Author Archives: Rebecca Zito

North of Market Tenderloin Community Benefit District – Focus On Neighborhood Identity and Cleanliness

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Community Benefit Districts (CBD) are an important resource throughout San Francisco.  Numerous commercial areas and mixed-use neighborhoods in the city have elected to form CBD’s, which places a special assessment on property owners to fund improvements within a designated area.  The CBD’s help to improve the quality of life within a targeted neighborhood by implementing a variety of services, which typically include cleanliness, safety and advocacy as well as district identity, marketing and special events.

Central Market is home to three incredibly active CBD’s each lead by an equally dedicated executive director.  Daniel Hurtado leads the Central Market CBD (CMCBD); the Civic Center CBD (CCCBD) is run by Donald Savoie, and at the helm of the North of Market Tenderloin CBD (NOM-TLCBD), is Dina Hilliard.

Each district works towards creating cleaner, safer and more vibrant communities while advocating for the needs of each neighborhood’s businesses, residents and visitors.  Based on the needs and unique characteristics of each neighborhood, the CBD’s have implemented innovative programs and services that help to improve and contribute to the revitalization of the community.

The Central Market CBD’s have successfully implemented highly visible clean and safe programs that are tailored to the needs of each neighborhood.  Additionally, they serve as advocates for the business community, collaborate with social service agencies to mitigate challenges around homelessness and crime and they are actively involved in the revitalization of Central Market.

This is the first of a three-part article featuring the benefit districts within Central Market.  The first focuses on the North of Market Tenderloin Community Benefit District.

North of Market Tenderloin Community Benefit District

The North of Market-Tenderloin Community Benefit District was established in 2005 and has a different history and perspective than most CBD’s.  It seeks above all to create a safer more vibrant and more beautiful Tenderloin by keeping its 29 blocks clean while developing programs that promote the identity of the neighborhood and provide employment opportunities to the lowest income individuals.

Cleanliness Efforts

In the North of Market and Tenderloin neighborhoods, the primary focus of the CBD is on cleanliness. The NOM-TLCBD provides a comprehensive cleaning program through a partnership with San Francisco Clean City.

Dina Hilliard, Executive Director of the North of Market Tenderloin CBD explains that 76% of the district’s budget goes towards beautification and cleaning programs.  The cleaning programs are the flagship efforts of the district’s efforts to beautify the historic Tenderloin neighborhood.

Throughout the neighborhood’s 29 blocks sidewalks and gutters are swept twice a day, Monday through Friday.  Properties throughout the area are cleaned twice a month, sidewalks are steam cleaned on a monthly basis and targeted “hot spots” receive regular steam cleaning.  Additionally, graffiti, needle and waste removal programs occur on a regular basis.

Collectively these efforts have resulted in over 17,000 bags of litter being swept off the sidewalks and out of gutters on an annual basis and 140 Tenderloin residents found temporary employment with SF Clean City. The neighborhood as a whole continues to become a more attractive place to live.

“Since implementing the program in 2006,” Hilliard says, “one of the most noticeable improvements is that the sidewalks are cleaner.”  She further explains, “When looking from one side of the street to the other, you can see the difference.”

Benefits of Collaboration

The beautification efforts were the first collaborative effort of the NOM-TLCBD, which brought together many community leaders. “It is the most significant initiative that the CBD has done,” says Hilliard.

Prior to the formation of the District there was a lot of strife between organizations and expectations about how services should be funded. Much of the opposition related to fear around gentrification, homelessness and expectations that the city should pay for services related to cleanliness.

As the District was forming, Hilliard explains that there was a need to do a great deal of outreach throughout the community.  “We conducted a lot of outreach, both printed and personal, to help educate property owners about the services the district would provide.”

These efforts helped to defray the opposition and build support for the formation of the benefit district.  Those who once opposed the district are now supportive of its efforts.

“There was a time when some of the groups opposing the CBD would never sit at the table together,” says Hilliard, “now some sit on the Board of Directors and are partners in all that’s being done.”

