Noe Valley Town Square

Supervisors Vote To Save The Noe Valley Town Square!

Chris Keene — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 19:13:43 +0000

On June 4, 2013, the Board of Supervisors approved Scott Wiener’s legislation authorizing the purchase of a parking lot that the Recreation and Parks Department will turn into the Noe Valley Town Square.

This lot on 24th Street — where the Noe Valley Farmer’s Market takes place every Saturday — was going to be sold off to private developers, but thanks to the hard work of the community and City staff, we will now have a park in the heart of Noe Valley.

The next step is to raise money to renovate this wonderful space. Initial estimates for this work range from $1.5 to 2.0M. Over 400 community residents and businesses have contributed over $517,000 to this renovation effort so far.

In addition, the San Francisco Recreation and Parks department is applying for a $700,000 state grant for urban greening at the recommendation of State Senator Mark Leno. We should hear whether we have won that grant by the end of 2013.

Even with the grant, we will still need to raise at lease an additional $500,000 to realize the full vision for the town square. Please help out by pledging today!

Noe Valley Town Square Receives Unanimous Recommendation

Todd David — Thu, 23 May 2013 13:39:34 +0000

Hello Noe Valley Town Square supporters:

I’m thrilled to report that the San Francisco Board of Supervisors’ Budget
and Finance Committee unanimously (5-0) voted today to recommend to the
full Board the legislation authored by Supervisor Wiener to acquire the
land that will be the future home of the Noe Valley Town Square.

This vote is consistent with the San Francisco Recreation and Park
Commission’s unanimous vote for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to
approve $4,242,500 from the Open Space Acquisition Fund for the purchase
and remediation of the Noe Valley Ministry parking lot. (The Noe Valley
Ministry would receive $3.9 million and the additional $342,500 would be
used for remediation of the lot that used to be a gas station.)

The last hurdle to clear is the vote by the entire Board on June 4th – a
6-person majority plus mayoral approval would make the acquisition a
reality!

A huge thank you is in order: We never could have come this far without the
steadfast support and legislation of Supervisor Wiener and hundreds of Noe
Valley Town Square friends and neighbors who have made financial pledges,
written letters of support, and appeared at today’s and the previous Rec
and Park hearings. Thank you – it does take a village to create a Town
Square! (If you or your friends have not yet donated to the Town Square,
now that we’re this close it’s great time to make a pledge! Even with the
acquisition, we will still need to raise an additional money to transform
the parking lot into our future Town Square.
http://noevalleytownsquare.com/pledge/)

Todd

PS: Please shop early and often at Whole Foods in Noe Valley today! 5% of
sales will be donated back to the Noe Valley Town Square.

Two important dates for the Town Square

Nisha Pillai — Tue, 07 May 2013 18:55:45 +0000

The Residents for Noe Valley Town Square is excited with the amazing progress the project is making. The acquisition of the parking lot is within our grasp, but we still have two hurdles to clear to make the acquisition a reality.

MAY 22nd

On Wed, May 22nd at 1pm in Room 250 at City Hall, the Board of Supervisors’ Budget and Finance Committee will be voting to recommend the purchase of the Town Square to the full Board of Supervisors. This is your last chance to give public comment supporting the Town Square. Please save the date and mark your calendars–and send us an email confirming your attendance!

Also, on May 22nd, WHOLE FOODS IN NOE VALLEY is donating 5% of the store’s sales for the day to the Noe Valley Town Square! Before or after you join us at City Hall, be sure to stock up when you do your Whole Foods shopping on May 22nd!

JUNE 4TH

On Tues, June 4th at 2pm the full Board of Supervisors will be voting on whether to acquire the Town Square. Please join us in Room 250 at City Hall to watch this historic vote. After the vote, we are planning a Community Celebration at the Valley Tavern on 24th St. Vince Hogan, the owner of the Tavern will be offering drink specials and Patxi’s Pizza is donating pizza for the event.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE MAY 22ND AND JUNE 4TH VOTES ARE ONLY FOR THE ACQUISITION OF THE PARKING LOT. WE STILL NEED TO RAISE MONEY TO BUILD THE TOWN SQUARE. PRELIMINARY COST ESTIMATES ARE APPROXIMATELY $2 MILLION. WE HAVE RAISED APPROXIMATELY $500,000 TO DATE AND WE ARE HOPEFUL TO RECEIVE APPROXIMATELY $725,000 FROM THE STATE OF CA. AS YOU CAN SEE, WE STILL HAVE A LOT OF FUNDRAISING TO DO!

