Kroger to sell 11 markets in S.F., Marin

It looks like the remaining Cala/Bell Markets in San Francisco will remain open, and under new ownership... From today's Chronicle,

After months of negotiation, the Kroger Co. has agreed to sell 11 Cala Foods and Bell Markets in San Francisco and Marin County to supermarket veteran Harley DeLano.

DeLano, who had been negotiating with Kroger since December, said he entered escrow Tuesday. If all goes well, the stores will be transferred to DeLano Retail Partners -- the company he runs with his son and daughter -- this year, he said.

A Kroger spokeswoman confirmed that agreement had been reached, but did not offer further comment. Neither Kroger nor DeLano would disclose the cost of the transaction.

DeLano, 69, said he has already talked to union representatives to assure them that he will keep the union intact. "We will work with the employees in the stores there already," he said. All 11 stores will remain open during the transition.

...

Although Kroger will still own the names for Cala Foods and Bell Markets, DeLano said he has the option of keeping them or changing them to something else, but has not yet decided which he will do. He noted he must still receive landlord approval to sublease the stores. [more...]

There's no mention in the article about the Cala/Bell Markets that have already closed (such as Haight/Stanyan), and whether those might be part of the transaction. I'll let you know if I find anything out.

Kroger to sell 11 markets in S.F., Marin [SFGate]
Cala leaves, political impasse arrives [SFHomeBlog]
City’s grocery stores grow increasingly rare [SFHomeBlog]
Noe Valley Residents Hunger for a Locally Owned Grocery [SFHomeBlog]
50+ units of housing to replace Cala @ Haight & Stanyan [SFHomeBlog]

Just how crowded is San Francisco?

Caught this first on MetrobloggingSF, which links back to the source, SFCityscape...

Turns out SFCityscape did a little number crunching from the US Census Bureau's data, and put together a nice map showing where the majority of people live in San Francisco.

Not surprisingly, the highest density is in the Tenderloin, Chinatown, and Nob Hill. I would say that in short-order South Beach should pass most of these higher-density neighborhoods as the high rises get fully-occupied.

Another interesting comparison is to look at the density from this map against the price per square foot map that Zillow published back at the end of May. Currently, a lot of the highest prices per square foot come in the less-dense parts of town. And I think this will shift a bit towards SOMA/South Beach as those communities become more stable and the services/parks/restaurants fill in.

SF Population Density [Metroblogging SF]
Density Chart [SFCityscape]
Interesting Price/Sqft Maps [SFHomeBlog]

Image from SFCityscape

Surge in Home Prices Leaves Homeowners Underinsured

From RealEstateJournal.com

It's the downside of the housing boom: Many homeowners are now significantly underinsured.

Americans have been pouring money into their homes in recent years, adding everything from marble bathrooms to fancy backyard barbecues: Last year alone, spending on improvements like these hit an estimated $155 billion, up 27% from two years earlier. At the same time, the global boom in commodities prices -- lumber, copper piping and other necessities -- as well as rising labor costs has pushed up replacement costs by 7% a year since 2001.

As a result, people who haven't updated their insurance policies in a few years may now be underestimating what it would cost to rebuild their homes, particularly in high-priced markets.

According to a survey to be released soon by Marshall & Swift/Boeckh LLC, a firm that supplies building-cost data to insurers, 58% of houses are undervalued for insurance purposes. Of those, the average homeowner has enough insurance to rebuild only about 80% of his or her house, according to the survey. [more...]

In my personal experience, I would expect to spend about $250/sqft for replacement or new construction costs in San Francisco. That's potentially a high estimate, but if you have nicer finish work in your home, you won't want to replace it with builder-grade finishes in the event of a total loss. For example, if your house is 1650 sqft, that would equal $412,000 in rebuilding costs. I wouldn't want to have anything less than that to rebuild my house, knowing how much construction and labor costs have escalated in the past couple of years.

It might be a good idea to apply this $250/sqft figure to your house and cross-check that with your insured value. If you're much lower than that, you might want to consider upping your coverage. The difference in the yearly cost isn't that much compared to the headaches you might go through if you're under-insured.

And don't forget to double-check your liability coverage as well. If your net worth exceeds your liability coverage, you could be at risk in the event that someone were to trip over a crack in the sidewalk in front of your house, for example.

Surge in Home Prices Leaves Homeowners Underinsured [RealEstateJournal.com]
Ways to Avoid Getting Dropped By Your Home Insurance Provider [SFHomeBlog]
Insurers Offer Special Protection To High-End Homeowners [SFHomeBlog]
Quake insurance could get cheaper [SFHomeBlog]

Residents pushing for redevelopment of Schlage factory site

From today's SFGate,

A closed factory on San Francisco's Bayshore Boulevard has become the blight of Visitacion Valley, but a redevelopment plan could bring new housing and retail space to the site.

The Schlage Lock Co. shut in 1999, and city officials say they envision the company's 12-acre site transformed into an extension of the existing community, with 800 housing units, 15 percent of which would be designated as affordable housing, and 100,000 square feet for a much-needed major grocery store, plus other retail and open space.

Plans, however, are in the very early stages -- the property is still owned by Schlage's parent company, Ingersoll Rand Co. Ltd.

Planning Department and Redevelopment Agency officials will hold the first of four community meetings to discuss the redevelopment possibilities of the site tonight at the Church of the Visitacion.

Many residents in the neighborhood welcome plans for renewal, frustrated by the seeming lack of progress in razing the factory and rebuilding on the site.

