Turk & Lyon Closer To A Greener, Friendlier Future

Green Possibilities for Turk Street near Lyon

Image: James Munden, Marta Fry Landscape Architects

Green Turk & Lyon Fundraiser at Chile Pies Photos: Dale Danley

Jarie Bolander (left), NOPNA President, Recalling First Contact with Honoree

(We worked it out)

Thanks to everyone who joined the party and fundraiser at Chile Pies (& Ice Cream) last week -- all 60 of you and those unable to attend who also donated to the Green Turk & Lyon project. Your support helped raise $1100 that will bring greener sidewalks, benches and bike racks to the southeast corner of Turk and Lyon.

For me the best part of the evening was being among so many friends and advocates who contribute every day to a better neighborhood, district and city. We are all privileged to work together. An occasion like this is always the result of help and contributions from many people. Special thanks to --

• Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi for designating me District 5 Person of the Month for June and especially for all his efforts to support individuals and groups in this amazing district
• Vallie Brown, Ross's legislative aide, who takes good ideas and guides them to implementation
• Trevor Logan, owner of Green Chile Kitchen and Chile Pies. His generosity and support of the fundraiser has been remarkable
• Kalie Nickless, manager of Chile Pies, who made all arrangements incredibly easy
• James Munden, neighbor and landscape architect with Marta Fry Landscape Architects, whose images of the Green Turk & Lyon project inspire us to create a model for green permeable sidewalks in NOPA
• The members of St. Cyprian's Episcopal Church, led by Pastor Will Scott, for their ongoing engagement with the community and eagerness to transform the sidewalks along the church property for a green neighborhood respite
• NOPNA, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, Sunday Streets, Walk SF, Fix Masonic and NOPA VELO for co-sponsoring the fundraiser

Next steps for the project will be a community meeting in July to review designs, workplans, and a timeline for removing the concrete and enlivening the Turk and Lyon corner. Date and time will be posted here on BIKE NOPA. More detailed information is available here. Take a look at the corner this Saturday night, June 4, before a special concert, an Evening of Song, at Cyprian's.

Interested in volunteering or want more information?: greenturkandlyon@gmail.com

To donate to the project: so far we're set up to accept checks made out to St. Cyprian's Episcopal Church; please write on memo line: "Turk & Lyon Project". All donations will go to a separate Turk & Lyon account. Thank you!

NOPA Cyclists Ride & Party: NOPA VELO Re-Cap & SF Bike Party This Friday Night

22nd & Guerrero Pavement-to-Parks stop

Photo: Michael Helquist

Photo: Dale Danley

Ron Stanford of Step3 Studio on parklet construction at Fulton & Masonic

Photo: Dale Danley

Eighteen cyclists -- and two dogs -- spun around town with stops at parks and parklets on Memorial Day Monday for the latest NOPA VELO bike ride. Regulars were happy to greet eight first-timers including four who made this ride their first outing on San Francisco streets. The two-hour ride started at the new parklet outside Cafe Abir at Divisadero and Fulton and stopped by new parks at Showplace Triangle and 22nd & Guerrero and one more parklet at 22nd & Bartlett. Lunch at Nopalito restaurant brought everyone back to home base.

For previous NOPA VELO rides, check here.

Image: San Francisco Bike Party

From a hyper-local bike group to an all city encompassing party on wheels:

San Francisco Bike Party Pride (In The Name Of Love) Ride

Friday, June 3

Gather: 7:30 PM, Rollout: 8 PM

Meetup: Panhandle (near Ashbury and Oak)

Route: here

June is almost here, San Francisco! What kind of ride would we be if we didn’t show our PRIDE!? Come on out and be with the Party as we show you all of the great things this proud City has to offer- architecture, people, history, hills, amazing views, the fabulous Castro, and who knows what else? It is SF, after all, we can only predict so much.

How We Ride:

Stay in the right lane

Stop at red lights

Leave No Trace

Ride predictably and in control
Roll past conflict

Ride Prepared

When in doubt, “Bike Party!!”

Your First Ride With Us?

We try to maintain a leisurely cruising speed. Routes are designed for a wide range of riders to keep pace. Though, with hundreds of riders on different types of bikes, some will find hills more challenging, or have flats and mechanical troubles. Before the ride, make sure your bicycle is in good working order. You should be comfortable riding San Francisco streets which may have traffic, train tracks, occasional steep hills, and other hazards. Bring friends and make new ones riding at your speed. Within your friends be prepared with a flat kit or to fix basic mechanical troubles. If you see someone in need, it’s good bike etiquette to help. That’s also a great way to make new friends in the biking community. Which is what the Bike Party is all about!