PLEASE CONSIDER DONATING TODAY AT http://noevalleytownsquare.com/pledge/

Noe Valley Town Square Receives Unanimous Support From SF Rec & Park Commission

Nisha Pillai — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 23:18:35 +0000

The SF Rec and Park Commission unanimously voted today (4/18) to recommend the purchase of the Noe Valley Town Square to the Board of Supervisors! A HUGE SHOUT OUT TO THE APPROXIMATELY 20 NOE VALLEY RESIDENTS WHO SPOKE IN SUPPORT OF THE TOWN SQUARE TODAY.

The recommendation from the Rec and Park Commission is for the Board of Supervisors to approve $4,242,500 from the Open Space Fund for the purchase and remediation of the Noe Valley Ministry Parking lot (Noe Valley Ministry would receive $3.9 million and the additional $342,500 would be used for remediation of the lot since it used to be a gas station.)

Earlier in the week, Supervisor Wiener introduced legislation that will allow the Board of Supervisors to act upon the Rec and Park Commission’s recommendation – namely, purchase the Noe Valley Town Square! Next on the calender for the Town Square is the Board of Supervisor’s Budget and Finance Subcommittee on Wed May 22nd. And then a final vote by the full Board of Supervisors on June 4th.

In other news, RNVTS submitted its concept proposal for a Prop 84 Urban Greening Grant from the State of California. The concept proposal requests $722,916.00 for development of the Town Square. Rec and Park staff took the lead on this concept proposal and did an amazing job. That’s all the news for now.

If you or your friends have not donated to the Town Square, now is great time to do so! http://noevalleytownsquare.com/pledge/

Updated Timeline on Noe Valley Town Square Acquisition

Nisha Pillai — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 03:54:17 +0000

Residents for Noe Valley Town Square (RNVTS) is pleased to announce that it is looking extremely likely that the Noe Valley Town Square is going to become a reality!

Representatives from Rec and Parks recently informed RNVTS that it is recommending to the Rec and Park Commission as well as the Board of Supervisors that the complete purchase of the Ministry’s Parking Lot be financed by the Rec and Park Open Space Fund. This is fantastic news, but just the beginning of a long journey. After the parking lot is purchased by Rec and Parks, we still need to “build” a Town Square. This means we will need to continue to raise money from the community as well as work towards a positive outcome for our Prop 84 Urban Greening Grant from the State.

Please consider making a pledge today at http://noevalleytownsquare.com/pledge/

Here are the key dates and events to follow:

1. Wed, April 3rd an “acquisition overview” will be presented to the Rec and Park Capital Committee Meeting

2. Thurs, April 18th the whole Rec and Park Commission will vote on whether to recommend the Noe Valley Town Square acquisition to the Board of Supervisors

3. Wed, May 22nd the Board of Supervisors Budget Finance Subcommittee will vote on whether to recommend the acquisition of the Town Square to the full BOS

4. Tues, June 4th the whole Board of Supervisors votes on whether to acquire the Town Square.

5. If approved by the BOS, RNVTS will start collecting pledges on June 5th!

6. If approved by the BOS, the City will own the parking lot free and clear by July 1, 2013 (which allows the RNVTS to apply for Prop 84 development funds from the State of CA.

This is all incredibly exciting and something that the greater Noe Valley Community should be very proud of accomplishing.

If you have not had a chance to make a pledge to the Town Square yet, please do so at http://noevalleytownsquare.com/pledge/

Happy New Year, Here’s The Latest On The Town Square

Nisha Pillai — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:50:40 +0000

Hello everyone, we hope your New Year is off to a good start. With the elections in full swing and then the holidays, the past two months have been relatively quiet. However, we do have progress – and good news – to report.

