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‘San Francisco Overlook’ Owner Calls a Meeting

The steep hillside above the planned development

Mr Gary Testa, owner of the San Francisco Overlook project (earlier the Crestmont Hills development) is inviting neighbors and stakeholders to a meeting on February 13, at Midtown Terrace Community Room on Clarendon to discuss the proposed development. Since our Forest Knolls communities are directly impacted, I think it’s important for us to know about this, and attend if possible. (I’ve written about it earlier, HERE.)

Here’s his letter.

January 30, 2013
Dear Neighbors,
I am pleased to invite you to join me for an update on my proposed project, San Francisco Overlook, and for a brainstorming session regarding new ideas to make improvements to the neighborhood as a whole. I hope by now that most of you are aware of the project I’ve proposed for my lot at the end of Crestmont Drive. If you are unfamiliar with the details and would like to learn more, I invite you visit my project website at http://www.sfoverlook.com.

Over the last two years I’ve hosted a number of presentations and meetings discuss my proposal, solicit feedback and hear suggestions of ways to make my project better. Some requests are simply not possible to accommodate, such as building only 1/3 of the proposed homes (the proposed project already proposes a density significantly below what is permitted by code) or providing access from a street other than Crestmont (via land which I do not own), but I’m happy to say that my project is responsive to many key concerns such as hillside stability and fire suppression. In addition, I have specifically incorporated the request for more parking as part of my proposal. My proposal currently includes two parking spaces per unit, a 33 increase over the typical maximum ratio of 1.5 spaces per unit.

Your recommendations and suggestions have helped to improve my project and I appreciate your participation. However, I am aware that I still face opposition from some in the neighborhood and have been advised that the MSWOA board has hired an attorney to explore taking legal action against my project. Regardless of your opinion of the project, the fact is that a protracted legal battle will require significant financial assessments of all property owners within our owners’ association. [Webmaster: This refers to the Mount Sutro Woods Owners Association.] In light of the substantial potential costs to all members, I feel it is best to broaden this discussion to include all stakeholders.

My position is simple – I believe my money would be better spent for the benefit of the community rather than used to enrich attorneys. I also don’t believe that every homeowner should be required to pay for a legal action which he or she may not support or from which they may gain no real benefit. I’ve already invested a considerable sum in my project to date, and I’m prepared to spend whatever amount is necessary to defend my project and property rights should legal action be forced upon me, but I would of course prefer to avoid what I consider a waste of money and instead work with my neighbors to redirect such resources towards meaningful improvements to benefit the entire neighborhood. For example, pedestrian-scale street lighting could enhance property values and help keep cars from being burglarized and/or improvements to the existing common areas could enhance beauty and create usable areas to walk dogs and for children to play. These are only a few initial ideas; there may very well be other ore important priorities that we haven’t yet considered which is why I’m once again seeking your input with this invitation.

In the spirit of collaboration I recently reached out to the MSWOA board and began discussions about whether a community partnership of the kind I’m describing is possible. I’d like to now broaden this discussion and invite all my neighbors to participate in a brainstorming session about other general or specific contributions we could make. If you are a homeowner whose home is inhabited by renters and you feel it is appropriate to include your tenants in this discussion, please feel free to pass on this invitation to them.

Please join me:

Wednesday, February 13th at 7:00 PM
Midtown Terrace Community Room
280 Olympia Way (at Clarendon Ave.)

I hope to see you there, but if you cannot attend I still would like to get your thoughts and input. Please email me at info@sfoverlook.com or please feel free to call my outreach director, Jessica Berg, at 415-385-4876.

Sincerely — Gary Testa

January 2013 Crime (Such as it is), and Poisoned Tree Update

As usual, there was nothing much from Forest Knolls or Midtown Terrace in the Park Station police newsletters. (We like it that way!)

But a few things did catch my eye:

January 23, 1.49 a.m. Drunk driving at Clarendon and Oak Park. “Sergeant Callaway & Lewis located a vehicle that had been involved in a hit & run traffic collision. The driver was determined to be seriously in the bag.”

Jan 17th, 1.55 a.m. A report of an attempted “hot prowl” at 300 Warren Drive: “Victim was awoken by noise at his rear door. He looked out and saw the suspect trying to break in. Victim yelled at the suspect who fled.” (A “hot prowl” is when someone enters a home when people are present.)

Jan 17th, 12.30 p.m. Malicious damage to a vehicle at Clarendon and Panorama.

Jan 17th, 11.15 a.m. A collision at Clarendon and Christopher, because someone was going too fast.

Jan 5th, 9 a.m. 100 Marview. A car was stolen.

Jan 3rd, 11.30 p.m. Collision at Crestmont and Devonshire – someone was speeding.

POISONED TREES UPDATE

Those poisoned trees, which I wrote about HERE? I’d written to UCSF about them; they said it looked like it was SFWD’s business. A few days ago, I saw SFWD working there, and now it looks like they have cut down one of the trees and trimmed the other. I suppose there was no other way with the trees becoming unsafe.

