Tag Archives: DHIC

Neighborhood Notification of Proposed Upzoning Required by Board of Supervisors

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On Tuesday, April 22 the Board of Supervisors approved legislation requiring direct notice to residents and businesses when their own property, or one within 300 feet of it, is proposed for upzoning.  Specifically, it requires a mailed notice of increases in height and/or density.  The measure passed with an 8–3 supermajority!  Our supervisor, Rafael Mandelman, voted for this notification.

What does this mean for Dolores Heights?  All of Dolores Heights is proposed for increased building heights (see article above for details.)  So SF Planning will mail all of us that postcard before the Board of Supervisors acts on the proposed upzoning legislation this fall.   

Meet your Neighbors – June 14 DHIC Summer Gathering

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School is out; Pride is coming!  Come to our summer in-person event to meet new neighbors and see old friends. It’s on Saturday, June 14 from 10am to 11:30pm at the top of the Sanchez stairs.  In Dolores Heights, we’re building community and fostering connections.  Drop by for coffee, beverages, and refreshments. 

For those wanting to know more about safety, greening, and housing, we’ll have tables with info.  We’ll have name tags so you can network to meet more neighbors and/or folks with similar interests.  If you just want to hang out, drink coffee and eat treats on Saturday morning, we want to meet you!  

Strong networks are the foundation of neighborhood community, health, and safety.  Come to talk with your neighbors and strengthen ties.  Be part of our community.  All are welcome.  

Join Our Neighborhood Safety Groups

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Please be careful and be on alert. These neighborhood safety groups provide ways to protect your property. The best defense are eyes on the streets. Join your block safety email lists and be alert and notify neighbors of suspicious activity. Always call 911 if you believe a crime is in progress – or if you see people “casing” a house, garage, or parked car on the street.

Connect with your neighbors via DHIC’s Block Safety Aliases. 

  • 19th Street from Church to Noe (including 700 block of Noe)
  • “Lower” 20th Street from Church to Sanchez (including 600 & 700 blocks of Sanchez)
  • “Upper” 20th Street from Sanchez (top of stairs) to Noe
  • Liberty Street Safety from Dolores to Noe
  •  21st Street Safety from Church to Noe

To join one of these block safety group emails, or if you have an alias that we haven’t listed or want to help, please email info@doloresheights.org

SF Safe is a citywide organization seeking to work with San Franciscans to build safer neighborhoods.  They offer safety checks and other services.

D8 Town Hall: Focus on Safety

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On Monday, January 13, Supervisor Rafael Mandelman hosted a District 8 (D8) Town Hall at the Noe Valley Ministry.  The topic was Public Safety and Street Conditions.  Appearing with him were  Brooke Jenkins, SF District Attorney; Liza Johansen, Captain of Mission Station; Amy Hurwitz, Captain of Ingleside Station; and Sam Dodge, Director of Healthy Streets Operations Center (HSOC.)

The SFPD Captains are focusing on top priority safety issues in their districts.  For Mission Station, that includes property crimes, violent crimes, and motor vehicle violations.  They stressed calling 911 if you see a crime in progress or see a possible crime or violence.  From mobile phones, call 415-553-8090 to avoid the call being routed to CHP.  If the call is non-emergency, dial 415-553-0123.  Captain Johansen holds a monthly Mission Station community meeting at 5pm on the last Tuesday of every month.  The next one is on February 25 at Mission Station.  It’s your opportunity to hear the Captain’s report and more importantly, raise concerns/questions with her about safety and criminal activity in our neighborhoods.   

During the Q&A session, Carolyn Kenady, chair of DHIC, urged neighbors to do our part by being aware and joining or starting block safety groups.  Both SFPD Captains underscored the importance of block safety groups.

Crime in Dolores Heights

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With the New Year, we’re hearing of more crime in Dolores Heights.  Be alert and review your property’s security.  Consider installing an alarm/security system and/or video cameras.  And be an active member of your block safety group. 

On January 6 at 4:10 am, two men attempted to break into a home on the 3600 block of 21st Street.  They entered the side door where Recology carts are kept and attempted to open the door to the garage but were thwarted by a 2×4 barricade on the garage side of the door.  Be on the lookout for people “casing” properties, trying to open doors, etc.  That same night burglars broke into the construction site on 21st Street.  

On Tuesday, January 14 at approximately 8:15 pm a neighbor walking his dog on the 400 block of Hill Street spotted a woman closing a garage door.  He smelled smoke and called 911.  SFFD and SFPD both responded to the call.  The fire was put out, and the woman was arrested.  According to SFPD, she appeared to be “out of it” and has an arrest record – so is currently in jail.  A big “thank you” to the alert resident who called 911.   