"Right now we have a big gaping hole in the neighborhood," said Fran Martin, chair of the Visitacion Valley Planning Alliance. "It'll never develop or become whole until this issue is taking care of. People definitely want something to happen there."

Planners hope to be able to add an additional 8 acres to the Schlage site for development, for a total of 20 acres. [more...]

Next meeting:
August 28, 2006 | Monday 6:00 - 8:30 PM
@ the hall of the Church of the Visitacion
655 Sunnydale Ave. (@ Rutland Ave.)

Residents pushing for redevelopment of Schlage factory site [SFGate]
Visitacion Valley / Schlage Lock Master Plan [SFGov]
Visitation Valley vs. Ingersoll Rand [SFHomeBlog]

Architecture and the City - Tours and Parties!

The San Francisco chapter of the American Institute of Architects is organizing a series of "architectural tours, film screenings, exhibitions, design lectures and more"...

Celebrating San Francisco's unique built environment and design community, Architecture and the City is the first series of its kind in the Bay Area to feature architectural tours, film screenings, exhibitions, design lectures and more. Now in its third year, the month-long celebration engages members of the public, design enthusiasts and architects and designers with a deeper appreciation for San Francisco's rich architectural and design community.

Whether you hope to become more involved with the local architecture and design community, are looking for an architect, or want to learn more about San Francisco's impressive architectural past, present, or future, Architecture and the City is bound to offer you an unparalleled opportunity to experience our city in a new way. In honor of the annual series, Mayor Gavin Newsom has officially proclaimed the month of September a time for San Franciscans to celebrate "Architecture and the City." [more...]

The series includes a party on September 1st (RSVP required), a home tour on September 16-17, and walking tours all month long.

Architecture and the City [AIA SF]
San Francisco Living: Home Tours [AIA SF]

How a condo is measured

After questions arose over how square footage is measured at the Beacon, Damion Matthews of SFCondo.org went out and had an appraiser put in in simple terms... And as his appraiser says, it's likely the uproar is the result of the difference between the architect's measurements and the appraiser's measurements and how each are (legitimately) performed.

How a Condo is Measured [SFCondo.org]
Luxury condo complex spawns lawsuit [SFHomeBlog]

City park tree removal plan approved

From today's Examiner,

In an effort to preserve San Francisco’s natural habitat, The City approved a plan Monday that would cut down thousands of non-native trees along hillsides and parks.

Under the Significant Natural Resource Areas Management Plan, a road map to guide The City’s efforts to revive San Francisco’s natural habitat, thousands of eucalyptus trees, shrubs and other non-native plant species would be cut down from 1,100 acres across 29 parks that are part of The City’s natural areas program. The plan calls for replanting native trees in some parks. [more...]

The list of parks where trees may likely be removed/replaced:

» Balboa Natural Area
» Bayview Park
» Bernal Hill
» Billy Goat Hill
» Brooks Park
» Buena Vista Park
» Corona Heights
» Dorothy Erskine Park
» Duncan-Castro
» Edgehill Mountain
» Fairmount Park
» Glen Canyon Park
» Golden Gate Heights Park
» Grandview Park and Extension
» Hawk Hill
» India Basin Shoreline Park
» Interior Greenbelt
» Kite Hill
» Lake Merced
» Lakeview/Ashton Mini Park
» McLaren Park
» Mount Davidson
» Oak Woodlands: Golden Gate Park
» O'Shaughnessy Hollow
» Palou-Phelps
» Pine Lake
» Rock Outcrop
» Sharp Park
» Tank Hill
» Twin Peaks
» 15th Avenue Steps

Tree removal plan approved [Examiner]
The Seeds of a Neighborhood Tree Planting [SFHomeBlog]
If a tree falls in S.F., supes may hear it [SFHomeBlog]
Some thoughts on making our city more attractive [SFHomeBlog]

Neighborhood plan reviews blamed for construction delays

From today's Examiner,

A survey of historic buildings in Hayes Valley and portions of the mid-Market and Mission Dolores neighborhoods stands to delay the construction of affordable housing, critics of a revised neighborhood plan argue.

The Market and Octavia Neighborhood Plan — which could pave the way for 4,400 new housing units by 2025 — has yet to meet official approval despite its beginnings six years ago. A draft plan was released in December 2002 after a series of community meetings, workshops and tours.

The environmental review of the plan has been under way ever since and the environmental impact report is slated for consideration along with new amendments to the plan this fall.

“The big delay with Market-Octavia was because of the halting way the environmental analysis was done,” Planning Director Dean Macris said. The environmental review began after the draft neighborhood plan was solidified in late 2002, resulting in delays because environmental reviews should coincide with plan approvals, Macris said, not follow plan approval.

Additionally, six years later, new changes are being proposed to the neighborhood plan, which could also cause several months of delays due to the approval process, which includes public hearings. The changes include performing a historic survey of the area on and near Market Street, between the Van Ness Avenue and Church Street Muni stations and along Octavia Boulevard, where the former Central Freeway once ran. [more...]

Neighborhood plan reviews blamed for construction delays [Examiner]
Market-Octavia plan mired in red tape [SFHomeBlog]
Octavia Boulevard -- an urbane triumph [SFHomeBlog]
Activists say planning proposal would impair their efforts [SFHomeBlog]

More on the Lower Fillmore and Yoshi's

From today's Examiner,

On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors approved the creation of a community benefit district along Fillmore and its adjoining blocks, which will raise more than $300,000 a year from property owners that can be spent on marketing, street improvements and cleaning and security. New businesses have opened, from a music café offering dim sum to the vibrantly-colored Sheba Piano Lounge run by sisters Netsanet and Israel Alemayehu. And the building under construction at Eddy and Fillmore will hold 80 condominiums, a parking garage, a 6,000 square foot nonprofit Jazz Heritage Center, a 6,000 square foot Blue Mirror restaurant in addition to the 28,000-square-foot Yoshi’s.