Citizens Action Plan for Seismic Safety – 30 Jan 2013 meeting

I got this message for inclusion on the blog: There’s a meeting on Jan 30th, 2013.

Join Lt. Erica Arteseros and the Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (NERT) partner with SF City Administrators office, Patrick Otelinni, Director of Earthquake Safety, to look at seismic safety of SF buildings.

Learn the most current information on the Citizens Action Plan for Seismic Safety program (CAPSS) including an introduction of the proposed Pilot Program of ‘Soft Story’ Projects to implement seismic upgrade in those most vulnerable of residential/small commercial buildings and how neighborhood community preparedness plays an integral role in our ability to remain resilient before and after a major earthquake.

Open to the public – bring a friend

Agenda:

NERT – An overview – Simple solutions
CAPSS – What it is – Advantages & Benefits – How to get involved
Q & A – Future Next Steps

Date: Wednesday, January 30th, 2013
Place: County Fair Building (formerly the Hall of Flowers) -Bring a family, friends, neighbors

Location: Just inside GG Park @ 9th Avenue at Lincoln Way.
Time: 6:30PM to 8:30PM
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/5181116860#

(Street parking available – towing on the north side of Lincoln Way – Muni info: http://www.nextmuni.com)

Refreshments, Displays, Handouts, will be available.

Presenters will include:

Lt. Erica Arteseros, NERT Program Coordinator

Lt. Erica Arteseros has been the Program Coordinator for the SF Fire Department’s Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (NERT) since 2004. She supervises the training of people in NERT’s disaster preparedness and response classes and has expanded the advanced training classes offered to NERT graduates so volunteers can maintain skills. Lt. Arteseros has also worked extensively with City agencies, the private sector, and individual citizens in pre-disaster planning and training.

Reuben Hechanova, Architect

Appointed by Mayor Gavin Newsom in 2008 to the Building Inspection Commission (BIC) that oversees policy and administrative governance of SF Department of Building Inspection, Reuben served as the BIC President in 2010 where he helped move the CAPSS (Citizen Action Plan for Seismic Safety) forward stepping down from the BIC in March 2012.

Laurence Kornfield, Policy Development

Chief Building Inspector in SF for 20 years, Laurence has been active in earthquake hazard mitigation, response and recovery since the Loma Pieta earthquake in 1989. He initiated and oversaw SF’s recently completed Community Action Plan for Seismic Safety (CAPSS), and is currently developing long-term implementation plans for that CAPSS project. Mr. Kornfield is active in policy development related to building performance, disability access, sustainability, etc.

http://sfcapss.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/capssworkplan91311.pdf [This is a PDF]

Patrick Otelinni, Director of Earthquake Safety -SF City Administrator’s office

Patrick is a certified building inspector, previously serving on the Mayor’s Soft Story Task Force. Patrick understands SF building issues, codes, permitting and construction. Patrick’s job is to implement a 30 year plan to reduce the city’s most dangerous risks in a future earthquake, including retrofitting, soft-story buildings, private schools, and some concrete building. He will guide the Earthquake Safety implementation plan (ESIP) while implementing the recommendations of CAPSS.

UCSF’s Plans

I attended a Community Action Group (CAG) meeting of UCSF last evening, mainly about their Long Range Development Plan (LRDP), 2014-2035. (It was a follow-up to the previous meetings, one of which is reported HERE.) This meeting covered three broad areas: The Space Ceiling; Parnassus Avenue Streetscape and traffic; and UCSF Shuttle bus operations. But first, an announcement, important for anyone following the Mount Sutro forest battle:

The Sutro Forest Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) will be published on Jan 18th, 2013. Then UCSF will take comments for 45 days; respond to the comments; and then they plan to certify the EIR. There’s a meeting on February 25th, at 7 p.m. during which people can give comments and feedback. (Clicking on the thumbnail picture here will take you to a larger – and hopefully readable version of the notice.)

SPACE CEILING

In that last article, I noted that UCSF had set itself a 3.55 mn square foot “space ceiling” in response to neighborhood anger at their expansion strategies in the 1970s. However, it shot past this space ceiling early on, and currently exceeds it by 8.2%. For many neighbors – especially those in the Inner Sunset – space ceiling compliance is one of the most important issues. They hoped the new LRDP would bring UCSF into compliance.

No such luck. It looks like it will actually go to as high as 9% over the limit when the existing Moffat Hospital is demolished and rebuilt, perhaps 10-12 years from now.

UC Hall, an old and historic building, was originally slated for removal. That would have reduced the excess over limit. But now they plan to convert it to a mix of housing and other uses. Since housing doesn’t come under the space ceiling, this helps – but it doesn’t actually reduce congestion and related concerns. Later, UCSF may convert UC Hall completely to student housing, thus taking it out of the calculation. They also plan a similar housing conversion for Milberry Union towers, which also will be gone from the numbers (though not from the campus).

Other minor reductions in the space ceiling will come from demolishing a bunch of small buildings, including several in the forest, and three blocks of student housing in Aldea campus. I’m finding this counter-intuitive. The main congestion impact is down in the Inner Sunset, so UCSF is demolishing buildings in the lightly-trafficked Sutro Forest, and adding housing along Parnassus?

