MUNI Transportation Effectiveness Hearing 10/23

MUNI has three planning initiatives underway that directly affect the Polk Neighborhoods. The Geary Rapid Transit project is well under way. The Van Ness Rapid Transit project is in the middle stages of hearings as is the Transit Effectiveness Project.

Over the past year, the Transit Effectiveness Project (TEP) has been looking at ways to make Muni more efficient and attractive to riders. Everyone is invited to attend an upcoming community meeting to learn about the TEP's key findings and ideas and help shape the City's plans to improve Muni service.

In early 2008, there will be another series of meetings to present final recommendations.

The next community meeting in the Polk area will be: Tuesday, October 23, 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm, Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, 99 Grove St. at Polk St..

For more information, e-mail info@sftep.com, or call (415) 701-4599. Spanish and Chinese speakers may call (415) 226-1313.

The meeting sites are wheelchair accessible. Assistive listening devices and materials in large print will be available at the meeting. To request real time captioning, a sign language interpreter or other accommodations, please call (415) 226-1313. Providing at least 72 hours advance notice will help to ensure availability.

The TEP Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) generally meets on the second Thursday of the month from 5 to 7 pm at One South Van Ness, Room 3074. The meetings are open to the public. See the schedule for advisory committee meetings for dates of all upcoming meetings. Agendas, summaries, and information about TEP advisory committees are posted underMeetings .

Studio Gallery - People, Places and Things

The newest show from Studio Gallery is

People, Places & Things
Wed, Sep 26th - Sun, Oct 14th
reception: Saturday, Sep 29th, 4-8 pm

The new show covers a wide range of subjects and media by a number of artists.

This piece to the left from the show is "The Bell Tower" by Elizabeth Ashcroft.

So, I'm going to leave it to Jennifer of Studio to give you a taste of the show:

"Once in a while we like to do a show of beautiful pieces from some of our favorite artists: no overarching theme except talent. We'll have new paintings from Brandon Smith, Brian Behnke, Scott Grabowski, Chiami Sekine, Brett Amory, Scott Pettersen, Lola, Jeremy Mann, Greg Gandy, Michael-Che Swisher, Jumeen Kim, Samantha Zaza, Mike Dutton and Christine Susilo. We have lots of new ceramics from Joanna Mendicino, sculpture from Richard Benbrook, jewelry from Brook Jasmine, and prints from Elizabeth Ashcroft. We're especially happy to welcome Gage Opdenbrouw, Chris Curtis, Michael Chamberlain and Tammy Stellanova, who will all be showing in the gallery for the first time. Work in the show ranges from the very serious--Gage Opdenbrouw's "Faces of War" series--to the seriously wacky--Brian Behnke's "A Bat in the Budweiser"--something, we hope, for every taste and outlook."

Studio Gallery is located at 1718A Polk Street, between Washington and Clay. Hours are 11-8 Wed-Fri, 11-6 Sat and Sun. Closed Mon and Tues. http://studiogallerysf.com/

Lower Polk Neighborhood Meeting Oct. 2

The next Lower Polk Neighbor meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 2nd, at Café Ya-Bon, 1201 Sutter Street @ Polk. The meeting will begin at 6:30 pm with Happy Hour (with refreshments), and the General Meeting will begin at 7:00 pm.

The agenda will include the following:
--An update from the Department of Public Works on the Community Corridors Program, which is focusing street-cleaning efforts on several corridors within our neighborhood;
--A briefing from the San Francisco City Attorney's office on how code enforcement occurs, particularly with regards to liquor licenses and neighborhood nuisances;
--Proposed amendments to our association's bylaws, to allow Lower Polk Neighbors to be run more effectively;
--A special thank you to San Francisco Police Captain Kevin Dillon, who recently left the command of Northern Station.

Landmark Nomination Hearing - St. John's

There will be a Planning Commission hearing tomorrow, Thursday, Sept 20, regarding the landmark nomination of St. John's First United Methodist Church, located at 1601 Larkin.

Show up for comment and support.

Day: Thursday, 9/20
Time: 1:30pm
Place: City Hall, Commission Chambers, Room 400

Bus Rapid Transit Planning Meetings for Van Ness Ave

Public Scoping Meetings are being held for the Van Ness Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project.

The proposed project appears to include a Market Street-like transit corridor of bus-only lanes and center of street bus stops down the center of Van Ness.

The first public scoping meeting will be held Tuesday, October 2 6-8pm at the Holiday Inn, Crystal Room, 1500 Van Ness at Pine.

The second public scoping meeting will be Thursday, October 4, 6-8 pm, 100 Van Ness Ave, 26th Floor at Fell.

The purpose of the scoping meetings is to obtain public input on the project alternatives and potential environmental effects that will be studied.

For more information, visit http://www.vannessbrt.org/, e-mail rachel.hiatt@sfcta.org or call 415-593-1423.

The successful implementation of the rapid transit project on Van Ness will be important for everyone who lives in the Polk Street neighborhoods.

