Friends of Golden Gateway

There are two important items that we bring to your attention.

ITEM 1.  San Francisco Planning Commission Meeting this Thursday July 7, 2011 beginning at  12:00 noon Room 400,  City Hall.

Led by AND (Asian Neighborhood Design), our Coalition;  Friends of Golden Gateway (FOGG), Barbary Coast Neighborhood Association (BCNA),  Golden Gateway Tenants Association (GGTA), & Telegraph Hill Dwellers (THD) will give a presentation on “A Community Vision for San Francisco’s Northeast Waterfront.” Read the rest of this entry »

As we end the first half of 2011 there is a great deal of activity ahead of us and FOGG is preparing for the exciting and positive months ahead.

First, let us thank our supporters who helped send youngsters to Summer Kids Camp with your tax deductible donations to FOGG.  We exceeded our expectations, and many thanks also to the cooperation of the Club’s management, the Kids Camp Director, Laura Safran, and her dedicated staff.  This year we sent kids from low income housing in Chinatown, and also were able to include those from the South of Mission area.

We will do even better in 2012!

Our FOGG Treasurer, Jim Eggert, has retired from his CPA career.   We can never thank Jim enough for his years of work, and we will miss him as our Treasurer.  Jim will still offer his knowledge and assistance to FOGG on a consulting basis.

FOGG is extremely lucky to now have Mardi Kildebeck as our new Treasurer.  Mardi has extensive experience in accounting and foundation work.  Mardi has been a neighbor and an avid FOGG supporter for many years.

This brings us to our most important need – your FINANCIAL SUPPORT! Read the rest of this entry »

The Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the 8 Washington Street luxury condominium and underground parking garage project proposed to be built on our community recreational center (GGTSC) has been issued.

The DEIR is a very lengthy document and is in two parts.  Part One is the ‘Main Body.’  It is 271 pages.  You can download and view it at this link (this will take some time as it is a large file):

8 Washington St – Seawall Lot 351 Project

We ask you to read pages 64 through 68.  You can see the list of required approvals for this development to proceed.

Part Two is about ‘Recreation.’  It is 236 pages.  You can download and view it at this link (this will take some time as it is a large file):

Recreation

If you are a tennis player or swimmer, we ask you to read this.  As a minimum, please see pages 1 through 15.

FOGG asks all our supporters to read this document in the next several days.  Please feel free to ask us questions by responding to this email.

As we stated in our previous FOGG Alert, the SF Planning Commission will be hearing public testimony about this DEIR on Thursday, July 21, 2011.  Please be prepared to testify.

We will provide further updates about the approval process as it becomes available.

FOGG is sure that after you read this document, you will realize that if this project is approved, our neighborhood will be completely changed and our community recreational center as we know it will be gone.

We now know that the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the 8 Washington Street luxury condominium and underground parking garage development proposed by San Francisco Waterfront Partners (Simon Snellgrove) will be issued on Wednesday, June 15, 2011.

If you have not already requested the DEIR and would like a personal copy, either in print or CD for review and comment, please contact me no later than Friday, June 17, 2011 by email at coaches@fogg.us or call me at 415-986-2896.

Look forward to hearing from you.

As we stated previously, the DEIR will be heard before the SF Planning Commission on Thursday, July 21, 2011.  Please mark your calendar.

We are reminding you that the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the 8 Washington Street luxury condominium and underground parking lot project will be heard by the SF Planning Commission on Thursday, July 21, 2011. Please mark your calendar.

It is necessary that our supporters are aware of this critical date, and that your participation will be needed to send a strong message of our opposition to this development proposed by San Francisco Waterfront Partners.  FOGG will provide the exact time and location of this hearing and ‘talking points’ as the date approaches.

This development will reduce our community’s recreational Center by more than 50% and significantly alter the character, building scale and open space of our neighborhood.