Neighborhood Identity

The Tenderloin has a rich culture of street art and murals paintings that depict characteristics of the neighborhood.  To help establish a stronger identity and create a sense of place, the CBD has commissioned local artists and organizations to paint murals in the neighborhood.  They help artists locate areas to paint and compensate them for their time and talent.  The murals portray a purposeful message and represent the voice of the neighborhood.

The installation of the murals has helped to deter crime.  There is a noticeable reduction in the amount of loitering, public intoxication and other nuisance activities in and around the location of the murals.

“This has been the greatest success of the program,” says Hilliard.

 ’Windows Into The Future’, located at Golden Gate and Jones, was created by Mona Caron. It tells the story of the Tenderloin’s past, present and utopic future.

‘FearHead’, by artists from 1AM Gallery, is located on Golden Gate between Jones and Taylor.  It depicts a three-headed monster, which feeds on the fearful emotions of the neighborhood.

The third mural commissioned by the CBD, ‘Humming With Life’, by Johanna Poethig, features a whimsical musical garden buzzing with hummingbirds.  It can be found on the wall of an office building at 101 Hyde.

“The installation of the murals has been a very powerful experience for the neighborhood,” says Hilliard, “everyone has a response – whether or not they like them, they have been a tool for creating conversation and bringing people together.”

Future Goals

One of the projects the CBD is focusing on for the remainder of the year is to increase access to public restrooms.  The project is very much in its early planning stages.  They have recently received a grant to build a public restroom and are partnering with numerous community agencies to determine how such a program would be successful.  Additionally, neighborhood groups have partnered to increase access to public restrooms. This effort has resulted in a twenty percent reduction in instances of public waste.  The CBD and its partners feel hopeful that the program will be successful.

Additionally, Hilliard would like to change perceptions about the neighborhood.   Many people don’t realize that the Tenderloin is a neighborhood of families with approximately 3,500 to 5,000 children living in the community.  Most people, when thinking about the neighborhood, do not realize this.

Many of the CBD’s goals around neighborhood identity strive to change the perception of the neighborhood and support efforts to make it a safer place for families to live. The CBD partners with community groups to provide programs, such as Safe Passages, to ensure the safety of children walking through the neighborhood and has installed banners with thought provoking images that encourage people to re-think the community.

A 12-year old girl living in the Tenderloin designed one of the banner images installed in the neighborhood. It portrays an image of a young child with a backpack. This image helps to promote the fact that there are children and families living in the area.

Dina Hilliard, Executive Director of the North of Market Tenderloin CBD, has lived in the neighborhood for 13 years.  Part of her passion for the job is that she gets to celebrate and promote her own neighborhood.  She enjoys being a cheerleader for the community.

The boundaries of the North of Market Tenderloin CBD are generally between Market and O’Farrell, and Mason and Larkin Streets. More information is available at www.nom-tlcbd.org.

 

 

 

Summer of Art brings an exciting line-up of dance, music and theatrical performances to UN Plaza

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Arts and non-profit organizations are making tremendous efforts to engage the community and attract audiences to the Central Market neighborhood this summer.  A collaborative group of local organizations representing the performing arts and non-profit communities have joined forces to create Summer Of Art, which features an ambitious line-up of live dance, musical and theatrical performances.

Summer Of Art offers free performances that will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays at UN Plaza through October.  It includes a number of repeating events including Dance on Market, People in Plazas Concert Series, “What’s on Stage?” a dance and theater preview series and Tenderloin Tunes, a local music series.

Summer Of Art grew out of Dance On Market, which launched last summer to bring audiences to UN Plaza through social dance and promote Central Market as a safe and enjoyable place to spend an evening.

“It’s difficult to capture people after work,” says Felice Ana Denia, a Summer Of Art organizer and founder of Denia Dance and Dance On Market, “I call this time of day ‘the Twilight Zone,’ people can be in a hurry to leave the area.  They don’t realize that there are interesting things to do and places to visit in Central Market. Bringing activity to the street encourages them to linger for a longer period, which increases safety and often benefits local businesses.”