As you know, our goal is now to raise all the funds needed for the project by Dec 2013. We are pursuing three major avenues of funding:

City of SF: We are still aiming for a significant amount of funds from the city’s Open Space Fund. The first step in getting this funding occurred when the Town Square was “officially” added to the Rec and Park acquisition roster at the Jan 8, 2013 PROSAC (Park and Rec Open Space Advisory Committee) meeting! The next major milestone on this front will be getting approval from the SF Rec & Park commission, which should happen by March. And then on to the Board of Supervisors (hopefully by April).
Grants: We are applying for Prop 84 Urban Greening funding from the State of California. On November 13, we attended a half-day technical workshop with the team that administers the grant. The feedback we received on our project and our application was very positive. Our formal grant application will be submitted shortly. The next major milestone will be in Spring, when the short list is published and we find out if we made it to the next round in the grant process. All indications are positive so far.
Community i.e., YOU: We are now at $470K in pledges. If you have been thinking about making a pledge, please do so as soon as possible! For the City of SF as well as Prop 84 grants, every additional pledge will count as another community “vote” in support of the project. Also keep in mind that we need to raise approximately $1M (depending on other funding) from the community to make this project happen.

How you can help:

Make a pledge! If you have made a pledge, display a poster at a visible location in your home or business.
Did you know Noe Valley lacks open space? Spread the word. Encourage your friends and neighbors to make a pledge towards this project.
If you or someone you know can make a substantial pledge to support this project, let us know! We are looking for major donors to make the Town Square a reality.

January Community Meeting Cancelled: In view of the brisk activity happening on the funding front, and the packed Noe Valley community calendar, we are cancelling the meeting that was targeted for this week (Jan 16th). If you would like to speak with us in person, we will be at our table at the Farmer’s Market. You can also reach us, as always, through our website and via email.

What’s Next: We will continue extensive behind-the-scenes work to secure funding for the Town Square. This means working with Rec & Parks to draft an operating agreement for the Town Square, staying in touch with (and nudging along) the approval process for Open Space funding, dotting the is and crossing the ts on our Prop 84 grant application, and of course, staying in touch with all of you. We look forward to hearing from you, and see you at the Farmer’s Market.

– The Town Square Team.

(Todd, Chris, Leslie, Nisha & Kate)

Noe Valley Town Square Update and Benefit Announcement

Nisha Pillai — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 15:50:45 +0000

Today we have an update for you, as well as an invitation to our first ever Noe Valley Town Square benefit event. First, the news:

Fundraising: We have crossed $430K in pledges from the community. THANK YOU. We have been told over and over again that this level of support is unheard of for a community project in San Francisco!

Timeline: We have now established credibility in a more powerful way than any needs assessment could have done. The community has made it clear beyond a shred of doubt that this project is needed and welcomed in our neighborhood. Our goal now is to raise all funds for the project ($4M total) by December of 2013.

What’s Next: We will continue our presence at the Saturday Farmers’ Market, as well as at community celebrations like today’s Harvest Festival. We love talking to you in person, please stop by our table to say hello whenever you have a chance. To augment the support we receive from the community, we have started applying for grants from a variety of funding sources. Given the limited volunteer time available, we are taking special care to make sure we only apply for grants for which we are a good match (i.e., moderate to high probability of success). For example, we are applying for a grant from the State of California under Proposition 84, which provides funds for urban greening. Many thanks to Supervisor Weiner and State Senator Leno for introducing us to this funding source. This is a long process, and we will know the final outcome by Summer of 2013. In addition, we will be kicking our major donor efforts into high gear. We will of course keep you informed as these efforts progress.

Our first ever benefit event

Spring Pilates (1414 Castro St) and trainer Karii Rurup have come forward to host our first ever benefit event. Thank you! The event will be on Saturday November 3, and Karii will be teaching a 60+ minute stress relief and relaxation class. Visit this link for more information and to register. We hope to see you there. Space is limited, register today!