“I think it does have a lot of potential,” said Laurie Armstrong, San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau spokeswoman. “In any district, the thing that you need to be attractive to visitors … there needs to be something for them to do and a place for them to land.”

But while the Blue Mirror gives a nod to Leola King’s famous jazz-era restaurant of the same name, the changes won’t recreate the past. Fillmore Street was the heart of an extremely vibrant African American community famous for its jazz and street life in the 1940s and 1950s, before it was essentially gutted by The City’s Redevelopment Agency in a push for urban renewal. The eminent domain spree left blocks vacant for years, evicted thousands from their homes and businesses and shut down the jazz scene, which had hosted stars such as Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Billie Holliday and Charles Mingus. [more...]

Changes could bring tourists to Fillmore [Examiner]
Condo tower may jazz up Fillmore w/ new home of Yoshi's [SFHomeBlog]
Neighborhood dream fulfilled -- Fillmore again a place of note [SFHomeBlog]
Lower Fillmore could become city community benefit district [SFHomeBlog]
Yoshi's at Jack London Square [official site]

Luxury condo complex spawns lawsuit

From today's SFGate,

The builders, owners, operators and homeowners association of a luxury condominium complex across from AT&T Park have been sued for allegedly misrepresenting the size of the units in two buildings and for not repairing a series of defects.

The class-action lawsuit was filed Friday against virtually everyone associated with the Beacon, a 595-unit complex on 250 and 260 King St., in San Francisco's Mission Bay.

The suit, on behalf of the 450 residents, claims the square footage of many units does not match what was advertised to buyers. Representatives of the complex denied the allegation, saying all square footages were clearly listed as approximations.

"We measured one unit out of each plan, and every unit we measured is undervalued," said Patrick Catalano, the lawyer who filed the suit in San Francisco Superior Court. "I think they misrepresented the square footage deliberately. You don't sell over 500 units and not know what the square footages are."

The suit accuses Catellus Commercial Development Corp., Centurion Real Estate Partners, Mission Place LLC, the Beacon Homeowners Association and myriad investors of fraud, negligent representation, breach of contract and breach of warranty, among other things. [more...]

The first thing we all learn as real estate agents is to NEVER quote square footages, and for this very reason. Unhappy buyers are always looking for angles to come back and argue with a seller or developer, and the Beacon appears to have left themselves wide open on this one.

For those that haven't been through a purchase before, it's very common for the tax records, the condo map, and an appraiser's measurement to all be different (depending on their method of measurement). Hence the volatility of ever discussing or quoting square footage. Typically I only use square footage figures in my listings that are quoted in the tax records or on a written appraisal report from a licensed appraiser.

Luxury condo complex spawns lawsuit [SFGate]
The rule of condo economics: What you get, you gotta pay for [SFHomeBlog]
Home Valuation as a function of Buyer Profile [SFHomeBlog]

Plan aims to bring transit village to Balboa Park

From today's Examiner,

A library, museum and new entrance into the Balboa Park BART station are among the proposals in a transit-oriented mixed-use development plan The City aims to create around the busiest transit hub in the southern part of town.

The Balboa Park Station Area Plan calls for 1,780 new apartments and 104,680 square feet of commercial development not far from City College of San Francisco’s Ocean Avenue campus. It also includes a 6,000-square-foot library scheduled to break ground at Ocean and Plymouth avenues next spring, said Mindy Linetzky, a spokeswoman for the San Francisco Public Library system.

On Tuesday, residents will have a chance to offer their thoughts about what should be included in the environmental impact report that’s scheduled for completion later this year. [more...]

As housing gets more expensive and residents look to move into more affordable neighborhoods, as well as when the cost and availability of parking downtown becomes prohibitive, look for these transit villages to take shape. Not only will this add to the communities in which they are located, but they will also add to reduced congestion in the city center as cars park further out and workers commute in on MUNI, CalTrain, or BART.

Plan aims to bring transit village to Balboa Park [Examiner]
Concept of putting housing with transit begins to take off [SFHomeBlog]
Visitation Valley vs. Ingersoll Rand [SFHomeBlog]
Third Street rail on track for January run [SFHomeBlog]

Utility Undergrounding Survey

The City of San Francisco is conducting a survey of public opinion on the undergrounding of utility lines in San Francisco. The original plan was to have all overhead lines put underground by 2007 or 2008, but they ran out of funding and there is no plan to continue the progression throughout the rest of the city for at least another 10 years.

They are currently conducting a survey on SFGov.org in order to understand how much the residents of San Francisco care about having the lines buried.

Like, are they willing to pay a few bucks per month on their PG&E bill to make this happen...

Click here for the survey.

For some, it's about the views, for others it's about the safety... For others it might not be worth the $5/month...

Utility Undergrounding Task Force [SFGov]

Daly talks the progressive talk, but he walks the monied walk

In today's Examiner, Ken Garcia digs into where Chris Daly is getting his money for the November election, and why his progressive ideals and his campaign finance ledger don't line up...

Chris Daly, San Francisco’s most incendiary supervisor, has portrayed himself over the years as one of the forces fighting on behalf of the common man, ready to leap tall buildings to take on corporations, lobbyists, special interests and greedy developers everywhere.

