Friends of Golden Gateway

The Summer Kids Camp is over, but the memories of fun and friendship will last for a long time.

We encourage you to check out the responses from some of the kids that FOGG, through our Scholarship Fund, made possible for them to have an exciting and fun summer.

Please click on the ‘Kids Camp Thank You Letters 2010′ Page link on this website.

Your donations made it happen.  We again thank you for your financial support.

It is events such as this that help us all realize how important and vital it is to preserve our open recreation space – GGT&SC.

Just imagine if the developer gets his way.  Not only would our neighborhood be without its active recreation center, but hundreds of young people and their families throughout the City will lose what we all know is a unique, one of a kind place – a jewel in San Francisco.

FOGG, together with our Friends & Supporters will not let that happen.

We gladly acknowledge the dedication of Laura Safran, Director of Kids Camp, and her hard working staff (many former Kids Camp members), who led the kids in varied programs of  tennis, swimming and activities with other youngsters in a safe and family-friendly environment.

We salute them for a Job Well Done!

FOGG hopes that next year we can at least double the attendance of those young people who otherwise would not have the opportunity to share in this wonderful experience.

Thanks again to all those who helped make this possible.

FOGG has joined our Neighborhood Coalition Partners and others as a party to a lawsuit that has been filed with the San Francisco Superior Court on Wednesday, August 18, 2010.

This legal action filed against the City was precipitated, in our view, by their violation of CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act).

Our attorney Susan Brandt-Hawley’s legal interpretation of the Coalition lawsuit is described in the following paragraphs:

CEQA applies to any discretionary government action that may have a significant environmental impact. It is important that environmental review occur as early as possible in the planning process, so that it is not just a pro forma rubber stamp of a project that is already approved. The California Supreme Court recently ruled that actions short of an official project approval may be illegal if they move project momentum significantly forward. The City of San Francisco has, in my view, violated CEQA in allowing the Planning Commission to adopt a resolution that “recognizes the design principles and recommendations of the Northeast Embarcadero Study for public realm improvements and new development  in the area” without first certifying an EIR. The study “aims to … establish guidelines for site design, massing, articulation and quality materials …” Based on the Planning Commission’s “recognition” of the Study, it also “urged” the Port of San Francisco to consider the principles and recommendations in the Study as part of its review of proposals and improvements. After that happened, a revised application for the 8 Washington project incorporated the increased heights recommended by the Study. 

The lawsuit requests that the San Francisco Superior Court issue a writ of mandate ordering the Planning Commission to rescind its actions taken relating to the Study and to refrain from further consideration of the Study and its guidelines until an EIR is certified. 

The Community Coalition besides FOGG includes; Neighbors to Preserve the Waterfront, Telegraph Hill Dwellers, Golden Gateway Tenants Association, the San Francisco Neighborhood Network and San Franciscans for Reasonable Growth.  

FOGG feels this is an important step towards completing in a positive way the years of work and effort by all concerned in opposition to ill-planned development along the Waterfront, and to preserve our open recreational space.

We are sure our supporters will welcome this strong action on the part of all participants, as we continue to proceed with developing a comprehensive and quality plan to better our neighborhood.

FOGG will keep you advised as to the progress of this legal action.  Your tax deductible donations to help defray the costs of our legal effort are not only welcome but will assure that our work continues.

Please send your tax deductible donation by check to PDF/FOGG, mailed to Jim Eggert, Treasurer and CPA, 550 Davis Street #46, San Francisco, CA 94111.  In writing your check, please enter on the memo line “tax deductible donation.”

Or you can donate online by clicking on our newly upgraded Donations to FOGG link at this website.

Your comments are most welcome and we look forward to your continuing support.

The response to our last two OPEN LETTERS has been reassuring.  The donations sent by many of you mean a great deal to the success of our Coalition’s work to provide a real NE Waterfront Plan for the benefit of all, and at the same time preserving the Community’s Open Recreation Space.

As you will read in the following paragraphs, however, there remains a need for continual financial support.  Your tax deductible donations have been and will continue to be used in a most prudent manner so that our cooperative efforts with Asian Neighborhood Design (AND), our professional consultant, attorney, and volunteer community organizations can move forward without delay.

Please send your tax deductible donation by check to PDF/FOGG, mailed to Jim Eggert, Treasurer and CPA, 550 Davis Street #46, San Francisco, CA 94111.  In writing your check, please enter on the memo line “tax deductible donation.”