Stay in the Loop:
WEB: http://www.sfbikeparty.org/

EMAIL LIST: http://groups.google.com/group/bike-party-sf/boxsubscribe

FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/pages/San-Francisco-Bike-Party/118246874907825

TWITTER: http://twitter.com/SFBikeP

It's Not A NOPA VELO Ride Without The Poster

Image: Rick Helf www.helf.com

There wouldn't be a NOPA VELO ride without another outstanding image created by Rick Helf. His collection of ride posters will soon be ready for public viewing in NOPA.

Memorial Day Monday, NOPA folks and friends. Everyone welcome.

NOPA VELO's Pavement-to-Parks and Parklets Ride

The pavement before at Guerrero and 28th Photos: SF Pavement to Parks

The park after

Showplace Triangle today

The North Panhandle’s only neighborhood-based bike ride is about to spin out again on Monday, May 30, Memorial Day. NOPA VELO is all about urban parks for this easy-to-moderate, nine mile ride. (See route here).

Riders will check out new green projects in the city, including the pavement-to-parks sites at Guerrero Park and Showplace Triangle as well as two parklets, starting with NOPA’s latest on Fulton at Divisadero. Route organizer and Panhandle Park Stewards leader Dale Danley reports he’s especially eager to see the how the plants are faring at Guerrero Park. “I see how much the shrubs and succulents in front of the Mojo Bike Café parklet have thrived in a year,” he said. “Now I want to see how much the plants have grown at the other sites.”

As NOPA VELO riders view the new urbanized landscaping, they’ll learn about the process of bringing more green to our city. How did the city get past the “good-studies-sitting-on-the-shelf” routine and actually start implementing innovative uses for our public space? A recent Streetsblog interview with Andres Power, Project Manager for SF Planning, gives an excellent behind-the-scenes report on how city government managed to kick-start the process. One observation by Power:

Change is always hard. Beyond the actual projects that the Pavement to Parks program has installed, I think in my mind the most beneficial change is really pushing the city family to be okay with experimentation.

And don't forget, for an even greener city: You can help green another corner of NOPA by stopping by Chile Pies, 601 Baker at Fulton, on Wednesday, May 25, 5:30 to 7:30 pm for a community party and fundraiser. Get a free pie slice, beer, wine, sodas, New Mexican hot chocolate and more with each admission. More info here.

NOPA VELO ‘s Pavement-to-Parks and Parklets Ride
Monday, May 30, Memorial Day
9:30 am - Meet at Cafe Abir, 1300 Fulton @ Divisadero
10:00 am - Ride begins
All level riders welcome. Kids on own bikes OK if with guardian.
Pets too if on bike or leash.
Info: Lenore at 415-300-6744, lmcjunker@gmail.com

Join NOPA-VELO Google Group:
http://groups.google.com/group/nopa-velo

Check out our previous rides here.

NOPA Gets a New Parklet on Fulton Street

New Parklet on Fulton in front of Tsunami Sushi Panhandle and Cafe Abir

Continuous benches and planting with concrete pavers the full length

Two, possibly, three new bike racks to be installed (the one in photo will be moved)

Ron Stanford (l) and Evan Bowman (r) of Step 3 Studio, contractor for the parklet

The North Panhandle's second parklet is under construction with completion expected within the next several days. Located on Fulton at Divisadero in front of the busy Cafe Abir and Tsunami Sushi Panhandle, the parklet replaces two parking spaces and provides a long, continuous bench for outdoor seating. Movable tables and chairs will be positioned on the smooth, concrete pavers that expand the normally crowded sidewalk. Another feature of the Fulton parklet design is the addition of a built-up corners for an enhanced sense of protection from traffic.

Ron Stanford, founder of the San-Francisco based collective Step 3 Studio, obtained the contract for the city's latest parklet, following his construction of the Greenhouse at the Hayes Valley Farm. He said the permit and approval process had been relatively easy.

It took six to eight weeks. A few people in the area expressed concern about the removal of two parking spaces, but no one officially objected so we didn't need to go to a public hearing.