And Daly, who is up for re-election in November, must really like his job, because it appears he’s willing to do to just about anything to keep it — even if it means taking gobs of money from corporations, lobbyists, special interests and developers, especially those plying their trade in his district.

Do progressive values now carry dollar signs? That’s what a lot of people are wondering after the self-styled populist filed his latest campaign finance disclosure forms, which show that Daly has made a slew of wealthy new friends while in office.

In the filing period that ended June 30, Daly’s disclosure forms show that big-money developers, land-use attorneys, lobbyists and their clients gave nearly $17,000 to his re-election campaign — 30 percent of the $55,501 he’s received in contributions so far. Have developers discovered that if they want to get a green light on their projects they need to deal with the new power broker in town, or have they just decided to be good neighbors?

The November fight to throw Daly out on his ass will not be an easy one, but there are too many pissed off people in District 6 now (whom Daly has ignored during his entire term), including thousands of new homeowners...

“One might think he’s sold out his progressive roots and the machine politics he promised to fight,” said Rob Black, probably the best known of the dozen or so candidates challenging Daly in November.

Have I mentioned that I think you should get to know Rob Black instead?

And best of all, here's the full list (PDF) of Chris Daly's campaign contributors... Thanks to another D6 candidate, Matt Drake for the link.

Some interesting names I picked out of Daly's contribution list...
Aaron Peskin
Jeff Adachi
Ross Mirkarimi
Carole Migden
Robert Haaland
Medea Benjamin
Professional and Technical Engineers Local 21
CR Construction Company
Channelside Development
SF Late Night Coalition

And while we're at it, SFSOS has put a 22-page guide together (PDF), called The Case Against Chris Daly, on why Daly should be your enemy, too. (thanks to the San Francisco Sentinel for the link)

Daly talks the progressive talk, but he walks the monied walk [Examiner]
The Case Against Chris Daly [SFSOS]
Newsom endorses Rob Black for District 6 [SFHomeBlog]
SFist interviews Rob Black, candidate for D6 Supervisor [SFHomeBlog]
Rob Black for Supervisor [official site]

City accuses big landlord of illegal tactics

From today's SFGate (and others),

City Attorney Dennis Herrera accused one of San Francisco's biggest landlords on Wednesday of using intimidation, shutting off utilities and employing other illegal tactics to force tenants out of rent-controlled apartments so they can be leased to new renters at higher rates.

The allegations were contained in a lawsuit filed in Superior Court by Herrera's office against Citi-Apartments and its corporate parent, Skyline Realty, which is owned by real estate mogul Frank Lembi and his family. The companies operate more than 150 apartment buildings housing some 7,000 tenants.

"The facts revealed by my office's investigation demonstrate very clearly that the owners of Skyline Realty and CitiApartments made a calculated business decision to operate in violation of the law -- and to do so consistently," Herrera said in a written statement.

"Given its dominant market position and web of subsidiaries, Skyline's illicit business practices do not merely victimize tenants, they cheat the vast majority of law-abiding landlords with whom they compete unfairly. Their business conduct is egregious, it is pervasive, it is illegal, and it will not be countenanced in San Francisco's rental marketplace." [more...]

City accuses big landlord of illegal tactics [SFGate]
S.F. sues major residential rental firm [Examiner]
Tenants tell of armed intimidation [Examiner]
The Scumlords [Bay Guardian]
Herrera Sues Skyline Realty, CitiApartments for Egregious Pattern of Illegal Business Practices [BeyondChron]
CitiApartments - San Francisco [official site]

Wednesday links from the Examiner

Three articles on housing this morning in the Examiner...

Property owners see pluses of community benefit districts

Potrero Hill group leads charge against chain stores

S.F. ups requirements for site reuse in bid

DBI turns up heat on scofflaw landlords

From today's Examiner,

The City is cracking down on building owners who ignore building codes, which sometimes results in tenants living in squalid conditions.

In a last-ditch effort to clean up the most outstanding cases, the Department of Building Inspection is hoping to nail building owners on delinquent fines by putting liens on their property.

The most heavily fined landlord, and one of only two repeat offenders on an annual list turned over to the Board of Supervisors, was cited for a series of hazards such as deteriorating wood stairs, damaged ceilings, broken window panes, inoperable water lines to toilets, a lack of hot and cold water, and units with broken heaters, according to department records. The woman, who owns the residential building in the 3600 block of Treat Avenue, was fined more than $3,400. Other violators were cited for violations such as unsanitary living conditions and broken locks.

Last week, 62 cases where building owners have failed to pay fines connected with building code violations were turned over to the Board of Supervisors. Once approved by the board the fines would be added to owners fall tax bill. [more...]

DBI turns up heat on scofflaw landlords [Examiner]
More problems at DBI [SFHomeBlog]
Help Wanted: SF Planning Department and Building Inspections [SFHomeBlog]

Zephyr Real Estate Takes Stand Against Ellis Act

From today's BeyondChron,

A real estate firm formerly known for its willingness to represent Ellis Act evictors dramatically changed course recently, issuing a new policy that prevents their agents from working with landlords who used the Ellis Act to evict tenants. Zephyr Real Estate, a massive firm with five offices and more than 200 employees throughout the city, will be honored by the Board of Supervisors today for their actions. Zephyr’s new policy reveals just how far public opinion has changed regarding the Ellis Act, and could represent an important new strategy for tenant activists to stop Ellis Act evictions.

