Aren’t the sidewalks of Divisadero too wide already? Yes.
And then they widened the useless median strip a few years back.
And then the Mojo Bicycle Cafe put in a parklet.
And then they put overhanging shrubbery that takes up the space where your head is supposed to go.
See?
Click to expand
Oh well.
[UPDATE - "SanFrustration" explicates, regarding some information in the Comments section about there being, in fact, a sign on the parklet concerned saying how it is for the public: "I wish I would have seen that sign when the old white haired guy came out and rudely told me I had to leave. When I questioned him on it, he was adamant that it was their chairs and tables, and made a big deal of waiting for me to pack up my food. Bear in mind, there was only one other person at the 6 or 7 tables there. All the others were empty. This guy came with attitude from the get go that was both uncalled for and misplaced, and had another older guy standing next to him that was supposed to serve as his backup or something? For what its worth, I overheard them talking about cramming more tables and chairs into the space in preparation for an upcoming parade.
O.K. then. Be sure to check SanFrustration's story in the Comments section. He blames an "older Italian man" for the trouble. Somebody in management, not a waiter. Who could that be?]
[UPDATE II - Now, it's not my job to file a complaint with "Tony Roma," the "owner" of the parklet in question, or anybody else. (Mmmm... it's fun to make up names for ourselves, in'nt? Instead of "Tony Roma" (heh), what about Vitale Venezia, Santino Serrano, or Matteo Milano? You know, something catchy.]
What gives Caffe Roma the right to kick The Public out of the public parklet* at 526 Columbus Avenue?
Absolutely nothing.
I’ll say it again: Absolutely nothing.
And yet, employees of this joint are kicking Il Pubblico out.
Can you imagine?
Let’s read about what happens when a non-customer (let’s use il nome “SanFrustration”) has the temerity to use a public parklet as a public parklet:
“I am writing to express concerns with the way Cafe Roma is handling the public parklet in front of their establishment on Columbus Avenue. As I sat down to enjoy a lunch purchased elsewhere, I was told by Cafe Roma management that I needed to purchase something from them or I’d have to leave. When I explained that I was under the impression this was public space, they said it wasn’t and indicated I was using their table and chair, and thus couldn’t sit there.
When I looked for the public bench in the parklet, I observed that their tables were crowded into this space, making it impossible for anybody to actually use the benches. It was my impression that these parklets were not intended for private enterprise, and I’m very alarmed that they are claiming this area as part of their establishment and not allowing any public usage.”
Testify!
Does it have to say “PUBLIC PARKLET – ALL SEATING IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC” in order for these areas to be public? Non so.
This photo shows a different parklet, but I think the rules are the same all over the City. See the words in there, camera left?
Via Streetsblog – photo: Myleen Hollero/Orange Photography - click to expand
I cry foul. Accuso! Accuso!
Hey Caffe Roma, should you accommodate the public at the public park in front of your business?
Perche no?
I know you’ve paid fees and whatnot, but you didn’t buy the land in fee simple absolute, right?
(I call the NoPA part of the Western Addition the NoPA Western Addition because I’m not a goddamned Realtor and/or rich, white, property-owning NoPNA NIMBY.)
Well, it takes a village to build a parklet or it takes three weeks or something, cause that’s about how long it seemed for this construction to get built onsite at Fulton near Divisadero, right in front of the Tsunami / sake shop / coffee shop mini-mall what’s on the corner.
You’d see dude out there working away – the intersection smelled like a forest for a while there.
Anyway, as you can see, the little monsters thought it would make a good billboard for their scribblings:
Click to expand
Oh well.
[During all of this Powell Street Promenade stuff, please remember:
"...the benches draw their inspiration from the aluminum chassis of the all-new A7, the Audi ASF® frame."
There will be a test later.]
[Chronicle Urban Design Critic John King just weighed in. Uh, John, the original plan was supposed to relieve "pedestrian congestion," as this recent design concept from Audi shows, but the current design won't do that. And "parklet" is a pejorative in this case. And those "abstract oars" you see are "inspired by" a 2012 Audi. Thusly:
The hockey stick behind the rear wheel - see it? That's where your oars came from.]
Get up to speed on the new Audi Avenue / Powell Street Promenade Project right here.
Let me tell you, the Powell Street Promenade in Union Square will look nothing like this:
Click to expand.
Instead, it will look like this, with aluminum grating and paddles and twisted things. See?