Anyway, by a combination of housing conversions and minor demolitions, they expect to end 2035 at only 5% over the space ceiling, compared with 8.2% now. The map above shows the actual demolitions in turquoise; the pink buildings will either be demolished and rebuilt, or converted to housing. One building, Proctor, is undecided; it could be made Open Space, or converted to housing.

UCSF are also considering giving up their Laurel Heights space and co-locating those functions at Parnassus or Mission Bay (or both).

PEOPLE AND CROSSWALKS

The people numbers – which were originally supposed to be limited to 13,400 average daily population and then to 16,000 – is already at around 18,000. According to the forecast, it will rise to 18,500-18,900 in 2035. Members of the CAG were rather skeptical about this number.

In addition to construction and changes in use in the buildings along Parnassus, they plan to remodel the road itself to make it more pedestrian-friendly and give it a stronger sense of place. Better sidewalks and a huge cross-walk are in the plans. The tree plan involves removing some 60 trees that are hazardous or “poor quality” and planting around 70. They will also evaluate the redwood grove at Parnassus and 7th at some later date, if they haven’t removed it during their construction work first.

There was also a discussion of shuttle-bus operations, the upshot being that they may be better able to match demand (peak demand exceeds number of trips on some routes, but doesn’t match capacity on others) and supply.

If you want more details, UCSF has its website for the LRDP HERE.

Coyotes Among Us

Two neighbors have reported coyotes nearby in the last few days – one on Warren Drive, and one on Clarendon x Panorama.

“A very large coyote was seen at 11:30 a.m. today across from 101 Warren,” wrote Beverly.

“On 12/22/2012, approaching Clarendon from Panorama, waiting at the traffic signal, a rather frisky coyote crossed my path, going from south to north and into the undeveloped area bordering Clarendon on its East,” wrote John V.

Someone else saw one a few days ago on Mountain Spring Drive, which is just across Clarendon Avenue from us. In the last year, I’ve seen them myself on Twin Peaks, Glen Canyon, Diamond Heights, and in the grounds of Laguna Honda Hospital. They’ve also been sighted near West Portal, the Presidio, and elsewhere in the city. I’ve posted about coyotes here before, but I thought I’d do so again.

From what I’ve been told, there are only about ~~10-12~~ 12-18 coyotes in San Francisco. They are territorial, so it’s unlikely the number will increase very much. We know the Golden Gate pair had pups last year. (Click HERE for a cute picture of the pups at play; it’s from the RichmondSF blog.) The one (or ones) we’ve seen may be a Golden Gate pup grown up and seeking new spaces. (Coyotes look bigger in winter, when they grow their winter coats.) Or they could be any of the resident coyotes from the territories around us.

Coyotes cover great distances in their explorations, so it’s possible to see them almost anywhere in the city. The west side is particularly good for them; they mostly take gophers and rats and mice, available in the grasslands, and they need cover to hide from dogs and people. The west side of the city has both.

Generally, coyotes aren’t much bothered by people (and are shy of them). They are bothered by dogs, who they see as competitors and a potential threat. I’m told they remember dogs who chase them. Like dogs, they probably also can recognize individual people.

Though coyotes mainly prey on rodents (and are a much better solution than poisons like the ones that killed the Glen Canyon owl), they have been known to takes cats and even small dogs. They may fight even with big dogs who chase them, which is not good for either dog or coyote. So it makes sense to be careful – keep your cats indoors especially at night, and leash your dog if a coyote is around. Generally, don’t run from a coyote; it may trigger a chase instinct. Instead, walk away calmly. I’ve found yelling loudly at a coyote usually makes them run off in a hurry. (I’ve only done this once, when I was walking in Diamond Heights at night.) If you’re concerned about coyotes, carry a “shake can” – a loud rattle made of some pennies sealed into a small aluminum can.

Please NEVER feed coyotes. A FED COYOTE IS A DEAD COYOTE.

[Edited to add: TV station CBS did a short video clip on Forest Knolls coyote sightings: Click HERE to see it.]

Janet Kessler, the Jane Goodall of San Francisco’s coyotes, spends a lot of time observing these animals and documenting her observations on www.coyoteyipps.com and she’s also written an article on peaceful coexistence for the Marina Times. You can see that HERE.

The precautions below are taken from her website.

Broken Water Main at Midnight

Well, it wasn’t quite midnight. It was around 10.30 p.m. when I heard noises that sounded like construction trucks somewhere in our neighborhood. Curious, I went out to investigate. A man was putting out a couple of traffic cones on Christopher Drive, and I asked him what was going on. “Broken water main,” he said.

Near where Christopher meets Crestmont, a huge light stood on the sidewalk, a van was parked near the middle of the road, and an excavator was grabbing dirt from a hole in the road and pouring it into a dump truck. A team of six men and a woman from SFWD were at work. They’d been there earlier, he said, but they had to go to another job and finish that first. “We could be here all night. It’s hard to say.” I took some photographs, staying out of the way. They were amused, but friendly when I explained it was for the neighborhood blog. I’ve written about a broken water main before, also in winter. This looked to be even bigger than that one.