Opening in 1978, Zephyr Real Estate quickly grew to become the largest independent realtor in San Francisco. The thousands of properties they deal with make up a formidable portion of the buildings bought and sold in the city. [more...]

This article came out of a resolution that is being brought before the Board of Supervisors today. But as much as I, as a Zephyr Real Estate agent, appreciate the free love here, Mr. Mills missed a crucial piece of the puzzle. As you'll see if you read the resolution, this applies to 'protected' tenant evictions, not ALL Ellis Act evictions. There's only one word that BeyondChron missed in their article, but as you can imagine, it's an important word...

And as you might imagine, this one journalist's error could very well cause folks to gloss over the fact that Zephyr is following the Board of Supervisors' lead in making the evictions of elderly and disabled tenants less desirable and less profitable. So let's all hope this won't turn into some new topic over which to bash real estate agents...

I have personally never represented the seller of a property that has been subject to an Ellis Act, so this will not affect me or my clients in the least.

Zephyr Real Estate Takes Stand Against Ellis Act [BeyondChron]
Zephyr Real Estate [official site]

Full disclosure: I am currently an agent with Zephyr

The Race is On: Candidates for local Nov. 7 races

From the Guardian's Politics blog,

The Race is On: Candidates for Local Races on November 7

Sixty-six took out papers. Forty-one filed, meaning that over one-third of the potential candidates in local races in the Nov. 7 election, bailed before the train even left the station.

So who’s in the running? [more...]

There's only one race that I truly care about, and that's District 6 (PDF map).

In case you hadn't heard, I am a big fan of Rob Black. He is just what D6 needs to snap out of the funk that it has been in since Daly begun disgracing that seat.

If you live in District 6 and want more info on Rob, drop me a line and I'll answer whatever questions I can...

The Race is On: Candidates for local Nov. 7 races [Guardian Politics]
Newsom endorses Rob Black for District 6 [SFHomeBlog]
SFist interviews Rob Black, candidate for D6 Supervisor [SFHomeBlog]

The relative stability of real estate in SF neighborhoods

The data-obsessive folks over at Zillow have just published their most-recent quarterly report for the Bay Area, with a focus on San Francisco. And although they tell the same story in many ways that everyone else already knows, they also have some very interesting neighborhood-by-neighborhood breakdowns as well as the relative price indexes of neighborhoods compared to ten years ago.

What's most interesting is that the top 10 from 1996 are still the top 10 now, even though the Inner Richmond moved up (+4) and Russian Hill moved down (-4) in ranking. Outside of that, the obvious neighborhoods that we know to have gotten more expensive, have in fact, gotten more expensive relative to the rest of the city (Mission, Bernal, Glen Park), while others that seem expensive now have dropped with relation to the rest of the city (Nob Hill, North Beach, Western Addition).

The four-page PDF file can be found here.

Warning: This is fascinating data, and you will likely lose a solid hour of productivity at work if you open this...

Happy reading!

Quarterly Home Value Reports [Zillow]

Image courtesy of Zillow

Lower Fillmore could become city community benefit district

From today's Examiner,

The Board of Supervisors will conduct a public hearing Tuesday on whether to establish a community benefit district for lower Fillmore Street — an area that gained notoriety in the 1940s and 1950s as a center for jazz music.

Establishing a community benefit district for this area, now known as the Fillmore Jazz district, would enact an annual tax for five years on property owners within the proscribed area, which would then be spent on such things as maintenance, security and promotion.

The Fillmore Jazz district includes the area around Fillmore Street between Steiner and Webster streets and between Golden Gate Avenue and Geary Street.

Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, whose district includes the lower Fillmore, wants to see the district formed, saying it is an effective way to revitalize the area.

“My absolute objective is to make [the Fillmore Jazz district] the cultural destination it used to be. We are going to use every tool in the box to make that happen,” he said.

In its first year, the district is expected to generate $327,488, which a committee, made up of the area’s business owners and residents, would spend according to a management plan. [more...]

Lower Fillmore could become city community benefit district [Examiner]
New Community Benefit Districts Spark Controversy [SFHomeBlog]
Condo tower may jazz up Fillmore w/ new home of Yoshi's [SFHomeBlog]
What's Really Wrong With the Lower Fillmore? [SFHomeBlog]
24th Street Property Owners Approve Special Tax District [SFHomeBlog]

Ways to Avoid Getting Dropped By Your Home Insurance Provider

From today's RealEstateJournal.com [WSJ],

Just as with auto insurance, homeowners have to worry that making a claim will get them dropped by their insurer. And that can mean higher premiums with another insurance company or, if you're deemed troublesome, with your state's high-risk pool. It might even mean no coverage at all. You'll also lose any loyalty or claims-free discounts you earned under your present coverage.

There's no firm rule for when or why an insurer will drop coverage but even one or two small claims can do the trick. That's especially true if the claim is water-related, which could mean mold in the future, writes Kimberly Lankford, a Kiplinger's magazine columnist, in her recent book "The Insurance Maze."

"What an underwriter gets concerned about is claim frequency," says Chris Heidrick, vice president for personal insurance with Firemen's Fund. "It starts to raise questions."

Consider raising your deductible as much as you can afford. You'll save money on premiums (as much as 25% if you raise a $250 deductible to $1,000). You can use your savings to increase your coverage and you'll be less tempted to make minor claims.

Even inquiring about whether to make a claim can hurt your reputation, says Lankford. Some companies will count such inquiries against you in a central database that other insurers can access. [more...]