Summer of Art expands this concept while making a significant contribution to the revitalization of the Central Market neighborhood.  The Central Market Economic Strategy adopted last year incorporates strategies to enhance the creative arts community and develop programs that will engage local residents through the arts. Summer Of Art showcases the creative talent within the community, makes it more accessible to the public and works towards establishing Central Market as a vibrant arts community.

Summer of Art is in full swing!  Be sure to check out one or all of the following events that are part of San Francisco’s Summer of Art.

Dance On Market

Dance On Market returns to UN Plaza with its first FREE show of 2012, Swing Night At UN Plaza, this Thursday evening from 6:00 to 8:00 PM.  It promises to be a fun-filled evening of swing dancing on a beautiful wooden stage.  The event kicks off with a live musical performance by Macy Blackman & the Mighty Fines, swing dance lessons provided by Nathan & Mara of Swing or Nothing/Cat’s Corner with plenty of time remaining to show off your dancing skills on the beautiful stage.

Swing Night At UN Plaza will take place the second Thursday of each month and runs July through September.

People In Plazas

People In Plazas returns to UN Plaza this summer on Tuesday afternoons at Noon, in collaboration with Summer Of Art with sponsorship by the North of Market Tenderloin Community Benefit District. For the past 30-years, People In Plazas has produced free musical concerts in San Francisco’s outdoor spaces on or near Market Street. Its mission is to activate urban open spaces through events which generate social congregation. The aim of People In Plazas is to bring these spaces to the status of “everybody’s neighborhood.” The series starts at UN Plaza this Tuesday, July 10th with Presence Felt R&B and runs through August 14th with a different band each week. The complete schedule can be downloaded by visiting the People In Plazas website.

What’s On Stage?

“What’s On Stage?” offers previews of dance and theater shows coming up in the near future at venues located within walking distance of UN Plaza.  This event previously featured previews of Cutting Ball Theater Company’s production of Tenderloin, A.C.T.’s production of Midsummer Night’s Dream at The Costume Shop, San Francisco Recovery Theater’s Cole Porter Revue and dance performances at The Garage, KUNST-STOFF Arts and CounterPULSE.  “What’s On Stage?” returns to UN Plaza every Tuesday from August 21st through September 25th.

Tenderloin Tunes

Tenderloin Tunes features local musicians from the Tenderloin neighborhood.  This weekly concert series took place earlier this year during the Tuesday lunch hour at UN Plaza.  Plans are underway to bring Tenderloin Tunes back to UN Plaza with a full line-up of local musical talent. Tenderloin Tunes is curated by Susie McKinnon.

Summer of Art is a collaborative project overseen by advisory board members Brad Erickson of Theatre Bay Area, Dick Daley of American Conservatory Theater, Felice Ana Denia of Denia Dance, Janette Gitler of Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Lynn Valente of People In Plazas and Tracy Everwine of Urban Solutions.

Summer Of Art is fiscally sponsored by Intersection Incubator, a program of Intersection For The Arts.  Funding and sponsorship are provided by the Kenneth Rainin Foundation, UC Hastings Law School, the North of Market-Tenderloin Community Benefit District, and Grants for the Arts Neighborhood Arts Collaborative.  Media sponsorship is made possible through the San Francisco Bay Guardian. Marketing support is provided by The ARTery Project, an initiative of the San Francisco Arts Commission to support the transformation of the Central Market Corridor.

Like Summer of Art on Facebook for the latest information about future shows and performances!

A Better Market Street On The Horizon

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Revitalization efforts within Central Market are gaining momentum and show no signs of slowing down.  Twitter opened its doors earlier this month and officially moved into the neighborhood. At last week’s Central Market Partnership meeting at Canon Kip Senior Center District 6 Supervisor, Jane Kim welcomed Twitter and shared her hopes as to how the mini-blogging company can benefit the neighborhood. Kim envisions more street activity along Market Street and wants employees to support the local business community. Neighborhood tours for Twitter employees are currently being organized and will be provided as a way to introduce our new neighbors to the community.