“We thought we’d found the leak,” one of the men said, “But now it looks like it’s further down the road.” The excavator extended the trench, the teeth biting into the asphalt. The hole was brimming with brown muddy water. They connected a pump to a hose, and started pumping it out in a brown gush of water that streamed down the slope. As the level fell, we could see where the leak was roiling the surface at the furthest end of the trench.

They moved the excavator over, edging carefully between the hole and a parked car, and dug some more. Soon they had the leak exposed.

As the water drained, the leak turned into a fountain, rising maybe 20 feet into the air. I could see the crack in the pipe. Now all they had to do was to put a collar on it.

Easier said than done, of course. One man put on a raincoat and gumboots and climbed into the hole, digging around to free the pipe. Soon, three of them were trying to clear the space round the pipe and position the collar over a crack that was gushing a 20-foot fountain under pressure.

I left around 11.30 p.m., and they were hard at work. Around 2 a.m., I stepped outside, and heard some banging and rattling. I hoped they were packing up to leave.

THANK YOU, SFWD WORKERS!

Thank you to the team for being out there mucking around in muddy water on a cold winter night when most of us are asleep, keeping our water system working.

And thank you, all the workers who provide and maintain the services that are part of civilization: running water, power, clean streets, garbage pick-up, communications, safety, emergency services, fire fighting.

Happy New Year, All!

Season’s Greetings and Happy Holidays!

The days are short, the houses decorated, and the year is almost done. It’s too cold for fog. Forest Knolls looks quite romantic

There’s a new restaurant in West Portal, a Greek place called Orexi, where the Round Table Pizza used to be. We ate there one evening. It was already decorated for Christmas, and had an great ambiance and good food.

The wonderful decorations in Midtown Terrace are up again. Greenview is a cul-de-sac where all the residents hang lights on every house each year. Then, at the very end of the road, they put up a display made of painted plyboard cut-outs and lights. They have a menorah that is lit, one painted candle at a time; a dreidl, a creche, and Santa Claus, reindeer and even the North Pole. If you enjoy decorating enthusiasm – I do! – then check it out. It’s a delight.

SEASON’S GREETINGS, EVERYONE, AND HERE’S WISHING YOU A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY SEASON!

Pelican K15 at Pacifica Pier

We’d gone for a walk to Pacifica Pier last month. It’s about 20 minutes from here, but feels like another world. When you walk all the way out and look down at the sea, it’s almost like being on a ship.

It was late in the afternoon, and the fishermen were beginning to think about leaving. Suddenly, a [brown] pelican descended on the railing, quite fearlessly looking around for handouts.

I took a few snaps, then realized it was banded. I moved in closer, and could see the band was prominently marked K15.

It apparently knew the drill. A couple of people gave it their bait fish as they left.

One fisherman told me, as he packed up his gear, that this particular bird was often here. He’d been told, he said, that it was a youngster, and born late in the season. Mortality rates were high for such late-hatched birds.

I wonder if that’s true, and also wonder who banded the bird. It’s clearly meant to be read from a distance.

(If anyone knows, comment here or email me? I tried posting on the SFBirds group of Yahoo, but they only permit San Francisco posts.)

GULL RESCUE

As we were leaving, we saw a couple of wildlife rescue people armed with net and a carry-box, rounding up an injured gull on the beach. I felt like cheering. (If you happen to read this, rescuers, thanks for your work!)

[Edited to Add: Later, I found out about International Bird Rescue. They have a form to report blue-banded birds on their website, so I did. Here’s what they wrote back.

K15 is one of our celebrities. It hangs out at the Pacifica Pier a lot and unfortunately gets fed. He has every ability to care for himself but he likes the snacks. I am attaching some things for you and one is the poster for the banding project. K15 is our poster bird. K15 originally came into our rehabilitation clinic in Cordelia on June 23, 2011 with pouch lacerations and he was in a weakened state. He was a first year bird and was rehabilitated and released on July 26, 2011 in Alameda.

K15 has been reported 10 times since his release. It’s doing really well but I really hate people feeding it. That makes them habituated and that always ends up bad for the bird. Fingers crossed!

Thank you so much for reporting the bird. I love your blog.

Thanks for the work you do! (Here’s the poster – like the one below – as a PDF: BirdRescueBandedPelican)

And if you’re interested in more information about California’s brown pelicans, International Bird Rescue prepared a one-pager (attached here as a PDF): Understanding Brown Pelicans- final ]

Owls and Rat Poison

I have some further information about the owl that died of rat-poison. The chemicals were Brodifacoum and Bromadiolone, both of which are anti-coagulants.

These are “second generation” poisons, and cause death by internal bleeding. They’re both very potent, and are dangerous not only to rats, but to all mammals: cats, dogs, and small kids. And, as we’ve seen – birds, especially owls and hawks.

