Glen Park News Summer 2015

SUMMER 2015 VOLUME 33, NO. 2 Intersection Redo Sparks Hope, Skepticism y the end of July, the dust should have settled and Glen Park will B find out whether the redesign of the Diamond and Bosworth Street intersection actually did what it set out to do: calm traffic, improve transit by connections and make Elizabeth it easier for pedestrians Weise to navigate the area. “There’s no magic bullet. It’s a mess and all we can do is try to improve the flow,” said District 8 Supervisor Scott Wiener, who repre- sents Glen Park. The intersection long has been a sore point in a neighborhood that’s become much sought-after in the past decade, bringing in more cars, more buses and more people heading to BART, in addi- tion to the thousands who go through Glen Park to get to other parts of the city. The redo was first discussed in the City’s Draft Glen Park Community Plan back in 2003, and finally revised and adopted in 2012. The work actually began in earnest in January 2015 and is now scheduled to be completed by the middle of July. Construction was supposed to have been wrapped up by the beginning of June, but unexpected sidewalk installa- tion complications set the project back. Pedestrians wait to cross Diamond St.reet at Bosworth Street, as construction work continues. Photo by Liz Mangelsdorf CONTINUED ON PAGE 18 Businesses Suffer Through Construction Disruption etween the orange barricades, no- real estate firm, said he is working During May, when the maze of barri- down 15 to 20 percent, too. He pointed parking signs, noise and dust, the with a bank that has expressed inter- cades made it a challenge even to reach out that all the parking spaces on the B seemingly endless construction est in replacing the shuttered Citibank her front door, business was down 20 block were off-limits, dissuading both at the Diamond-Bosworth intersection branch. But no tenants are in sight percent compared with last year, she eat-in and carry-out customers. has hit small businesses on Diamond for the two other vacant ground-floor said. The previous month, when the Construction workers occasionally Street hard. business locations where Chenery Park construction was centered on the other drop in for lunch, he said—“but by The immediate restaurant and Tina’s Laundromat have side of Diamond, it was off by 10 to not usually.” Gail closed. 15 percent. CONTINUED ON PAGE 19 Bensinger inconveniences for driv- ers, pedestrians, Muni Diagonally across the intersection “After they finish, it’s going to look and BART users, bicyclists and poten- from the bank building, Jung Lee of better, and there may be fewer accidents,” GLEN PARK tial customers overshadowed the pros- the Glen Park Market, the corner store Lee conceded. But in the meantime, it’s ASSOCIATION pect that a new bank may be occupy- across from the BART station, pointed hitting her in the cash register. Lee’s store ing the vacated bank building at the to the empty rack where sacks of potato isn’t the only business that is suffering on QUARTERLY MEETING intersection early next year. chips should be. The supplier couldn’t Diamond Street across from BART. Thursday July 16, 7 p.m. Rick Shaffer, who is handling the find a place to park his truck to deliver At Viking Sandwich Shop next door, St. John School property for the CBRE commercial his usual order, she said. Steven Chang said his business was 925 Chenery Street REC CENTER REMODEL ~ PG. 4 A NATIVE SON REFLECTS ~ PG. 6 ERNIE SOLON’S CRAZY YARD ~ PG. 12 2 Glen Park News | Summer 2015 S GPA PRESIDENT’S COLUMN S GLEN PARK cracked open a fortune cookie on EWS May 27. I don’t really believe these N I “fortunes,” do I? The next night, May 28, I welcomed a gathering at the The Glen Park News is pub- Glen Park Recreation lished quarterly by the Glen by Center, to kick off Park Association. Signed articles Michael the community pro- are the opinions of the authors Rice cess for the Glen Park and not necessarily those of the Greenway Plan. I read Glen Park Association. out from the little fortune-cookie slip, “The project you have in mind will soon gain momentum.” Editor-in-Chief Rachel Gordon This fortune cookie was right on the mark. The crowd of almost 50 Deputy Editor Gail Bensinger listened to the presentations, asked questions and then moved around Copy Editor Denis Wade the five topical tables to give ideas and comments on how the Glen Park Art Director Liz Mangelsdorf Greenway should be improved, Other Michael Rice with his wife Jane, at the Glen Park Festival. Glen Park Association organizers and I Photo by Liz Mangelsdorf Online Editor Elizabeth Weise saw tremendous positive momentum, as described by Bonnee Waldstein on Street, this is a beginning. In six weeks Creek watershed, which runs all the Advertising Nora