Or you can donate online by clicking on the ‘Donations to FOGG’ link on this website.

Pacific Waterfront Partners (PWP) has revised their design for the 8 Washington Street luxury condominium project based on the SF Planning Department’s so-called NE Embarcadero ‘Study’.  The ‘Study’ increases the size of the proposed buildings to heights greater than before, and that is the exact opposite of what the community asked for at the SF Planning Department’s workshops!!

You can now view PWP’s plans on the ‘PWP Revised Drawings July 2010’ link on this website.

You will note that the proposed towers are nearly 150 feet tall and will require an “upzoning” that would also be required in the Planning Department ‘Study’.  This will give the Board of Supervisors another opportunity to turn it down as they did to the 555 Washington and 110 Embarcadero projects, that also exceeded by more than 50 feet the height limits allowed by code.

It now gives you the opportunity to write to your individual District Supervisor with strong objections to this type of planning; increase in heights, density, and the destruction of the family friendly Community Recreational Center, an anchor in the neighborhood for over 40 years.

We urge you to write as soon as you can. You may see your Supervisor’s address by going to this link.  SF Board of Supervisors

We ask that you send a copy to Board President and District 3 Supervisor David Chiu at David.Chiu@sfgov.org and to us at coaches@fogg.us.

We are sure you can see why we must continue our efforts, and the need for your critical financial support. The AND NE Waterfront Plan is comprehensive and is not driven by one ill-advised development.  It has sought consensus on the best uses of the Seawall Lots, along with connections to the waterfront, Chinatown, North Beach, Telegraph Hill, and the Gateway.

In closing we must again thank all of you for your support and financial contributions.  Please note that we have temporarily removed the Alternative NE Waterfront Plan ‘Draft’ from our website while it is being updated from a recent Steering Committee review.  We will advise you when we have it on this website again.

This OPEN LETTER is a follow up to our OPEN LETTER of July 20, 2010.  We have received many responses and we thank you for them.

As you are now aware, an Alternative Northeast Waterfront Study has been developed by our community.  You can now see this Alternative Study at the Page on the right side of this website.

We thank all the FOGG supporters, the contributors from Telegraph Hill Dwellers (THD), Golden Gateway Tenants Association (GGTA) and Asian Neighborhood Design (AND) for their incredible effort to produce this Study.

This Alternative Study, produced by our community coalition in response to the SF Planning Department study, we believe, truly represents the neighborhood.  This is a Study developed not only to create a more livable and open Embarcadero neighborhood, but to provide the entire City and visitors with an exciting and lively experience.

While this Study has been thoroughly reviewed, it is still in “draft” form.  We expect some changes and improvements when it is complete.  We expect to complete our Study in the next few weeks.

We also ask you to view two new drawings from the SF Planning Department. You can now see these SF Planning Department drawings at the Page on the right side of this website.

These drawings show higher height limits along Drumm Street, their site plan for Seawall Lot 351, and our adjacent Community Recreation Center (GGT&SC).  As you can see, the SF Planning Department is showing the total destruction of our existing Community Recreation Center.  They are ‘recommending’ 130 foot high buildings at the corner of Drumm Street and Washington Street (existing tennis courts 2 and 3), and 25 foot high buildings along the walkway between Jackson and Broadway (existing pool area and courts 6 through 9).

You should know these two drawings were NOT shown to the Planning Commission when the Planning Staff presented their study to the Commission on July 8, 2010. They were shown at the Port Commission meeting on July 13, 2010.

The Planning Commission on July 8, 2010 approved the SF Planning staff Study by a 4 to 3 vote, sending a resolution to the SF Port for their review and possible action without knowing that the study was incomplete.  We are challenging this decision.

We need your financial support now through your tax deductible donation to complete our neighborhood coalition study.

Please send your tax deductible donation by check to PDF/FOGG, mailed to Jim Eggert, Treasurer and CPA, 550 Davis Street #46, San Francisco, CA 94111.  In writing your check, please enter on the memo line “tax deductible donation.”

Or you can donate online by clicking on the Donations to FOGG on this website.

Your comments are most welcome and we look forward to your continuing support.

These past four months of work have been exciting.  We have accomplished much as we have put together a coalition of community organizations that widened our focus and support.