An unexpected complication for parklet construction came with restrictions against using Brazilian hardwood for the planters and bench. (Harvesting Brazilian hardwoods is linked to depletion of the country's rain forest and exploitation of laborers). Stanford explained the difficulty he has encountered.

The city decided to no longer permit the hardwood. The other options -- redwood and cedar -- are too soft for a public project. We ended up importing compressed bamboo from China. Unfortunately, our container of bamboo was one randomly selected for close inspection, and it's still sitting in port.

Stanford said they were eager to get the product, finish the planters, and start adding the aromatic Tuscan rosemary, lavenders and succulents to the boxes.

The Fulton parklet is the first of dozens to follow now that the city's phase of demonstration projects has concluded. NOPA's first parklet outside Mojo Bicycle Cafe on Divisadero was among the first demonstration projects.

Pies for Parklets -- You're All Invited to Celebrate and Bring Some More Green to our City

Envision a greener Lyon Street at Turk along exterior of St. Cyprian's Church

Images: James Munden, Marta Fry Landscape Architects

Creating community with a greener, more sustainable space

Dear BIKE NOPA Friends, Neighbors, Colleagues,

Which do you like best when it comes to pies? Sweet or savory? Peach blueberry or green chile apple? Or perhaps an organic pinot noir, a chocolate stout, or ecco organic coffee? Take your pick at this upcoming event and help green the corner of Turk and Lyon.

On May 25, NOPNA, Sunday Streets, St. Cyprian’s Church and the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition will co-host a community celebration of an honor that has come my way, and, more importantly, to kick-off a plan to make our neighborhood greener and more sustainable.

Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi has named me the District 5 Person of the Month for June. In his words:

Michael has contributed to so many organizations in the district and citywide, including the North of Panhandle Neighborhood Association, Fix Masonic, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, Sunday Streets, NOPA VELO, and, most recently, the community development work of St. Cyprian's Episcopal Church. The district and the city are fortunate to reap the benefits of his efforts. Michael wants to celebrate this honor with a community fundraiser to benefit a new streetscape project for Turk and Lyon streets. I encourage everyone to join in.

A huge thanks to Supervisor Mirkarimi. I want to share it with all of you who do so much to make this a great district.

Let’s meet up and make something very cool happen at the same time: Raise some bucks to remove concrete slabs of sidewalk and replace them with trees and shrubs, benches and bike racks. Let's transform the SE corner of Turk and Lyon and create community at the same time. Neighbors have been meeting at Turk and Lyon since last year about how to make the corner greener and more sustainable. Now they're ready to share the vision and engage the community even more in a design that benefit everyone.

Putting it all together:

Wednesday, May 25, 5:30 to 7:30 pm
Chile Pies (& ice cream), 601 Baker @ Fulton
Free treat with each $15-$20 donation (slice of pie, drinks and more)

Live music in the works
All proceeds will fund the Green Turk and Lyon project
Questions? please contact greenturkandlyon@gmail.com
Can’t attend but want to donate? Checks payable to St. Cyprian’s Episcopal Church, Green Turk and Lyon account, 2097 Turk, SF 94115.

Please save the date. Stop by for good cheer, check out the other renderings, and help make D5 even greener. The fundraiser will be followed in the weeks ahead with neighborhood meetings and then the good stuff: replacing concrete with soil, stones and native plants, benches and bike racks.

Check out the concerts and events at Cyprian's, the new venue in town, at Turk and Lyon where St. Cyprian's Episcopal Church has been an active in the community since 1960.

Thank you, Chile Pies!

Masonic Boulevard Proposal Approved: History in the Making

Fix Masonic members distribute community meeting notices door-to-door in 2010

Mariana Parreiras, Dale Danley, Ben Caldwell, Marc Caswell (l to r)

Just a brief notice for now: this morning after an hour and a half of testimony from dozens of individuals, the city's proposal for remaking Masonic into a safer street that works for everyone was approved and sent to the SFMTA Board of Commissioners!

Javad Mirabdal, the SFMTA project manager for the Masonic re-design effort, commented after the hearing had concluded: "This is history."

Look for more complete coverage this afternoon at Streetsblog. (I was not in reporter mode during the hearing).

Congratulations to everyone who worked so long and so hard for a safer Masonic for all of us. After a needed break, let's focus on how to make the Boulevard proposal work as well as possible for everyone, certainly including those who were not in favor.