The antidote is Vitamin K, but it can take a 4-week course of treatment to cure a pet or a child.

The common brand names:

Brodicfacoum: FINAL, JAGUAR, PP-581, WBA 8119, d-con, Havoc, Ratak, Talon
Bromadiolone: Boot Hill, Bromone, Contrac, Maki, Rat-XB, Super-Caid, Super-Rozol

[Edited to Add: More information about the pesticides.]

In San Francisco, the SF Department of Environment permits the use of Bromadiolone on city-owned properties in the form of “Contrac All-weather Blox” — but only in a very restricted way:

For use only in City-owned sewer lines, San Francisco International Airport Terminal Areas, or for commercial lessees on city properties that are not adjacent to natural areas. In commercial establishments, use of product shall be a last resort after other, less-toxic measures have been implemented, including sanitation and trapping, and only where a significant public health hazard is recognized. In all cases, monitoring shall be used whenever feasible to minimize rodenticide use.

The other chemical, Brodifacoum, is not approved for use on city-owned properties.

The problem is that these chemicals are legal. San Francisco has a “Don’t Take the Bait” program in which they’re trying to get retailers and consumers to co-operate in not using the most dangerous formats for these poisons – but they’re still widely available.

Some of these poisons deliberately have delayed action, so that rats – who are pretty smart – will not realize that the bait is poisonous. That means that they go off after eating the bait, and then die over a period of days. They could die inside walls or under floors – or by being eaten by a hawk or owl or coyote or cat or dog when their weakness makes them easy prey. Then the bird or animal that eats them is at risk for poisoning. This happens a lot.

Sometimes, baits are set out in open trays, where any animal (or kid) who samples it can be poisoned.

Sad Death of Glen Canyon’s Great Horned Owl

Great horned owl in eucs (Photo: Janet Kessler) — Great horned owl, Glen Canyon (Photo: Janet Kessler)

A few weeks ago, the Glen Park group had news of a Great Horned Owl found dead in Glen Canyon. There’s a well-known pair of owls that nest there every year, and typically raise two or three chicks. Neighbors fear this may be the male of that pair.

Of course people were upset, and they raised money for a necropsy – an autopsy for animals. This was ~~conducted~~ arranged by Wildcare, a wonderful organization that rehabilitates injured wildlife. (I’ve written about them before, HERE.)

The result came in today. The owl died from eating poisoned rodents.

According the Wildcare press release,

“Commonly available rodenticides [rat poisons] are consumed by rodents, the basic food source for a number of different predators all the way up the food chain. These poisons kill by making whatever animal eats them bleed to death internally – slowly and painfully. While the poisoned animals – targeted or not – are still alive, they can be consumed by other predators. It is a terrifying prospect; to kill many animals while targeting only one.”

three owlets (Photo: Janet Kessler) — Three Great Horned Owlets (Photo: Janet Kessler)

A Great Horned Owl eats about 5 rodents a day, and much more if it’s feeding young. Its favorite prey is skunk, but it also eats rats and mice, rabbits, and birds. If someone poisons rats to get rid of them, they don’t die right away. Instead they wander around, increasingly weak and slow – and thus particularly attractive to predators. The poison can then kill the bird or animal that eats it – or even the next animal up the food chain. [Edited to add: More HERE about the specific poisons that killed this owl.]

PROTECTING OUR NEIGHBORHOOD OWLS

We have Great Horned Owls in our neighborhood. I’ve seen them in Sutro Forest, up on the hillside, and in trees along Crestmont and Christopher. I’ve seen one on a lamp-post on Clarendon Avenue. We also have barn owls, which are even more vulnerable because they’re not large enough to eat skunks but eat more rats and mice instead. Every time we use rat poison, we’re endangering these birds.

Eucalyptus, fog, Great Horned Owl (Photo: Rupa Bose)

Fake PG&E Service Caller in Glen Park

The Glen Park blog reports a person who purports to be from PG&E has been going to homes and leaving service notices. The service notices appear to the be legitimate, but the phone numbers are crossed out and different ones given to call. They’ve informed the police, but nothing can be done unless the person actually commits a crime – and impersonating a PG&E repairman isn’t one. They’ve also called PG&E, which apparently has heard of a few such cases.

I haven’t heard of anything like this in our neighborhood, but I thought I’d let everyone know.

Norman Yee is our New District 7 Supervisor

Congratulations to Norman Yee, our incoming District 7 Supervisor, who will be sworn in in January 2013; and thank you, Sean Elsbernd, for representing us for so many years.

It was a nail-biting finish. Norman Yee initially won 9182 of the first-choice votes, or just over 29% of votes cast. But with Ranked Choice Voting, an election can take days to be called, as losing candidates are eliminated and their votes reapportioned to the voters’ second and third choices. That’s what happened in the D7 race: For some time, it looked as though the second and third choices would bring FX Crowley to the top. There were 31,000 votes (and each voter could cast three votes for their three favorite candidates, ranking them in order of preference.)

