Author Archives: BCNA Board

At the June 8th Board meeting, BCNA hosted representatives from the Port of San Francisco, Jamestown Development, LLC, and SFMade for a discussion about the proposal for a retail development in Pier 29.  Jon Golinger from Telegraph Hill Dwellers and other local community members also attended.  Following the meeting, BCNA and the Port exchanged the following correspondence:

June 13, 2016

Ms. Elaine Forbes
Interim Executive Director
Port of San Francisco
Pier 1, the Embarcadero
San Francisco, CA 94111

Dear Ms. Forbes:

Thank you for speaking to our board and interested members on June 8, 2016 about the proposal for the development of the bulkhead building at Pier 29. We appreciate your interest in meeting with us to discuss concerns and we were also pleased to hear from representatives of Jamestown Development LLC and SF Made.

It was very helpful to have a discussion about the plans for the building and to gain more clarification of the process, the nature of the retail proposal, consideration of the outside promotional structure to attract visitors, and next steps.

Specifically, we support many aspects of the proposal as presented, which focuses on retailing unique San Francisco merchandise in the 20,000 square foot bulkhead building, and that any further development proposals for the rest of the pier will be subject to a transparent process that will include NEWAG and community input. We were also heartened to hear that the red pylon promotional structure that had been suggested in the proposal is not definitive and will be reconsidered in light of its incongruity with the historic character of the building.

We would also like to highlight one process concern — the selection committee bypassed NEWAG while seeking rapid approval of Jamestown’s proposal.  Given NEWAG’s advisory role and the length — 15 years — of the proposal, we believe some briefing for NEWAG prior to Commission approval was appropriate.  Therefore, we recommend for projects exceeding a certain scope that selection committees brief NEWAG on their decision prior to obtaining Commission approval.  Such a step will facilitate better communication and partnership with the neighborhood.

We remain interested in the pursuit of recreational opportunities and activities for the remainder of the pier and look forward to ongoing dialogue with the Port about these ideas via NEWAG or independently through meetings such as the one we had last week.    Moreover we support continued discussion of the best use of the remaining space as part of a more comprehensive update to the 1990 Waterfront Land Use Plan and understand there is currently a mechanism in place reviewing the plan for updates going forward. We are interested in participating in the Subarea Planning for the Northeast Waterfront planned for later this year.

We are enthusiastic about the possibilities for Pier 29 and hearing about the thoughtful proposal for the bulkhead building. We look forward to seeing its progress.

Please do not hesitate to contact any of our board members if we can be helpful in providing constructive dialogue with the community in support of the proposal as presented to us on June 8, 2016.

Sincerely,

William Hannan
Acting President
Barbary Coast Neighborhood Association
whann@att.net

cc: Aaron Peskin
Members San Francisco Port Commission (via Amy Quesada)
Members Port of San Francisco Northeast Waterfront Advisory Group
Stan Hayes, President Telegraph Hill Dwellers

On Tuesday, June 14, 2016 7:52 AM, “Forbes, Elaine (PRT)” <elaine.forbes@sfport.com> wrote:

Good morning, Bill.

At the start of 2016, the BCNA Board of Directors wanted to develop a longer-term strategic plan as a means to establish goals and objectives for the organization.  Consequently, the Board created a survey to get feedback from its members to ensure it is meeting their needs and that its mission statement reflects the key priorities of the community.  Here are the survey results from over 70 BCNA members, which provided feedback to assist the BCNA Board in understanding where members would like the organization to focus its time and resources going forward.

BCNA Membership Survey Results

• Almost 70 BCNA members completed the membership survey, which was a figure much higher than expected
• Over 95% of the members agree with our mission statement
  • Many members would like to see the organization be even more proactive
• Over 90% believe that the BCNA is fulfilling its mission statement
  • More community involvement is needed to ensure the success of the BCNA
• Members believe that our most important focus areas should as follows:
  • Neighborhood development
  • Community outreach
  • Safety
• Most of the BCNA members belong to another neighborhood organization
  • Roughly half are members of the Golden Gateway Tenants Association
  • Others are members of Telegraph Hill Dwellers, Golden Gateway Commons, FOGG and Telegraph Hill Landing
• Members joined the BCNA to:
  • Be kept informed about activities in the neighborhood
  • Meet other members and be part of a community
  • Preserve and protect the character of the neighborhood
• A number of members are interested in getting more involved in the BCNA
  • Neighborhood development is a key area of interest
  • Many others have an interest, but don’t have time at this point
• Members believe that the BCNA’s main priority is to continue pursuing the items listed in its Mission Statement
  • Continuing to improve the conditions in our neighborhood
  • Proactive in keeping the neighborhood historic, safe and vibrant

BCNA Mission Statement
As set forth in the Bylaws, the purposes of BCNA shall be:

• To bring about information exchange, cooperation, and united action among the residents, property owners, and businesses in the Neighborhood
• To beautify and improve the Neighborhood
• To encourage a friendly association among people who live and/or work in the Neighborhood
• To protect the Neighborhood’s basic character, building scale, and open space—including public and private passive and active open recreational space
• To maintain the quality of life in the Neighborhood
• To keep alive the memory of the Neighborhood’s significant place in San Francisco’s history
• To monitor those actions of city government and other public agencies that affect the Neighborhood

All members of the Barbary Coast Neighborhood Association are cordially invited to attend the annual membership meeting on Sunday, June 26, 2016 at 4:00 pm in the Bella Vista Room of Il Fornaio Restaurant, 1265 Battery Street.  The featured speaker will be District 3 supervisor Aaron Peskin.  BCNA board members for the coming year will be elected by the membership.

Friends and neighbors are welcome.  Il Fornaio’s delightful hors d’oeuvres will be served.  Please save the date.