Dowley Page 5. or so, Roderick Wylie and his staff way to the Bay. We’ve asked SFPUC I moved around the tables and heard at Surfacedesign, Inc. will come back staff to come out soon and present Distribution ideas about trails, landscaping, water- with a summary of the ideas and plans and polices on watershed issues to Manager Murray Schneider sheds, dog-walking, stroller paths, proposals recorded in May, and show the community, to inform and support safety and maintenance. “Scribes” filled us three alternative concepts for the the Greenway Plan. Reporters sheets and sheets of easel notes, and the Greenway. There will be another lively For now, nothing is settled, but we Gail Bensinger volunteer facilitators made sure every- community meeting to critique and can picture a future where residents and Zachary Clark one was heard. Nicholas Dewar, GPA’s refine the alternatives, and reach rea- visitors will walk the Greenway from Murray Schneider vice president, and a professional facili- sonable consensus on the overall plan. “downtown” Glen Park, to improved Susan Sutton tator in his own right, called out tim- The Greenway is primarily San trails in Glen Canyon Park, up to the Bonnee Waldstein ing to move people to the next tables. Francisco Public Works and San trails on Twin Peaks. From Twin Peaks, Francisco Public Utilities Commission you will continue on a few quiet streets, Elizabeth Weise (Full disclosure: I made a suggestion property. We will hear again from and make your way to trails around Heather World myself. Not only is mine just one among many others, but my wife Jane the DPW, and how the City manages Mt. Sutro. A few more blocks, and you made exactly the opposite suggestion.) the tree resources in the corridor, and will be in Golden Gate Park. Columnists As we have made clear since we can partner with neighborhood groups Let’s keep up the momentum. v Marc Dickow announced the funding of the initial to upgrade open space. We also will Betsy Eddy plan to improve the open-space cor- hear from the SFPUC, responsible for Michael Rice is president of the Glen Park Kay Hamilton Estey ridor from Diamond Street to Elk stormwater management in the Islais Association. Jennifer Helton Katrin Reimuller Michael Rice S FROM THE EDITORS S Amy St.Clair DiLaura he more things change, the more lishment at the corner of Diamond shattering breaks from the past. But Scott Wiener things stay the same. The French and Chenery where Tyger’s now stands; one constant has remained: the strong T proverb, penned by French novel- the old Safeway market on Diamond sense of neighborhood pride in Glen Photographers ist Alphonse Karr more than a century Street, where Canyon Market now Park. We like our hilly geography and Liz Mangelsdorf ago, resonates today in Glen Park. Yes, operates. We also found a great shot of the village-like feel of our commer- Murray Schneider our neighborhood is changing, but it Silver Tree day camp in Glen Canyon cial corridor rich with independently Bonnie Waldstein always has been changing. Park from the 1940s. The City-run owned shops and restaurants. We like Favorite neighbors move away; the camp is still going strong nearly seven our canyon and our creek. And we new strangers next door eventually decades later. like the civic debate over land-use and become familiar. Beloved restaurants Businesses come and go, driven transportation issues. 2912 Diamond St. #407 close, sometimes replaced by even more largely by market demands; young As volunteers producing the Glen San Francisco, CA 94131 beloved restaurants. Vacant shops inter- campers grow up and their children, Park News, we try to cover the news of 415-908-6728 rupt the rhythm of the streetscape, grandchildren and great-grandchildren the day in Glen Park, and to capture [email protected] but eventually new tenants move in. take their place getting muddy in Islais the spirit of the neighborhood. To meet Housing booms sometimes end in Creek, climbing the boulders, catch- these goals, we need your help. Is there To advertise in the Glen Park News housing busts, and vice versa, as the ing glimpses of coyotes and hawks a simmering issue the neighborhood call 415-908-6728 or e-mail adver- economies of our city and our state wax and eating sun-warmed blackberries should know about? An interesting [email protected]. and wane. As we were putting together straight off the bush. Our streetscape neighbor whose story should be told? this edition of the Glen Park News, we has evolved over the years, with roads Something local that pleases or bugs Please support our Advertisers dug through the San Francisco Public widened and narrowed and lanes you? They support us Library’s online photo archive for some reconfigured.

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