By the final round of eliminations, Round 6, only FX Crowley and Norman Yee were left. It was very very close. The final count (as of 21st November) was: Norman Yee, 12505; and FX Crowley, 12373. It’s a difference of 132 votes.

I’m rounding off here; if you want to see the actual results, there’s a neat table at the SF Elections website, HERE.

This website has a couple of earlier reports on Norman Yee’s positions when I was writing about the positions of various candidates; here is the report from the Golden Gate Heights candidates’ panel; and here are his views on the “San Francisco Overlook” project at the dead end on Crestmont.

His website is HERE.

NERT Again – December 2012

I got this message about new Neighborhood Emergency Response Training classes for December. All the information is below.

(There’s also a flyer that you can download here as a PDF file and print: NERT flyer dec 2012 )

—————————————————-

We have one more training in December! Please include this note in your District newsletter and/or add this information to your calendar.

This NERT Training is somewhat central but is for all people who live and work in the San Francisco. People may live and work in different parts of the city. This training may fit their schedule!

And…What a great (early) Holiday gift for someone you love, your relative, your neighbor, or your co-worker! Give them a copy of the NERT flyer (see attached), encourage them to take the training. Tell them the STORY of why to took the NERT training! Tell them how important it is to Prepare, to Mitigate (to make less harsh, less severe and less painful), and let them know that when we face a disaster like the East Coast has just experienced and continues to experience, we will be so much more ready in the Recovery phase and with stronger ability to put our lives back together again! Surely, no one expected this disaster to hit the East Coast such as it did!

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”
–Anne Frank
~

NERT TRAINING:

***********************************************************************************

Mission District
San Francisco Fire Department Division of Training*
Folsom St. @ 19th Street

Wednesday, 6:00PM – 9:00PM Classes start promptly!!!
December 5: Class 1
December 12: Class 2
December 19: Class 3
January 2: Class 4
January 9: Class 5
January 16: Class 6

To register visit:

http://bit.ly/X4o8CZ,

* Note: You must attend all sessions to gain the full benefit of the training. New students may not join on the second day of class. A Certificate will be issued. Make ups may be approved.
Recertification – Take Class 5 & 6 – Or Call 970-2024 or – http://www.sf-fire.org/index.aspx?page=879
**SFFD DOT (Division of Training): 2310 Folsom Street between Shotwell & Folsom. Enter parking lot on 19th Street and park against masonry wall. DOT is the single-story building located next to Fire. Also see: http://www.nextmuni.com/ to arrive by Muni!

If you have any questions about the NERT program, please contact Lt. Arteseros at 415-970-2022 or email her at: erica.arteseros@sfgov.org,

Best regards and Thank you for Supporting the NERT Program.
Happy, Merry, and Safe Holidays to you and yours,

Diane Rivera
NERT Advisory Board – Coordinator Chair
KG6QLX
415-753-1443
http://www.sfgov.org/site/sfnert

A Happy Halloween at Forest Knolls

Despite the rain, despite not being in The Loop – we got the largest number of trick-or-treaters we’ve had in the last ten years or so. We had over twenty kids come by…

And they were a colorful troupe, in their costumes. Ironman and Spidey and Batman-in-arms and Belle, a delightful little bumblebee, an elegant witch and an eskimo and a cheetah, a little engineer (the kind that drives trains, not the kind that builds bridges or software), a strawberry and a ninja, an adorable fireman, a tall Kitten and I think Minnie Mouse, a pumpkin and a princess. An evil jester with a death’s head, and a zombie and a zombie pirate. Too many to keep track of, though I wish I had.

Near the end of the evening, Walter Caplan came by with the trick-or-treaters, dressed as a mad scientist. But he wasn’t collecting candy (though of course we offered him some). Instead he dropped off a little goody bag with a Halloween snow-globe and a thank-you note for taking part.

Thank you, Laura Bloch, and Walter Caplan, of the Forest Knolls Neighborhood Organization for organizing and getting the word out. Great job organizing this successful event. I hope all the participants enjoyed it as much as we did.

And if you missed out this time – next time, (and I hope there will be one) contact Laura early for your sign and your pumpkin so people know you’re open for Tricks and Treats!

Forest Knolls Halloween 2012 Reminder

Tomorrow’s Halloween!

[See the Halloween Plan for Forest Knolls here.]

This is a reminder – anyone on the Loop who wants to sign up, please contact Laura Bloch. Laura is at LJBloch@aol.com or (415) 504 8043.

You can join in the fun even if you’re not on the Loop – put out decorations/ pumpkins/ and have candy!

BRING THE KIDS

For those who’d like to bring their kids trick-or-treating (or kids reading this) – it’s from 5.30-8 p.m. tomorrow.

There’ll be other houses with decorations and candy, too! (Even if they’re not on the Loop.)

Is Someone Poisoning Our Trees?

In the last day or two, I’ve noticed that one of the trees that screen our neighborhood from the UCSF Student Housing is brown rather than green. It’s a eucalyptus, and they don’t change color; in fact, if anything, they’re greener when it rains. So I went to have a closer look at this tree, which is one of the group by the Pump House at Christopher, just off Clarendon.