We are also hearing about thefts from neighbors’ home mail boxes. One mail-box thief also spent time with a flashlight looking inside a car parked on the north side of Liberty Street as well as the locked gate of a home on the north side of the street.

DHIC has block safety groups covering 19th Street to 21st Street and from Church to Castro Streets.  We urge all neighbors to join their block safety group.  To get connected, email info@doloresheights.org.  Be alert and call 911 if you see suspicious activity.  Let us know about safety issues via your block safety group alias and/or via info@doloresheights.org.

Green Garden Day December 7

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Hello Neighbor!

Please join the DHIC’s Green Garden Group for an invigorating morning of gardening and clean-up at the Sanchez & 19th St staircase on Saturday, December 7. Meet us from 9 – 11 am and we’ll provide all the tools needed, including Spike’s Coffees & Teas and homemade treats!

Attend D8 Town Hall on Upzoning – Monday, September 9 at 6 pm

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In November 2023, the SF Planning Department published this current proposed map which doubles height limits along Church Street, 24th Street and other areas of District 8.  Combined with SB 423’s “ministerial” approval of residential projects (see article below), it opens the door to tall luxury condos and hinders the construction of affordable housing.  To learn why upzoning is the wrong solution for D8 (& SF), come to the D8 Town Hall on Housing sponsored by DHIC and other D8 neighborhood groups on Monday, Sept. 9 at 6pm at the Noe Valley Ministry (1021 Sanchez Street.)

Want to know more now?  The proposed map was driven by the State’s mandate that SF produce 82,000 new housing units by 2031.  But wait, San Francisco has over 73,000 permitted projects in its pipeline, including 16,000 affordable units. And in 2022, the Board of Supervisors up zoned – allowing four-plexes on single family lots and six-plexes on all residential corner lots – creating capacity for over 480,000 more housing units.  Moreover, the State Density Bonus law provides additional height when projects include at least 10% affordable units.  

So where’s the housing shortage?  The SF Planning Department has since announced that SF only needs 36,200 additional housing units (beyond those in the pipeline.)  However, 80% of these need to be affordable housing.

San Francisco doesn’t lack sites for housing.  It lacks subsidies for affordable housing and favorable interest rates and construction costs for market-rate housing. Cities themselves do not construct housing.  Instead, they issue permits for housing projects. Current economic factors and lack of affordable housing subsidies, rather than zoning restrictions, primarily influence the slow pace of construction in San Francisco.

Simply put, an “upzoning” plan to double height limits and disregard public input is radical and will not benefit the city’s residents or small businesses. Rather, such moves would destroy our neighborhoods and displace the people and local businesses that make San Francisco special. A top-down, one-size-fits-all approach to zoning undermines the vibrant character of our amazing neighborhoods. 

Attend the D8 Town Hall on Housing – Monday, September 9 at 6pm at the Noe Valley Ministry. 

SB 423: You’ve Lost Your Voice on Adjacent Housing Projects

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What if you wake up one morning to a construction site next door – with no warning or discussion?  It can happen.   

SB 423, one of scores of housing bills passed by our state senator, Scott Wiener, deprives neighbors of the tools to give input on nearby projects.  And starting this July, the state is applying this law to San Francisco, and San Francisco alone, because of last-minute language inserted into the bill by Senator Wiener.  

What does this mean?  The tools … in place for over 40 years to provide neighbors with a voice in housing projects affecting them  … are abolished for most projects:

  • No neighborhood notification of proposed projects near your property
  • No pre-application meeting where project sponsors are required to review the project scope and plans with neighbors, answer their questions, and discuss areas of concern
  • No discretionary review process in which affected neighbors can appeal a project that has negative impacts on their property and be heard at the Planning Commission 
  • No Planning Commission review of demolitions or monster homes

Developers are already taking advantage of SB 423’s preventing neighbors from having any voice in housing projects.   The San Francisco Chronicle reported that “one market-rate developer intends to line up paperwork in the next few weeks to take advantage of SB423. Developer Chris Foley plans to submit an application for a 200-unit, 23-story tower … in Castro neighborhood at 1965 Market Street [the current FedEx Office location.]”  

DHIC has a long history of involvement in planning and land use.  We will continue to advocate for balanced development and against policies that enrich developers at the expense of the communities where they are building. 

For more information or to get involved, email PLU@doloresheights.org