How you can help:

Help us get the word out about our benefit event. Have your friends register and pledge to the Town Square
If you have grant writing experience, and a few hours a week to help us get our applications together, please get in touch at volunteer@noevalleytownsquare,com
Pledge today, if you have not done so yet. Every additional pledge counts, especially since some of the grants we’re applying to require information about community support for the project
Tell your friends and neighbors, and ask if they have pledged yet
If you have made a pledge, display a poster in your window – visible community support makes a huge difference for our project

As always, we are available to answer your questions and concerns, and to listen to your ideas. Get in touch at questions@noevalleytownsquare,com

Residents For Noe Valley Town Square Endorses Prop B

Todd David — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 19:14:02 +0000

Proposition B will help tackle infrastructure needs throughout San Francisco’s vast park and open space network.

A significant percentage of the renovations and upgrades in the bond are devoted to underserved communities that need it most. In a dense urban city our parks and playgrounds are incredibly important to the health and welfare of our children. Children who live in Chinatown, the Mission or the Tenderloin don’t have the luxury of a backyard – our playgrounds are their backyards.

Gilman Playground in the Bayview, Joe Dimaggio Playground in North Beach, Willie “Woo Woo” Playground in Chinatown, Margaret Hayward Playground in the Western Addition and Hyde and Turk Playground in the Tenderloin all receive funds for critical renovations that will provide safe, clean parks and playgrounds for children in those neighborhoods, as well as neighborhoods across the City.

The Mayor, all eleven members of the Board of Supervisors, The Democratic Party, the San Francisco Labor Council, the San Francisco Parks Alliance, the Trust for Public Land and neighborhood park groups in every corner of the City have come together in support of Prop B because they understand the critical need for park renovations.

Please join us in supporting Prop B to keep our neighborhood parks clean and safe for everyone, in every neighborhood.

For more information visit yesforparks.com

Upcoming community meetings: Fall and Winter

Nisha Pillai — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 21:05:38 +0000

It’s Fall already, which means it’s time for another project update. This time, we would like to share all the news in person. Let’s also get the ball rolling on our collective vision of what the Town Square should look like.

Oct 18: The first upcoming meeting is on Oct 18, Thursday at 7pm at St.Philips Community Hall. We will kick things off with a detailed update on everything we’re working on. Come and find out why we’re feeling (cautiously) optimistic about making the Town Square a reality! There will be open floor time to share your ideas, concerns and get your questions answered.

Jan 16: We will follow up after the holiday season with another community meeting (on a Wednesday this time) at the same location. Mark your calendars for Jan 16, 7pm, same location.

And don’t worry if you can’t be there in person. We will send a written update to our email list and post it here after each meeting. As always, send us any questions at questions@noevalleytownsquare.com and we will be sure to address them.

See you next week!

NOE VALLEY TOWN SQUARE NEWS–LARGEST MATCHING CHALLENGE GRANT TO DATE OFFERED BY REAL MANAGEMENT COMPANY AND THE PANZER FAMILY

Todd David — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 15:43:26 +0000

I’m happy to announce that the Real Management Company, J.J. and Michelle Panzer along with Janet and Joel Panzer have teamed up to make a $24,000 Town Square challenge to the neighborhood! This challenge marks the largest challenge grant to date and will help raise $24,000 twice ($48,000 total) for 24th St.

All pledges made between today and Sept 16th are eligible to be matched

Joel and Janet have long ties to the neighborhood. Joel started Real Management Company in Noe Valley in 1980. Joel retired a few years ago and JJ is now head honcho–stop by the office at 1234 Castro (Just north of 24th St) and say “thanks” to JJ for help making the Town Square a reality.

Joel and Janet are long time Noe Valley residents, having moved in to the neighborhood in 1983. Joel is an active member of the community serving on the Board of Friends of Noe Valley. You can often find Joel and Janet on 24th St. frequenting the local businesses.

Make your pledge today and remind your friends to do the same. . .

Thank you Real Management Company, JJ, Michelle, Joel and Janet for helping make the Noe Valley Town Square a reality!