I wondered if it might have been girdled. “Girdling” is a process of killing a tree by cutting all round it, and has been used by Native Plant activists to kill trees in “Natural Areas.” One example it the Murdered Tree on Mt Davidson, clearly visible from Portola.

[See “The Murdered Tree of Mt Davidson” for more information about girdling.]

Looking more closely at the tree, I didn’t see any girdling marks. I also saw it was dying in parts, which I think is more consistent with poisoning. (It’s not very clear from the photograph above – if anyone wants to take a better pic and send it over, I’ll add it here.)

In the tree beside it, someone had stuck blue plastic marker flags from The Urban Farmer Store. I’m wondering if this tree – and maybe the ones beside it – is being poisoned by some eucalyptus-hater.

If so, it’s illegal. A tree can’t be killed along a public right-of-way without a proper 30-day-notice posting, which the Department of Public Works would do. (Or, if this is UCSF property, then UCSF would do it.) There’s a process that applies.

Even more importantly – it’s incredibly irresponsible. Poisoning a tree across the road from someone’s home will leave a weakened or dead tree standing near a residential house. Even before that, it could drop branches on cars parked beneath.

I really really really hope I’m wrong on this one. I have a hard time believing that anyone could be so stupid.

[Edited to Add: I contacted UCSF; I was hoping they might get an arborist to determine what happened. If they did that, I don’t know about it. But they thought the trees might be the responsibility of the Water Department. In any event, three of the trees have been removed. One is still dead and still there, but it does not look like it’s a hazard. If anyone would like to follow up further, let me know.]

Tank Hill Night with Orange City Hall

We went up to Tank Hill the other night. (Isn’t that one of the perks of this neighborhood? A 15-minute walk takes you to a great vista point – especially at night?)

It was a perfect night, clear and warm. The lights of the city shone below us, and in the sky, laser lights made a dancing pattern of dots on the clouds. I took some photographs… I’ve been mucking with the settings on my camera, so they weren’t really sharp – but somehow they had a painterly look I quite liked. Here they are… and if anyone has better ones they’d like to share, send them on over!

Welcome, Phoebe! (New dog in Forest Knolls)

We have new neighbors on Christopher Drive ~~Crestmont~~, (Welcome to Forest Knolls!) and they sent this picture of Phoebe, a springer spaniel/ poodle mix. Of course it’s going on the Pets page, but I couldn’t resist putting it out here first. She’s looking so thoughtful.

D7 Supervisor Candidates on ‘San Francisco Overlook Project’

As everyone probably knows by now, District 7 is voting for a new supervisor this November. There are nine candidates.

The steep hillside above the planned development

The Crestmont-Mt. Sutro- Forest Knolls Neighborhood Preservation Coalition spoke with four of them (or their representatives) about their positions on the controversial San Francisco Overlook project.

(This is a project that plans to build 34 apartments on a steep slope at the end of a cul-de-sac below another steep slope where the houses are supported by concrete pilings. That Background is HERE. The public comment period on the recent Draft Environment Impact Report ended in June 2012; an appeal’s been filed through a lawyer HERE.)

I’m republishing the position statements here from the coalition website (www. CrestmontPreservation.org) with permission and minor edits and formatting differences – and added pictures.

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BULLETIN from Crestmont-Mt.Sutro-Forest Knolls Neighborhood Preservation Coalition

Positions on SF Overlook Development
Position Statements by Four District 7 Supervisorial Candidates

We have met and spoken with four of the major District 7 Supervisorial candidates, or their representatives, and provided them with extensive materials outlining the reasons why our neighborhoods are united against a project the size of the proposed San Francisco Overlook development. We solicited their comments for distribution to the Crestmont-Mt.Sutro-Forest Knolls community.

The following responses were provided by FX Crowley, Joel Engardio, Mike Garcia and Norman Yee (in alphabetical order):

FX CROWLEY:

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the Crestmont-Mt. Sutro-Forest Knolls Neighborhood Preservation Coalition regarding the SF Overlook Development. I share the Coalition’s concern over the current DEIR [Draft Environmental Impact Report]. The developer’s vision for the project appears too dense for the surrounding neighborhood.

The developer must address the issue of compliance with the neighborhood’s Mount Sutro Declaration of Conditions, Covenants and Restrictions. Given the site’s history of frequent landslides, the developer should also provide a “design-level” geotechnical review, especially since that data is required to fully identify the project’s environmental impacts and adequate mitigation measures.

I support the Coalition’s request to consider alternatives to this project. As Supervisor, I will be an advocate for the Crestmont-Mt. Sutro-Forest Knolls neighborhood as I am for my own Lakeshore neighborhood and surrounding community. I will ensure that any proposed building development is properly vetted and neighbors’ concerns are addressed going forward.

www.fxcrowley.com

fxcrowleyd7@gmail.com

JOEL ENGARDIO:

I oppose the San Francisco Overlook development. It’s a matter of common sense. When we have homes hanging out over one of the steepest hills in San Francisco, supported by concrete poles, do we really want to begin moving earth for a major development and risk destabilizing the area? Why risk a landslide?