This is a topic that comes up with clients all the time nowadays... Insurance companies are hyper-sensitive to ANY calls or inquiries on an account, especially related to water. A simple inquiry (even if you don't really have a problem) could result in a negative item on your C.L.U.E. report, which could result in future troubles not only for you as as the insured party, but for future owners of the house where the inquiry was based.

One would think that insurance companies are in business to help their high-dollar-paying customers, but if they are paying out claims, they're losing money, so they're really looking out for their own bottom line. Not yours.

My advice: run a higher deductible, such as $1,000 or even $10,000, and save your insurance premium money for when problems actually do occur. Then fix little items out of your own savings, without contacting your insurance company at all.

And NEVER call your insurance company unless you know for certain that you need their help. It could end up doing even more damage than the storm/wind/fire/water that caused you to make the call in the first place.

Ways to Avoid Getting Dropped By Your Home Insurance Provider [RealEstateJournal]
Insurers Offer Special Protection To High-End Homeowners [SFHomeBlog]
Quake insurance could get cheaper [SFHomeBlog]

Falletti's (Broderick Place) update

From the North of Panhandle Neighborhood Association blog,

I got to meet Tick Falletti today and get a walkthru of the store. It's going to be great. They've been working on this alone for several years as they had to close all their other stores after losing their lease at Plaza (now Albertsons). Their manager, Alan, started working for them at the Plaza location when he was 17 years old. Tick's two sons are also involved, and they have rehired some of their old-school butchers so there will be some real experienced folks behind the counter. The rendering on the Falletti's site shows the butcher/fish counter. There will also be produce, wine, a couple refrigerated aisles, and about 4 aisles for other foods and necessities. Modest scale.

Falletti's is also handling all the leasing for the other spaces. They've lined up Delessio's for a delux NY style deli on the SW corner (Broderick & Oak). I ran into Mr. Delissio on my way out (not his real name) and he claimed that they will be preparing over 100 different food items there including cakes and pastries, and perhaps eventually their own ice cream (Elsa will be excited to hear that!).

Peets is confirmed for a small cafe space facing the BofA. There is another retail food space w/ seating facing Broderick that they have yet to lease, and three small store fronts on Fell, also unleased at the moment. Sounds like they will get one or two restaurants/take out (burritos, sushi?), possibly a cleaners. I suggested a florist... if you have other's, let me know. They seem really interested in finding tenants who will be a good fit for the area. Given that this project is 2 years behind schedule and has been their central focus for 4-5 years, they are deeply invested in making the project work.

For those that weren't around pre-1999, Falletti's was a fantastic, locally-owned grocery store at Fulton & Masonic (where the new Albertson's is now), which also featured separately-owned butchers, dry cleaners, photo developing, liquor store, etc.

When they lost their lease on the land at Fulton/Masonic, they were able to work out a deal to purchase the old Bank of America site on Broderick. They got approval for 70+ housing units and their grocery store, as well as multiple smaller business spaces. This is going to be a FANTASTIC addition to the neighborhood, and we're all very glad (and lucky!) to have them back! And this comes just in time, with many of the city's grocery stores closing for various reasons...

Their site says that they'll be open September 2006, but Kevin (quoted above) was told it would be closer to the first week of October 2006.

Falletti Foods [official site]
Falletti's update (and walkthrough) [NOPNA blog]
City’s grocery stores grow increasingly rare [SFHomeBlog]
News on Grocery Stores and Farmer's Markets [SFHomeBlog]
Below Market Rate Units at Broderick Place available [SFHomeBlog]
Condo projects selling first, building later [SFHomeBlog]

End of the bond(age)-free lifestyle for renters?

From today's Examiner,

A loophole in a 2002 piece of legislation may soon be closed and renters may be splitting the cost of future bond measures with their landlords.

Currently, if the cost of a bond is going to be split between tenants and a landlord, specific language stating that fact must appear on the ballot measure. A proposal submitted Tuesday by Supervisor Tom Ammiano would make the cost split of all bonds automatic.

Proponents of Ammiano’s amendment say it simply fixes legislation hashed out in 2002 between city officials, tenant groups and landlord advocates. The intent of that bill was to split the cost, but the language loophole allowed bond measures to pass that did not pass on the cost.

In 2000, city voters approved Proposition H, which prevented landlords from passing on to tenants the cost of building improvements. The San Francisco Apartment Association successfully sued The City, resulting in talks between city officials, the association and other interested parties, which concluded with new legislation.

As part of the new legislation, approved by the board in 2002, landlords could pass on 50 percent of the costs of building improvements to the tenants and 50 percent of the cost of bond measures, according to Janan New, the association’s executive director. However, the language had to appear on the ballot measure of the bond.

Proponents of the measure say it will make voters scrutinize bond measures more closely if the burden is carried by all citizens, not just landlords and homeowners. [more...]

Call me crazy, but if we're all benefitting (owners and tenants alike) from city services, school bonds, better streets, etc., why shouldn't the citizenry as a whole contribute to this? Or conversely, why should a property owner shoulder the entire burden of a voter-approved measure (in which tenants are allowed to vote)?

Renters may soon help pay for bond measures [Examiner]
Housing prices to blame for Mission deaths? [SFHomeBlog]
Proposition H Implementation Advisory #1- 11/8/00 [Rent Board/SFGov]

Rent hike a lure for pet-friendly landlords

From today's Examiner,

A proposed financial incentive for pet-friendly landlords in San Francisco will not come as a tax break, as initially conceived, but rather, if passed, will take the shape of an optional rent hike for landlords when renting to pet owners.

