Trader
Joe’s Update
At a well-attended CAPA meeting in July, representatives from Trader Joe’s presented their preliminary plan for a new store and parking garage at Sanchez and 15th Street, just off Market Street on the site of the Dulux Paint Store. As noted here before, the plan calls for a new building covering the entire 13,000 square foot site, with a Trader Joe’s store on the ground floor with two level of parking above.
CAPA has been in the forefront expressing opposition to most aspects of this proposal, including the lack of other uses like housing, the excessive off-street parking and the traffic congestion that is likely to occur due to the parking. The board of the Duboce Triangle Neighborhood Association has adopted many of our arguments against the proposal, which were presented at their meeting in July. At that meeting a former member of the Planning Commission said that the Commission will be very reluctant to grant conditional use permits for projects that do not comply with the Better Neighborhoods plan for Upper Market and Octavia, which encourages more mixed use and transit oriented development on Market Street.
While Trader Joe’s would be only a tenant in the building and not the developer, they would be leveraging the development with a long term lease. CAPA has been in contact with the owner and developer of the site, encouraging them to consider an alternative plan to develop the site with housing, affordable office space for community organizations and moderate scale ground floor retail that will support transit an pedestrian access.
Should Chain Stores be Banned From the Castro?
The ongoing controversy surrounding Trader Joe’s has highlighted the issue of chain stores in the Castro and Upper Market. Additionally, a new planning code amendment (endorsed by CAPA) requires chain or “formula” retail stores to notify neighbors and local organizations if they are planning a store in Neighborhood Commercial Districts (NCD’s) like the Castro or Upper Market area; in Hayes Valley such businesses are banned completely. (Generally, a “formula retail” store has at least eleven stores, and with its appearance, products and operation stipulated in a contract with individual franchise owners.)
Many people have expressed concern about the recent influx of formula stores into the neighborhoods, citing the daunting competition that faces locally owned stores, and the decline in the unique character of the neighborhood. On the other side, some say that such rules are unfair, and cite the popularity of some chains as good for all businesses in the area.
Member Michael Mullin has proposed that the planning regulations for the Castro Street NCD be changed to prohibit any new formula retail store, and that any formula retail in the Market Street NCD be required to get a conditional use permit from the Planning Commission. Please join us for the start of this discussion at the August meeting.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE GENERAL MEETING
Thursday, July 8, 2004
Housing
Bond. Representatives of the campaign for a new $200 million
affordable housing bond sought CAPA’s endorsement for the measure on the
November ballot. CAPA will decide on endorsement at the August 12 meeting, in
time for the August 13 deadline for the Voter Handbook
Safeway Perimeter
Stewardship Project: Larry Maxwell
reported on meeting of the group dealing with problems in the public space
around the recycling center. Many people
congregate for the needle exchange and food providers. Sidewalks are blocked by
crowds and encampments; there is vandalism and drug dealing. Solutions involve
coordination among a number of agencies, businesses, and service providers. In
preparation for a meeting called by Supervisor Dufty for July 9, the Project
team proposed near term measures that would be simple to implement.
Trader
Joe's. Representatives presented Trader Joe's plans for the site
at Sanchez and 15th Street. They would be a tenant; it would be up
to the owner to agree to develop the property with housing and/or non-profit
offices above the store. They will not locate there without the 48 parking
spaces, but they are open to a City Car Share pod and curb space for taxis. They are contracting with a traffic engineer
will study the Sanchez St. location, as well as problems at the Masonic store.
According to their survey, 97% of Castro residents shop at Trader Joe's; 53% of
their neighborhood customers would walk, bike or take transit to their stores;
at the Masonic Ave. store 18% of shoppers are from the Castro. CAPA's contention is that their proposal
conflicts with what CAPA advocates: 1) higher density housing along transit
corridors, 2) less emphasis on cars on Market St., toward a pedestrian-friendly
environment, 3) chain stores compete with locally-owned small stores. We favor extending the concepts of the
Better Neighborhoods Study for Octavia Blvd. to this site. Jeremy Nelson of Transportation for Livable Cities voiced their opposition to the
store as proposed..
U.C. Berkeley
Extension Campus Development. At 5:30 Tuesday July 13
a tour of the site will be conducted by Mercy Housing and the Evans Co.,
future developers of rental housing there, possibly 500 units.
Reported by Larry
Maxwell
AGENDA FOR THE GENERAL MEETING
Thursday, August 12, 2004, 7:30
p.m.
1. Call to Order/Introductions 7:30 p.m.
2. Approval of Agenda and previous meeting’s Minutes
3. Housing Bond Endorsement
4. Formula Retail regulations: Michael Mullin
5. Safeway Perimeter Planning: Larry Maxwell
6. Trader Joe’s Proposal Update: Joe Curtin
7. Finance Report and Membership Update
8. New Business
9.
Adjournment
9:00 p.m.
584 Castro Street,
PMB 169
San Francisco, CA
94114-2588
Get updates
online! Send your email address to:
curtin_joe@hotmail.com
CAPA GENERAL MEETING
Thurs., August
12 , 7:30 – 9:00 p.m.
Castro Meeting
Room, 501 Castro Street at 18th.
Second Floor,
above the Bank of America
See the full
agenda inside