I’m sure the developers will make a good case that everything can be built safely. But there’s also the issue of everyone’s safety when it comes to getting firetrucks and ambulances down that one, little road to serve all the new residents. Then there’s the parking nightmare — and if you don’t want to drive, where’s the nearest bus line? None of this makes sense.

I’m certainly not anti-development. I believe San Francisco needs to grow for the future. I also believe District 7 needs to play its part to provide more housing in places like Park Merced. But the development on Crestmont Drive is not a good fit. Neither are condo towers in Miraloma Park. We have to be smart about development. As your supervisor, I will work for you and not for the special interests that back other candidates. That means I can be an advocate for what’s truly good for the city and the residents of District 7. I am the only candidate that the San Francisco Chronicle endorsed for supervisor in District 7. I hope you read why the Chronicle says I have “the right stuff” to represent you. It’s reprinted on my website: www.engardio.com

engardio2012@gmail.com

MIKE GARCIA:

In an effort to familiarize myself with all the issues involved having to do with the San Francisco Overlook Development, I met with Dr. Sobol, Dr. Gorman, and other concerned neighbors. They provided me with a great deal of information and expressed their concerns and took me on a tour of the site for the proposed development. I later also talked with Alice Barkley, the attorney for the neighbors, and an old friend whom I know and respect from my years on the Board of Appeals. I then talked to Jessica Berg, of Berg/Davis Public Affairs, the consultants to the developer, Gary Testa. I met with Ms. Berg and Adam Phillips, the project lead, who gave me information from their perspective about the project.

My understanding is that what is left in the process is the acceptance or rejection of the Draft EIR, to be followed by a final EIR, which is appealable to the Board of Supervisors. Also to be completed, is the analysis required under the Slope Protection Act, passed by the Board of Supervisors in 2008. My understanding of the Slope Protection Act is that while safety having to do with structural engineering issues is important, so are issues having to do with neighborhood character. After the slope analysis, another step in the process, or perhaps part of the process required under the Slope Protection Act, is a peer-review overseen by the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection at which point an analysis is made having to do with the engineering feasibility of the proposed project. In addition to all this process, yet to be held, a site permit then has to be attained from the Department of Building Inspection (DBI). That permit is appealable to the Board of Appeals. The point being, there is a considerable amount of process still to be had, and it would be a highly unusual project that goes through this much process without getting whittled down. The real issue for your neighborhood is just how much it gets whittled down.

Because I have 7 years of experience in land use having served on the Board of Appeals I am reluctant to ever express an opinion without seeing all the facts. Allow me, however, to say this – without having put pencil to paper I feel as though the project is economically infeasible. I also, again without having seen all the facts, am leaning heavily toward thinking that a considerable amount of mitigation has to take place.

Please let me be emphatic about this, regardless of where I land on this or any other project that takes place in District 7, which is not to indicate that I favor this development, it is my intent, where there are tensions between the developer and the neighbors to always be willing to have conversations with the developer about mitigation measures that would alleviate the concerns of that neighborhood. In closing, I have a record on the Board of Appeals of opposing projects that do great harm to neighborhood character, particularly if there are concomitant life-safety issues. Thank you very much for the opportunity to respond to your request for a position statement on the SF Overlook Development.

www.mikegarcia2012.com

michaellgarcia@sbcglobal.net

NORMAN YEE:

From what I’ve heard, I would support the neighborhood against a development of this size, and favor a smaller development such as the alternative proposed as Plan B* in the Environmental Impact Report (EIR).

www.normanyee.com

norman@normanyee.com

*Alternative B in the DEIR, p. 274, is a Reduced Project Alternative: 16 single-family residential buildings, with 38 parking spaces. =====================================================

We have posted the position statements on our web site, www.CrestmontPreservation.org

=====================================================

STOP SF OVERLOOK t-shirts can be ordered here: http://www.zazzle.com/preservecrestmont
We have also posted a link on http://crestmontpreservation.org.

REMINDER: Please display the poster in your window and urge your neighbors to also display the poster! If you need a poster, please call Sam Sobol, 415-640-3869 or email info@crestmontpreservation.org.

Working to preserve our neighborhood
http://www.crestmontpreservation.org/

Crestmont-Mt.Sutro-Forest Knolls Preservation Coalition
Samuel M. Sobol, M.D.
info@crestmontpreservation.org
415-640-3869

Crime! in Forest Knolls?

I subscribe to the Park Station Police newsletter for our area, and glance through it quickly to check if there’s anything in our neighborhood. Usually, there’s nothing. This week, there were a few reports.

On October 14th, 4:20 AM at Crestmont & Christopher: Malicious Mischief, “A vile vandal damaged the lock to the victim’s toolbox.”
On October 16th, 6.30 a.m at 400 Crestmont: Theft from a locked vehicle.

A bit of a crime-wave, but perhaps the news below takes care of it?