The proposal would amend The City’s rent control laws to allow a $25-per-month rent hike for tenants who wish to keep pets. According to a draft of the amendment, the hike would apply only to new tenancies and tenants who want new pets. It would not apply to tenants already keeping pets. [more...]

Rent hike a lure for pet-friendly landlords [Examiner]
San Francisco SPCA gets $13M gift, nobody complains [SFHomeBlog]

Here's hoping 1,900 new units don't add up to one big monster

From John King's Urban Design column on SFGate,

Only architects as sculpturally inventive as the ones at Arquitectonica could take an overstuffed political deal like 1177 Market St. and come up with a design that has the potential to be an energetic, counterintuitive triumph.

Now the question is whether Angelo Sangiacomo and his family have the resources and will to bring the potential to life -- and whether city officials will nudge them to do so in the first place.

How large are the stakes? Consider this: Sangiacomo wants to pile 1,900 apartments onto 4 acres at Eighth and Market streets in San Francisco. That's as many housing units as were added to the entire city in all but two of the past 15 years. [more...]

Here's hoping 1,900 new units don't add up to one big monster [SFGate]
Trinity Plaza gets OK [SFHomeBlog]
Wealthy Developer Tries to Stop Rebuilding of Trinity Plaza [SFHomeBlog]
Massive Trinity Plaza project could play role in Mid-Market redevelopment [SFHomeBlog]
Newsom vows 15,000 new housing units by 2010 [SFHomeBlog]

Former S.F. supervisor Sue Bierman dies after car crash

From today's Chronicle,

Former San Francisco Supervisor Sue Bierman died Monday after she crashed her car into a Dumpster in the Cole Valley neighborhood, authorities said.

Police said they got a call of a crash at 3 p.m. on the 1200 block of Shrader Street and found an 82-year-old woman behind the wheel. She was taken to San Francisco General Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
...
Sue Bierman was 68 years old when she ran successfully for supervisor in 1992.

She had already served 16 years on the planning commission, had worked in her Haight-Ashbury community, and had made a name for herself in the 1950s and 1960s when she led the fight against expansion of the freeway into the Golden Gate Park panhandle. [more...]

Back in the late 1990s, Bierman was to San Francisco as Chris Daly is now. She fought against anything that might provide homeownership opportunities or landlord protections. She is best known (during my residency in San Francisco) as the Supervisor behind Proposition G in 1998, also known as the Bierman Amendment, which restricted owner move-in evictions.

She termed-out of her position on the Board of Supervisors in 2000.

Former S.F. supervisor Sue Bierman dies after car crash [SFGate]
Former SF Supervisor Dies [SFist]
Tenants' Union Prop G on the November Ballot - 9/10/98 [SFGov]
Eviction ruling favors landlords [SFHomeBlog]
'Crisis' in evictions doesn't add up when you do the math [SFHomeBlog]

Pray for Bad Weather?

From the NYT Walk-Through...

Last winter, Devon and Nick McConnell sold their one-bedroom co-op on West End Avenue in Manhattan. The listing price was $399,000. The selling price was $435,000. “We fully expected to get $50,000 less,” Nick told me.

There happened to be a blizzard on the day of their open house. Should they cancel? Absolutely not, said their broker, Richard Merton of Stribling & Associates. He never cancels for bad weather.

“You don’t have tire-kickers coming out in a blizzard,” he told me. “They are serious shoppers.”

Third Street rail on track for January run

More info on Examiner.com today about the scheduled opening of the Third Street MUNI line...

Muni plans to open the rail with limited free service on the weekends as a way to test it. The rail will run between Sunnydale Avenue and the Castro station [note: I don't see anything about the Castro station in any MUNI material... The map to the left looks more like the EVENTUAL Phase 2 destination is Chinatown to me...][note #2: see the comments below... turns out it might actually be going to the Castro in place of the Castro Shuttle].

In April 2007, Muni is expected to open the complete 5.4-mile rail line with full seven-day service. It will provide service along Third Street, beginning at the Caltrain Depot at Fourth and King streets running to the intersection of Bayshore Boulevard and Sunnydale Avenue in Visitacion Valley. The rail passes through the Bayview and Hunters Point neighborhoods.

Come April, one car will roll along the rails every nine minutes during morning and afternoon peak hours. The cars will arrive every 12 minutes in the evening and every 20 minutes at night until 1 a.m. [more...]

In doing a bit further reading on the project today, I see that this announcement will likely only cover what MUNI is referring to as Phase 1, with the second portion extending to Stockton and Clay via an underground tunnel which would begin at Bryant Street. From SFMUNI.com,

• Phase 1 will extend Muni Metro light rail service south from its current terminal at Fourth and King Streets. The line will cross the Fourth Street Bridge and run along Third Street and Bayshore Boulevard, ending at the Bayshore CalTrain Station in Visitacion Valley. Tracks will be constructed primarily in the center of the street to improve safety and reliability and 19 stops will be provided. This phase of the light rail project is expected to open for service in 2006 [guess this should read January 2007, eh?].

• Phase 2 will extend light rail service north from King Street along Third Street, entering a new Central Subway near Bryant Street, crossing beneath Market Street and running under Geary and Stockton Streets to Stockton and Clay Streets. Underground subway stations will be located at Moscone Center, Market Street, Union Square and Clay Street in Chinatown. Muni and the City are actively pursuing funding for the Central Subway. [and that funding probably won't see the light of day in D6 until Chris Daly loses his Supervisor's seat in November]

• A new Metro East Operating and Maintenance Facility will be built on approximately 13 acres at 25th and Illinois Streets to store, maintain and dispatch light rail vehicles.

