The Corridor Challenge

The world of community and economic development is filled with daily problems, challenges and downright difficult situations. I get asked all the time about why we do what we do, how we make those tough decisions and what it's really like to be in the trenches, out on the street talking to community folks. So...weekly, I'll choose a topic to write about (topics are welcome), either a challenge or reward about working here in the Excelsior District in San Francisco. What it's like to work in such a culturally rich community facing a variety of challenges from vacant and lived-in storefronts to gang violence and drugs, our work touches on the many components that make up an urban neighborhood. The question is, what can we do to address such a broad breadth of issues? I'll try to answer this and other questions as we expand the field of community and economic development and demystify community, leadership building and organizing.

Topic of the week: Got Condos?
While away, I learned that the Board of Supervisors passed the proposed rezoning of the site at 4550 Mission St. Plans to demolish the building and erect 32 units of condominiums over ground floor retail space were approved. Many of you were involved in the negotiations that led to this compromise project (from ensuring the units would be accessible to families, increasing density and balancing transit oriented development with providing enough parking so as not to upset car dependent neighbors) we had tough decisions to make as to what the final project was going to look like. With that lengthy but worthwhile community process over with, it is with great anticipation that we await the project's completion. EAG is working with the landlord to attract viable tenants that will complement existing businesses to the retail spaces. Contacts are welcomed and encouraged.

In the interim, we will do our best to keep you posted on the demolition and construction timelines as well as the relocation of the businesses that currently occupy the space. Rumor has it that Living Collections (formerly Furniture 4 Less) secured a new location in Millbrae. Although sad to see them go, I'm happy that they were able to find a new space for their ever-growing business. Despite the economic downturn, Living Collections remain optimistic about their new location in the Peninsula.

Challenge: Prevent Merchant Displacement
As for the other merchants, efforts to assist them remain difficult. Part of the challenge in working with small business owners, particularly those with limited English ability and cultural experience is how much time it takes to build trust with the business operator. In general, these families want to run their business with little or no outside interference. They want to run their shops quietly and sustain their livelihoods without getting too involved in the neighborhood, politics, government or other potentially 'contentious' situations. This makes our jobs as community development experts really difficult. Our job is to assist low and moderate income businesses and connect them to resources such as facade improvement funds, technical assistance, access to loans and other tools to sustain and grow their businesses. Although we'd like to save every business from closing its doors, it boils down to who will accept the resources and assistance we have to offer. You can lead a horse to water...

I remain vexed as to how to balance strengthening the commercial corridor while not just retaining existing independent and low-moderate income businesses but strengthening them too, to ensure they benefit from improvements made along our commercial corridor. How do you help those who won't help themselves? On top of that, does the argument resonate that you have to keep a community disinvested, dirty, dangerous to prevent displacement and gentrification? I think I'll save this topic for next week's blog.

Lessons Learned
I realize that you can't save every business, nor are you going to make every community member happy or satisfied with our work, making tough decisions as you balance multiple priorities and stakeholders, but damn it if we don't at least try. I've become a community organizer, working one on one with merchants to break down those barriers to accessing assistance, running a profitable business or just staying afloat. Who benefits from a corridor filled with empty storefronts, right?

An Updated Strategy
Next month, Excelsior Action Group will review and update its annual work plan. We'll be deciding what projects to focus on, our strategies for addressing issues brought forth by the resident and merchant community and prioritizing accordingly. If you have thoughts, please join us, our leadership is comprised of folks from the community working to restore its vibrancy and economic health for everyone's enjoyment while working to build upon what's already here, a strong, culturally rich, locally serving business community. These are values we'll continue to support as we create goals for next year. Stay tuned.

Excelsior Action Group Agenda for 11.06.08

EAG meets from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at 4702 Mission St.

Agenda

I. Excelsior Festival debrief: Did we break even? How was the event? What went right? What could have been better? If you have an opinion- share it.

II. Festival Volunteer Recognition and Thank You Party. Where and when should we have the party?

III. Green space Projects. Is there interest in establishing a committee to create green space on the Mission St. commercial corridor? We'll discuss ideas and create a framework for making this very exciting idea a reality.

IV. EAG holiday activities and party.

A Community Plaza on Mission Street? EAG is on the case!

At last month's Excelsior Festival, I discovered that Quality Tune Up decided to close their franchise at the Persia Triangle- the lot at the intersection of Mission/Ocean and Persia (they shut down last week). Many of you may or may not recall talk of transforming this concrete jungle into open, green space, perhaps a community plaza, garden or park in a central part of the commercial corridor.

We kicked this idea around, joking about the amount of money it would take to 1) purchase the land and 2) find the funding to turn it into green space. With the closure of the Quality Tune Up lot, there might be an opportunity to realize this dream sometime after we are able to secure funding to make this happen. In fact, we'd like to discuss this project at our next EAG Meeting. Click here to find out about our next meeting.

However, I spoke with the former manager of the lot and he is already in negotiations for at least a 3-year lease with the property owners (who don't answer phone calls or requests to discuss this proposal) and a lease is imminent to operate the former automotive repair business independently. In the interim, we'll have an operating business drawing activity to the neighborhood with an option to work with the current leaseholder on some improvements until we are able to build a relationship with the property owners (there are 3 of them- complicated!).

What's in the works right now
Late this summer, EAG received a small grant to green this portion of the corridor and since then I've hired a landscape architect to design a sidewalk garden along the Quality lot and the laundromat. We've met with the owners of the laundromat and they like the idea but have concerns about a leaky basement and want to address that issue first. I've requested written permission from the owner of the Quality lot to take up the concrete and add greening, trees and shrubs and replace the chain link fence around the lot. No response. I've met with the potential new operator of the lot- he loves the idea and wants to negotiate a lease first and then work with EAG to green the surrounding area of the lot and potentially take advantage of the city's facade improvement grant to replace the ugly sign post on the corner of Ocean and Mission- he's thinking neon. I'm thinking he should work with the architects to come up with a better plan.

Future plans?
We'd like to keep working with the property owner, the lease holder and find funding potentially through the future Community Benefit District, a combination of city, foundation and other funding sources. But we need your help. If you have an opinion, the volition or the energy to devote to this project, please join us at our next EAG meeting this Thursday at 7:00 p.m. at the EAG office.

If you can't make it to the meeting, your comments and resources are welcome on this blog, thanks!