A reduction in recreational facilities FOGG believes would no doubt mean the end of the many family activities we now enjoy including Summer Kids Camp, USTA league tennis, tennis clinics, senior aquatic sessions, social family programs, community outreach, and much more.

Now is the time for all to get involved – vocally and financially.  All who enjoy the benefits of this one of a kind recreational Center need to participate. Read the rest of this entry »

There are two very important upcoming events that will have a significant impact on our mission to preserve the neighborhood’s open recreational space.

WEDNESDAY JULY 13 2011.  This is the hearing date for our Coalition Lawsuit before Superior Court Judge Ernest H. Goldsmith.  This will be the preliminary hearing on the merits of the case.  The Opening Brief can be read at the May 2011 Opening Brief Link on this website.

THURSDAY JULY 21 2011.  The S.F. Planning Commission on this day will hear the San Francisco Waterfront Partners (Simon Snellgrove) Environmental Impact Report (EIR) on the proposed 8 Washington Street luxury condominium project. Read the rest of this entry »

FOGG wants to thank those who responded to our March 29, 2011 OPEN LETTER and made a donation to support our efforts to send a number of youngsters from low income housing to this summer’s Kids Camp at our Community Recreational Center (GGT&SC).

We have however, only scratched the surface for what is needed to increase the number of youth who would have the opportunity to attend this one of a kind summer experience.

Our previous OPEN LETTER explained why families are moving out of San Francisco (Housing & Education), with the understanding that lack of family orientated recreational centers does play a part.

Together we have the opportunity to make a positive statement and confirm our mission: “TO PRESERVE & MAINTAIN IN ITS ENTIRETY OUR COMMUNITY RECREATIONAL CENTER – GOLDEN GATEWAY TENNIS & SWIM CLUB.”  Read the rest of this entry »

Last week the San Francisco Examiner had a front page headline: “Where are the children?” The story is about families leaving the City for more reasonable housing and better schools – “San Francisco becoming a child-free zone.” According to the SF Examiner article the City has 74,000 fewer children growing up in San Francisco than in 1960, a 40% decline in the youth population.  The article can be read at this link:   Article

FOGG agrees that the greatest contributing factors are the lack of moderate priced housing and need for a vastly improved school system.

There is a third factor when it comes to a better quality of life – recreational facilities.

FOGG has no control over the housing and education issues, but we can provide an outlet for recreation that is desperately needed for our youth in the City. Read the rest of this entry »

FOGG wishes to thank our Coalition partners, Telegraph Hill Dwellers (THD) for a very informative and entertaining Community Meeting on Wednesday, March 16, 2011 on the upcoming America’s Cup Race, and its potential impact on our neighborhoods.  We also appreciate the number of FOGG Supporters who attended the meeting.

Following is a brief review of this Community Meeting.

Michael Corbett, Architectural Historian and author gave a very well documented visual overview of the SF Port’s history.  His presentation gave an interesting perspective of the Waterfront and was an excellent start to the evening.

David Chiu, District 3 Supervisor and Board President, gave an in-depth update on recent negotiations with America’s Cup sponsors, and expressed some concerns about the financial agreements that are still being worked out.  Supervisor Chiu assured us that the challenges will eventually be resolved.  Supervisor Chiu feels the America’s Cup Race will be a real plus for our City.

While the America’s Cup Race can be a plus it will also have a direct impact on FOGG’s mission to preserve the neighborhood’s community recreational center (GGT&SC).

In that respect Supervisor Chiu made two statements to those in attendance that we feel are positive to our efforts.

He said:” I oppose any high rises being built along the Northeast Embarcadero Corridor, and I oppose the 8 Washington project!”

FOGG, and we are sure our Coalition partners, applaud those statements. Read the rest of this entry »

Telegraph Hill Dwellers (THD), our Coalition partner, is presenting a Community Forum, Wednesday, March 16, 2011 – 6:00 to 9:00pm. Read the rest of this entry »