The end result here is that we'll have transportation from Little Hollywood (near Candlestick "Monster" Park and the new housing at Candlestick Point) right into SOMA.

Can you say 'transit villages'? I sure hope the Supervisors and the Planning Department can...

Third Street Light Rail: Overview [SFMUNI.com]
3rd Street light rail testing now, official launch April 7th [SFHomeBlog]
Third Street Rail Service Still Almost a Year Away [SFHomeBlog]
Visitation Valley vs. Ingersoll Rand [SFHomeBlog]

Image from SFMUNI.com

Western Addition library branch closing for renovations

From today's SFGate,

The Western Addition branch of the San Francisco Public Library will close Aug. 19 for a $4.3 million renovation, the library announced this week.

During renovation, expected to last until spring 2008, the library system will provide bookmobile service at the corner of Post and Steiner streets, near the Hamilton Recreation Center, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tuesdays, 3 to 7 p.m. Wednesdays, and 1 to 5 p.m. Fridays.

Preschool Storytime will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesdays at Parents Place, 1710 Scott St.

Books on hold will be sent to the Richmond branch library. Popular adult fiction, children's picture stories and audiovisual materials from the Western Addition branch's Japanese language collection will be moved to the Presidio branch, 3150 Sacramento St., site of a new international languages collection.

The library has completed two of 24 renovation and construction projects funded in part by a $105.9 million bond issue approved by voters in 2000.

New library takes up residence in San Francisco's Mission Bay [SFHomeBlog]
Noe Valley Library to close for renovation [SFHomeBlog]
Glen Park's Overdue Library [SFHomeBlog]

Trinity Plaza gets OK

From today's SFGate,

The San Francisco Planning Commission approved a plan Thursday for one of the city's biggest landlords to raze rent-controlled apartments in a converted hotel and replace them with residential towers.

In a political deal brokered by District 6 Supervisor Chris Daly and supported by the Newsom administration, landlord and developer Angelo Sangiacomo will place 360 of the 1,900 rental apartments he intends to build at Market and Eighth streets under the city's rent control rules.

Rent control in San Francisco normally doesn't cover buildings constructed after 1979, but Sangiacomo agreed to the provision to get political support from City Hall.

The residents currently living in the Trinity Plaza apartment building will not be displaced by the construction. They will stay in their units while replacements are built and then be shifted to new dwellings, according to the city planner on the project, Michael Li. [more...]

BeyondChron goes on to praise the project, even going so far as to say,

The developer and tenant community has exhibited what [Planning Commission President Dwight] Alexander recognized as “good public-private partnership” in crafting this agreement.

In going through with this project, [developer] Sangiacamo will be taking financial hits most developers would consider insurmountable. It would be pure folly for the Board to look this gift horse in the face. [more...]

BeyondChron praising housing and suggesting that the 'Supes praise it, too? Now I think I've seen it all! Especially given that a portion of the units will be built as condos and could eventually be sold...

Any way you slice it, this really is going to be good for everyone involved. Tenants get rent-controlled and affordable units (BeyondChron calculates a total of 34% of the project), Mid-Market gets a facelift, and the city gets 1,900 new housing units.

Unfortunately, the only way that this worked is because Sangiacomo has owned that land for decades... Any newcomer to the city could NEVER afford to do what this project entails and not go bankrupt.

Will Trinity Plaza finally get the green light? [SFHomeBlog]

How to get past the Planning Commission...

Diplomatic immunity!

Although I have absolutely no understanding of how far the concept of diplomatic immunity reaches, it appears to have some pretty solid clout with the toughest game in town, the Planning Commission.

Developers can't get things approved, no matter what the cost, whether because of Supervisors, neighbors, or age-old codes & zoning. But if you build a consulate, apparently you can get away with whatever you want. Eventually.

Although the process for a VERY large expansion to the Chinese consulate in Monterey Heights was delayed on Thursday, today's Examiner tells the tale of how far they are getting and why this is still likely to go through...

Plans to add 5,348 square feet to the residence of the consul general of China were thwarted Thursday as some neighbors pushed to halt the proposal and the U.S. Department of State lobbied for approval.

Stuck in the cross hairs, the Planning Commission voted 3-2 to continue the matter until next week following hours of testimony from neighbors and a raging debate over diplomatic immunity. The panel previously voted to continue the matter at a meeting in May amid complaints from neighbors. [more...]

Planning panel struggles with likely budget cuts [SFHomeBlog]

Is the transfer of wealth to the next generation fueling the real estate market?

From this week's Surreal Estate column on SFGate,

...if people are still buying, where is the money coming from?

There are two primary answers to this question. Both say something about how much we as a nation are banking our future on the promise of financial security in homeownership. Both say something about the risks many of us are taking to become part of that "ownership society."

The first answer is good ol' Ma and Pa, or as one Money Magazine article put it, "The National Bank of Mom and Dad." According to the National Association of Realtors, last year 37 percent of first-time homebuyers reported that they had paid for their down payments in part or in whole with a gift, loan or inheritance from a family member or friend. (In 1991 only 18 percent of first-time buyers reportedly received monetary gifts from family or friends for down payments.)

In areas where prices are especially high, I wouldn't be surprised if the percentages were higher. For the vast majority of the people I know who have bought a home in the Bay Area some time in the past five years, financial help from family has been an essential ingredient. Instead of waiting until they die, many older parents are helping their kids buy housing now. [more...]

How our houses are financing our lives [SFHomeBlog]