Middle Polk Neighborhood Association Meeting Monday

Monday, September 17, It's A Grind will host the Middle Polk Neighborhood Association Meeting at 7:00 pm.

San Francisco's Best Seafood is on Polk Street

In a city famed for it's seafood, Swan Oyster Depot and Pesce were named to City Search San Francisco's top-ten seafood restaurants.

http://sanfrancisco.citysearch.com/bestof/winners/seafood

Swan Oyster Depot is at 1517 Polk Street and Pesce is at 2227 Polk street.

I haven't tried Pesce yet, it's on my list. And if I start musing about Swan I will never stop; its a post for another day. Just this, if you haven't been - what are you waiting for? Okay, you don't like fish, that's another story, but if you like fish there is no other experience like Swan anywhere and you don't want to miss it.

Polk Real Estate For Sale - Studio in Sutterfield

On my last tour of open houses, I was looking for places under $500,000. I found two in the Polk area and one of those was sold before I could write about it. So here is the studio:

Unit #409 in the Sutterfield, on Sutter between Van Ness and Franklin is a large studio with nice finishes. I like the nook that gives you a feasible option for closing off the bedroom area.

The Sutterfield allows pets and has a gym, sauna, a jacuzzi patio and 24 hour security in a nicely appointed lobby.

The unit includes 1 car deeded parking and is listed for $439,000.

Contact Lisa Roman of Properties Unlimited at 415-602-4428 for further information.

Monthly Polk Street Clean Up

Once a month the Middle Polk Neighborhood Association organizes a neighborhood cleanup day. The next clean up day is this Saturday, 9/15 from 9:45-12. DPW provides equipment.

I won't be out there this month, what with the bum leg, but I thoroughly enjoyed last month's clean up. The work was satisfying and I am getting to know my neighbors.

This Saturday, after cleaning, the crew is going to join the Pacific Avenue Neighbors Association for their block party and bbq for lunch.

Join the cleaning crew at It's A Grind, 1800 Washington @ Polk at 9:45 am.

First Annual Polk Village Fair

This Saturday, September 15th, the Polk Corridor Business Association is hosting the first annual Polk Village Fair. The fair will run from 12 - 7 on Polk Street between Post and Pine.

If you are interested in volunteering for the Fair, please contact John Malloy at POLKCORRIDORBA@aol.com.

Polk Real Estate For Sale - Condo 1776 Sacramento, #407

Walking into 1776 Sacramento, # 407, I was blown away by the sheer size. At just over 1700 sq. feet, this unit is a whopper. The entry/ dining/ living room space seems to stretch for miles. My first thought was, wow, you could really entertain here.

Since it sits on a corner, the place gets a ton of light. The unit is pretty much a blank slate, so with a little imagination, this could be quite the showplace.

The master bedroom carves a significant chunk of space for itself.

The unit is 2br/ 2ba, with one car parking and storage and the building is pet friendly. 1776 Sacramento is between Polk and Van Ness. The asking price is $849,000. For more information, you can reach the listing agent, Malcolm Kaufman of McGuire Real Estate at (415) 730-7772.

Venetian Plaster Paintings at Studio Gallery

Rab Terry will be showing his Venetian Plaster Paintings from September 12-23 at Studio Gallery at 1718A Polk Street (between Clay and Washington).

Venetian plaster surfaces look so smooth and cool, I always want to rest my cheek on them. Seeing as one of the two series exhibited is based on plums from the farmers' market, I might just bite one. (Forgive me/ they were delicious/ so sweet/ and so cold)

There will be an artists demonstration on Saturday, Sept 15 4-5pm with a reception to follow with yummy snacks.

An extra bonus - On Saturday, September 22, Rab will conduct an Intro to Venetian Plaster class - contact Studio for more info and to sign up.

Studio Gallery - 415-931-3130; http://www.studiogallery.com/.

One Bedroom Condo in the Sutterfield - $549,000

1483 Sutter, Unit 419 is one of the most affordable one-bedrooms with access to Polk Street and sports tons of amenities. The building has 24-hour security, a full gym, sauna and spa.

#419 is a corner unit, just off the shared spa deck.

The space was well planned with an open kitchen/ dining room/ living room and plenty of light.

The bathroom opens onto the hallway and the large bedroom.

There is an in-unit washer/dryer and a deeded parking space.

This property is represented by Karyn Lew, Capital Properties. Cell: 415-254-3780, e-mail:karynlew@sbcglobal.net

Why no posts in two weeks?

Funny you should ask. I took the most unbelievable spill down exactly one stair and broke my leg so severely that it had to be reconstructed surgically. I am a klutz for the record books.

I am back on line if not on my feet and I have a lot to talk about. Some real estate for sale, upcoming tree planting activities, an interview with Dawn Trennert of the Middle Polk Neighborhood Association, Gallery openings, the recent Guardian proclamation about the death of Polk Street and some Polk Street history.

Should be enough to keep me busy until I can get back on my feet, and get my feet back on Polk.