also one of the coolest in the world? Time Out magazine listed Dogpatch as one of the top 51 neighborhoods in the world, ranked at number 31. The neighborhood has experienced a renaissance over the last decade with significant development including UCSF building a major campus, the development of Mission Bay as well as the Third Street corridor. Go check it out and enjoy everything Dogpatch has to offer!

After seven years of trying, abandoned car wash won’t be housing

After seven years of efforts, home builders have dropped plans to turn a closed down car wash on Divisadero and Oak into 186-home apartment building with retail on the first floor. Plans for homes were first filed in 2015, but not approved until 2019, after which the team had to contend with objections from nearby residents and neighborhood associations, and an increase in construction costs related to the pandemic and delays. Supervisor Dean Preston said his team was working on securing the site for city-subsidized housing.

We believe that San Francisco and all of its residents would be better served if this abandoned car wash was housing instead. We need to make it easier for people to build in San Francisco, and take hyperlocal interest groups and misguided politicians out of the process. Once we do, San Francisco can truly grow.

Roller disco debuts for the winter

San Francisco is taking roller skating to a whole new level!!! This Saturday Mayor London Breed will present the ribbon cutting ceremony on San Francisco’s brand new pop-up state-of-the-art covered roller rink! San FranDISCO will be up for the next few months at San Francisco Civic Center.

See, we can have nice things!

Your Action Plan

Now that you know what’s happening, help us shape what happens next:

Vote! And share the GrowSF voter guide

You have your ballot and your GrowSF voter guide. Now vote like your city depends on it!

Read the GrowSF Voter Guide

Here are our most important endorsements for this November:

District 4 Supervisor (Sunset): Joel Engardio
District 6 Supervisor (SOMA, Mission Bay): Matt Dorsey
District Attorney: Brooke Jenkins
School Board: Ann Hsu, Lainie Motamedi, Lisa Weissman-Ward

Love your city by cleaning it up

Join one of 12 neighborhood trash pick ups being organized around San Francisco and help pick up all of the trash in the City in one day!

Get more details and register here.

Flash mobs to support small business

The last few years have been especially tough for mom & pop shops. Small business is the lifeblood of the City. Our fabulous small businesses are what makes San Francisco so special.
The Small Business Boogie will simultaneously take place in The Castro, The Haight, The Mission, The Richmond and Russian Hill from 6-8pm.

Celebrate San Francisco

There’s a lot to love about our city. Here’s what makes it great:

Need a bear hug?

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and the Bears of San Francisco are teaming up again this year to host the 2nd annual Bearrison Street Fair this Saturday, October 15th from 12-6 pm. It’s a fair for every bear! Get a bear hug while you’re there!