By John King : sfchronicle – excerpt
The image of North Beach has long been well-defined.
There’s the Italian overlay, once seen in the faces and now reflected in the abundance of pasta- and pizza-fueled restaurants. The beatnik-era poets published by still-vibrant City Lights Bookstore. Wooden buildings that press tight against steep blocks below Coit Tower.
It’s an alluring collage — and one that was feeling musty by the time COVID-19 hit in 2020, especially in a city that, in recent years, has put a premium on the different and new. Yet, not only has the aged district weathered the pandemic, the commercial heart of North Beach also feels more vibrant than it has in a decade or more.
Grant Avenue street fairs on the first Friday of every month draw large and lively crowds. Sales tax revenue was back to 2019 levels by the end of 2022. Since then, a bookstore has opened in a historic bakery closed since 2015, a grocer has moved into a former bank and there are several new restaurants and cafes..(more)
Isn’t it obvious why North Beach is thriving? Unlike other neighborhoods in San Francisco very little has been allowed to change. Supervisor Chiu kepth the Central Subway from emerging in the middle of Colombus Ave. There has been no forced demolition to build gentrifying towers. There are No cranes in the sky and very little up-zoning has been allowed in this neighborhood of lowrise buildings where residents are fiercely independent and very protective of their little piece of history in San Francisco. The vitality of North Beach is testimony to the argument that preservation of neighobhroods ensures their economic survival. We should all be so lucky. Now they have Aaron Peskin to protect them. When he leaves who will follow?
Agree, we should all be so lucky as North Beach to avoid the changes happening that are destroying the vibrancy and character of our neighborhoods, especially the movement going on removing parking, congesting streets and forcing the closure of small businesses in the west end of San Francisco.