Economic slowdown is a new factor in determining housing quotas
By Elaine Goodman : padailypost – excerpt
Housing-production quotas for cities are now being developed for 2022 to 2030, and some officials said they’re worried that the quotas won’t account for the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The discussion of the quotas, also known as Regional Housing Needs Allocation or RHNA, came up last week during a meeting of the Association of Bay Area Governments’ executive board.
Los Altos City Councilwoman Anita Enander predicted a “near-term disaster” for cities if growth models that the quotas are based on are wrong…(more)
The Coming Age of Dispersion
By Joel Kotkin : quillette – excerpt
As of this writing, the long-term effects of the coronavirus pandemic remain uncertain. But one possible consequence is an acceleration of the end of the megacity era. In its place, we may now be witnessing the outlines of a new, and necessary, dispersion of population, not only in the wide open spaces of North America and Australia, but even in the megacities of the developing world. Much of this has been driven by high housing prices and growing social disorder in our core cities, as well as the steady rise of online commerce and remote working, now the fastest growing means of “commuting” in the United States.
Pandemics naturally thrive in large multicultural cities, where people live “cheek by jowl” and travel to and from other countries is a fact of international tourism and commerce. Europe’s rapidly advancing infection rate is, to some extent, the product of its weak border controls, one of the EU’s greatest accomplishments. Across the continent, cities have become the primary centers of infection. Half of all COVID-19 cases in Spain, for example, have occurred in Madrid while the Milan region, with its cosmopolitan population and economy, accounts for half of all cases in Italy and almost three-fifths of the deaths… (more)
Sloat Garden Center likely to close for new mixed-use development
It’s been over a decade since plans to demolish the Outer Sunset’s Sloat Garden Center (2700 Sloat Blvd.) were first announced. Now, it appears that the proposed mixed-use development on the site — a neighborhood staple since the 1950s — may finally be happening.
On March 30, owner Dave Straus submitted dueling proposals for redeveloping the site to the Planning Commission. The first proposal calls for an 85-foot building with a total of 213 condominiums, 49 of which would be “affordable”—sold at prices below market rate (BMR).
At 125 feet tall, the other proposal is larger; it would have 283 condos, 85 of them affordable. In both cases, the units would be condominiums built for sale, not rental apartments. Market rate units are expected to start at $200,000. BMR buyers can apply for lower priced units through a lottery…(more)
No more gardens or plants in the city. Is that the future of San Francisco? We managed to save the Flowermart, sort of, yet, we lose the largest garden supply company in San Francisco? Wow! This truly is a goldrush where we plow over everything in site to erect the towers to the sky, a la Miami Beach.
Do NOT Re-Zone the Balboa Reservoir!
Stop the sale of public land, or at last continue the decision.
Tell SF Planning Commission: Do NOT Re-zone the Balboa Reservoir!
Thursday, April 9, 1PM – agenda
SF Planning Commission Meeting Videoconference and Call-in
Stream the live meeting: ww.sfgovtv.org
A public comment call-in line number will be provided on the Department’s webpage http://www.sfplanning.org and during the live SFGovTV broadcast.
Agenda Item 16b: Consideration of Initiation of “General Plan Amendments” for the Balboa Reservoir Project. This 315 page document contains amendments to the Balboa Park Station Area Plan (2009). If the Commission approves the Initiation of the General Plan Amendments meeting, they could schedule a hearing as early as April 30th to take action, such as re-zoning the land.
Currently the reservoir land is zoned as “P” (Public) which does not allow private use of public property. Re-zoning it to “Balboa Reservoir Special Use District” would allow privatization. Additionally, this proposed re-zoning would allow the current 40 feet height limit to be increased to 78 ft.
These decisions pave the way for the construction of the Balboa Reservoir Project. Please consider sending comments to the Planning Commissioners: commissions.secretary@sfgov.org
See Contacts and talking points. here
WEAR A MASK! You can wash your hands but not your lungs.
WEAR A MASK! You can wash your hands but not your lungs.
Here is the explanation why. Please share this it with everyone.
I don’t know if you understand the fast spread of the virus. The news media, the president etc… do not explain it well.
When a person is getting sick, is slightly sick, or is a carrier exhales, they spray thousands of the virus particles go out into the air around him.
They do not have to cough or sneeze. If you are in a grocery store and walk 6 feet behind them you can still get the virus because you are following in their air space, that has thousands of his virus particles. So wear a mask and if you don’t have one make one from a paper towel by folding it, stapling the ends and stapling a piece of fine elastic to that stapled end. Or use a kerchief. Just cover your nose and mouth with something that keeps water droplets from passing through. The virus sticks to the water droplets.
Be careful when you go to a grocery store. Disinfecting the floor and counters is less important than the mask.
Please wear a mask if you must go out in public for your sake and everyone
Let us know if you are working on any projects that need support or if you need help.
COVID-19 Construction Project Guidelines
https://sf.gov/information-construction-projects
Find out which construction projects are essential and will continue, and get information to keep construction job sites safe.
How Does Soap Inactivate Coronaviruses?
By Julie from the Exploratorium
Click the Link to view the video if it doesn’t come up on your screen:
https://www.exploratorium.edu/video/how-does-soap-inactivate-coronaviruses
Coronaviruses are surrounded by the same type of membrane that surrounds human cells. Learn how disrupting this membrane with soap or alcohol inactivates the virus. Find out more about the science of COVID-19 with the Exploratorium Learning Toolbox.
Respiratory Therapist – How to treat a Virus at home.
San Francisco to open new drive-through, drop-in coronavirus testing sites
By Dominic Fracassa : sfchronicle – excerpt
Three new mobile COVID-19 testing sites will open in San Francisco next week, as health officials race to expand testing capabilities ahead of a predicted surge of patients in the coming weeks.
San Francisco will have seven drive-through or drop-in testing sites operating once the three new locations become operational by the end of next week, though some of those locations are reserved only for health care employees and first responders.
The first two new sites are set to open early next week…One site will be in the Outer Sunset and one in Chinatown.
The third new mobile testing site, operated by the private health care network Brown & Toland, will open near Oracle Park by the end of next week…
All of the new sites will require a doctor’s referral before patients can be tested. Public health officials have stressed repeatedly that, because testing resources are limited, only people who meet certain criteria are eligible for testing…(more)
Newsom Takes Executive Action to Establish a Statewide Moratorium on Evictions
Press Release:
Governor Newsom Takes Executive Action to Establish a Statewide Moratorium on Evictions
The order is effective immediately and will apply through May 31, 2020
Builds on the Governor’s previous executive action authorizing local governments to halt evictions
SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today issued an executive order banning the enforcement of eviction orders for renters affected by COVID-19 through May 31, 2020. The order prohibits landlords from evicting tenants for nonpayment of rent and prohibits enforcement of evictions by law enforcement or courts. It also requires tenants to declare in writing, no more than seven days after the rent comes due, that the tenant cannot pay all or part of their rent due to COVID-19.
The tenant would be required to retain documentation but not required to submit it to the landlord in advance. And the tenant would remain obligated to repay full rent in “a timely manner” and could still face eviction after the enforcement moratorium is lifted. The order takes effect immediately, and provides immediate relief to tenants for whom rent is due on April 1st.
Today’s action builds on Governor Newsom’s previous executive order authorizing local governments to halt evictions for renters impacted by the pandemic.
A copy of the Governor’s executive order can be found here and the text of the order can also be found here.