This coalition has developed a comprehensive Northeast Waterfront Plan that truly represents a consensus of what the neighborhood desires.  This was done with two productive workshops led by the professional planners and architects of Asian Neighborhood Design (AND) under the guidance of Fernando Marti, and by Brad Paul, consultant and longtime community advocate.  These men have a depth of knowledge in how the system works and are highly regarded in their professions. (more…)

ATTENTION Friends & Supporters:

The Port Commission will be hearing the Planning Department guidelines at the Port Commission meeting on the NE Waterfront Study: TUESDAY, July 13, 2010 3:15pm, Ferry Building, 2^nd level, Port Commission Hearing Room, as per the original posted Agenda.  The Agenda can be read at this link:  AGENDA.

The presentation by Asian Neighborhood Design (AND) and supported by our Coalition of Community Organizations will be heard at the Port Commission meeting in August, after we have an opportunity to meet with Port Staff.

You are certainly welcome to attend tomorrow’s Port Commission meeting and express your opinions on the Planning Department’s presentation.

We will advise you as soon as we have a firm date and time for the August Port Commission meeting when we will make our formal presentation.

Thank you for your continuing support and patience.

We are alerting you that conversations are underway with Port Staff and there may be a change in the July 13, 2010 Port Commission Agenda that would affect scheduling the present proposed presentations on the Northeast Waterfront Study.

We ask that you keep the date penciled in: Tuesday, July 13, 3:15pm, Ferry Building, 2^nd floor, Port Commission Meeting Room, until further notice. We should have a final answer sometime on Monday, July 12, 2010.

You may wish to review the present Agenda at this link: AGENDA.  Please see Item 9.C.

We will stay on top of all events as they evolve, and certainly keep you advised.

First, let us give a sincere thank you to all who attended and spoke in support of our neighborhood coalition presentation, led by Asian Neighborhood Design (AND) at the Thursday July 8, 2010 Planning Commission hearing on the Northeast Embarcadero Study.

Presented by Fernando Marti of AND, the coalition of community organizations proposal was a great start and another step to moving ahead towards a finished Study recommendation.

The Planning Commissioners were obviously impressed with the amount of detail that AND presented, as they had nothing to say that could be construed as negative.

We now move ahead into the next arena: PORT COMMISSION MEETING, Tuesday, July 13, 2010, 3:15pm – Ferry Building, 2^nd level, Port Commission Hearing Room.

Even though we had asked to wait until the Port Commission meeting in August, so that AND could complete their project, we are ready to go with our presentation next Tuesday.

We must move forward in unison to succeed in our efforts.  We understand the pressure on all of us, with meetings so close together.

That is why we ask that you again make every effort to attend and participate in the Port Commission hearing on Tuesday, July 13. This meeting is no less important than the Planning Commission meeting.

We are sure you will make every effort to attend, and will update you on the Port Commission’s agenda as soon as it is available.

Please mark Thursday, July 8, 2010 on your calendar.  That is the date that the Planning Department states they will finally present their Northeast Embarcadero Study to the Planning Commission.

The meeting will be at a special time:  10:00am.  It will be held at City Hall, Commission Chambers, Room 400.

The Study can be read at this link:  NES Report

As presently scheduled the Planning Department hopes to present the Study to the Port Commission on Tuesday, July 13.

We are asking that as many friends & supporters attend the July 8th meeting and give testimony before the Commissioners.

At this meeting, our joint community cooperative effort that includes Friends of Golden Gateway (FOGG), Telegraph Hill Dwellers (THD), Golden Gateway Tenants Association (GGTA), and Chinatown community groups will be presenting our own Northeast Embarcadero Plan.

This formal response to the Planning Department’s Study, still in process, is a broader, more comprehensive and cooperative effort by residents of the community to create an active vibrant waterfront for all with better connections to Chinatown, North Beach and Telegraph Hill.

This community wide effort is being led by the professional staff of Asian Neighborhood Design (AND).

FOGG will send you further details early next week to remind you of this extremely important meeting.

Please plan on being there to show your support and give testimony before the Commissioners.  Everyone counts.

Thank you for your continued support and interest on behalf of better neighborhoods.

PLANNING DEPARTMENT “OPEN HOUSE” CANCELED!!!

Thanks to the cooperative efforts of Supervisor David Chiu, and the community organizations working together to save our waterfront neighborhood, the Planning Department has canceled their Wednesday, June 2, 2010 Northeast Embarcadero Study Open House until further notice.  This also means they will not be submitting their “Study’s Final Report” to the Planning Commission on June 17th. (more…)