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!
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2 comments:
It’s exciting to hear about folks putting forward creative ideas about the Ocean/Persia lot where the Quality Tune Up has been located. We should be thinking about how to create a process that brings together our community organizations, and gives a voice to young people, and working families in the community. The Excelsior has many hopes and community needs, from affordable housing to quality jobs, public/open spaces, and space for our community institutions. We should take this opportunity to think big and long term .... not only to beautify the space, but also to address our community's needs.
Hey Charlie:
Thanks for the feedback, we'll let you know once we start the committee when and where we're going to meet and how best to move forward and integrate a broad array of input. Welcome ideas and discussion about our community's needs. Thanks!
Cristy
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