Are these tables? I think they’re tables:
We were promised no advertising, but you make the call:
“…like much of the promenade, the benches draw their inspiration from the aluminum chassis of the all-new A7, the Audi ASF® frame. While the twisting and sculpting of the metal is intended to reflect the dynamic styling of the luxury sedan…”
Is this why Audi owners make such bad drivers, generally, the boldness? (I’d call it hubris, frankly.) Anyway, let’s let Audi make the case:
“We believe that a boldly designed car, like the new Audi A7, deserves a boldly designed world. So today we’re breaking ground on an urban design initiative to re-imagine Powell Street in San Francisco.”
I’ll tell you, the last thing Audi drivers need is anything to do with boldness.
Oh, and Foursquare too: Audi Powell Street Promenade
This is the primary surface. Number one will pass right through, number two not so much:
Now, the original idea was to have a widened sidewalk but that would have caused issues with area hotels (like them suing the City and County for starters). So we’re going to get cutouts on both sides of both blocks. Thusly:
Here’s parklet eight of eight, near the Cable Car turnaround:
Now let’s thank Gaia that the aluminum hasn’t been arranged in interlocking rings to further advertise Audi and its million-dollar Audi Avenue. But there will be Audi’s name onsite and that’s too much, IMO. Oh well.
And I can’t think of any other carmaker that’s as closely associated with aluminum as Audi, so there’s that.
Was this marketing deal put out to bid, like maybe some other car companies might want to market their vehicles using the streets of San Francisco as well, right? Anyway, I don’t know.
Feel free to share your thoughts with SFGov – oh, whoops, comments be closed, just like the way they have it at BeyondChron, which is also financed with your taxpayer dollars.
All right, which particular Audi did the Powell Street Promenade draw its inspiration from? All together now, the A7! Get one today – starting price is merely $60K.
Hurray!
Lively SocketSite has some deets along with reaction from the commonweal.
[Earworm of the day: We're going rock down to-oo/ Audi Avenue.]
[UPDATE: And a commenter from FineInternets.com frets over the metal theft issue. I wonder how much this aluminum would be worth melted down. See comments.]
Apparently, there’ll be a hearing this month about the proposed Arizmendi Bakery Parklet on Ninth Avenue.
Some people in the ‘hood aren’t enamored of this deal, not exactly sure why. Seems as if the big area NIMBY group is on board, anyway.
Via N Judah Chronicles / Greg Dewar:
We’ll just have to wait and see…
Uh oh, for the first time at one of these Masonic Avenue meetings in the Western Addition, I met people who are pissed at the whole process. And these are people who are nearby residents.
(Whenever the City gets around to doing outreach with the stakeholders who currently use Masonic, well, there could be some more opposition still.)
Get some of the deets of last night’s meeting over at The Square website (but keep in mind the dollar amounts mentioned there are off by three orders of magnitude).
A good 140 people or so at a local prep school (it’s like Hogwarts but more expensive and less magical) last night:
Click to expand
Boulevard or Gateway or Something Else?
Medians no matter what:
Boulevard up top and Gateway below:
Gateway starting at Fell:
Amenities:
Plaza and Public Arts Space. You’re supposed to play bocce or volleyball on the lane that currently takes traffic from eastbound Geary to southbound Masonic.
But “improvements” are coming irregardless
Here are the next steps. Om It Goes:
Here’s the scene this morning at the official ceremony kicking off all the Divisadero Streetscape Improvements and the Cafe Mojo Parklet at 639 Divisidero betwixt Hayes and Grove.
BIKE NOPA has all the deets for the new parklet in front of popular Mojo Bicycle Cafe, where you are beseeched to “ride in – hang out – get your fix – ride on.”
Of course District 5 Supervisor Ross Mirkarimiwas there* – he was working the crowd and expressing his appreciation for improved bicycle and pedestrian safety on the Divisadero Corridor. He also pointed out the success of the nearby Divisadero Farmer’s Market, which is no longer seasonal. It’s open every Sunday from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM year-round these days.
Mayor Gavin Newsom addressing a large crowd on the tiny parklet:
Click to expand
And all the while, the honking yellow Hummer of Main Contractor Synergy Project Management was discretely parked across the street, as discretely as possible given that it’s a honking yellow Hummer:
I’m on the record as not being a big fan of all the changes, but oh well.
SocketSite has more info about Divis and Curbed SF has all the history, as you’d expect.
Brand new median trees and old-school streetlamps for as far as the eye can see:
These days, it’s Mojo a gogo. A fixie bike mounted outdoors as art:
Welcome to the New Divisidero.
*Wearing the same drip-dry suit he was wearing at the recent opening of the Hamilton Recreation Center and Pool.
All the deets, after the jump