The Strand Theater

American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.)  is moving forward with its plans to redevelop The Strand and operate it as a 300-seat, experimental theater.  A.C.T. is working with Equity Community Builders, LLC to assist with the design and development of the property.  They are still in the design phase, have conducted an historical analysis of the site and plan to reconstruct it as a LEED Certified building.  Jason Seifer, A.C.T’s CFO announced plans to go for the Silver certification and will likely install energy efficient mechanical systems, use environmentally friendly paints and construction materials and to the extent possible, refurbish any existing materials from the building. There is a great deal of excitement around this project.  A.C.T. has a target open date of fall 2014.  Its initial design will go to the Planning Commission in August.

Episcopal Community Services Education and  Director of Employment Phil Clark also gave an overview of their services. As an amazing community support resource, it was fantastic of them to host our meeting and also to be able to talk about the services that they offer to the community.  Episcopal Community Services (ECS) has provided essential services to homeless San Franciscans since 1982. Serving more than 10,000 people last year, ECS, guided by its mission to “help homeless and very low-income people every day and every night obtain the housing, jobs, shelter, and essential services each person needs to prevent and end homelessness,” utilizes a holistic approach that addresses the multiple causes leading to homelessness.

Better Market Street

Taking place in conjunction with the Central Market revitalization efforts is Better Market Street, an urban design project that will reestablish Market Street as San Francisco’s premier cultural, civic and economic center. Neil Hrushowy, a planner and urban designer with the City’s Planning Department, attended the Central Market Partnership meeting to provide an overview of the project.

Market Street was originally designed to accommodate the most amount of people and uses.  At the time, city officials were criticized for making it so wide, but now their foresight can be appreciated.  During most weekdays, more than one-quarter of a million people use Market Street – either on foot, in cars, on bikes or by transit.  Determining how best to accommodate these uses is challenging.

Better Market Street examines the interaction between public transportation and vehicular transit, cyclists, and pedestrian activity while also considering public places as well as the economic and cultural uses along Market Street.  The design will identify ways to integrate these uses and redevelop the city’s central boulevard as a vibrant and accessible corridor.

Better Market Street looks at Market Street as a whole while examining its six different neighborhood segments:  Octavia to 12th Street, Civic Center, Central Market, the Retail Core, the Financial District and the Embarcadero.  Each neighborhood has its own unique character to integrate into the overall design.  The project provides an opportunity for those involved in the revitalization of Central Market to participate and provide input into the design process.

The Better Market Street visioning process and research phase continues through 2012. Members of the public are invited to attend upcoming outreach meetings that are scheduled for July.  Earlier visioning workshops were conducted last year; concepts participants identified as priorities include: placemaking, walking, cycling, economic vitality, public transit and incorporation of civic uses.

Better Market Street is developing urban design concepts and strategies around these initial areas of focus. Some currently being explored include:

  • Reconfiguring transit lanes and boarding areas to improve the speed and reliability of public transit.
  • Developing solutions such as a physically separate “Cycle Track” or shared lane to better accommodate cyclists.
  • Introducing a “Street Life Zone”, an area between the street and sidewalk that would provide facilities such as benches, trees, cafe tables and public art to facilitate public interaction.

Better Market Street is spearheaded by the Department of Public Works, the Planning Department, Metropolitan Transportation Agency (MTA), the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development and the County Transportation Authority.  Public meetings are scheduled for July 17th and July 21st.  For more information please visit www.bettermarketstreet.org.

 

 

 

 

Cutting Ball Theater Presents TENDERLOIN

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Cutting Ball Theater‘s production of TENDERLOIN portrays the lives of residents living in the neighborhood, brings their stories to the stage and challenges audiences to rethink one of San Francisco’s most misunderstood neighborhoods.

Filipino Health and Wellness Director Ester Aure (actress Tristan Cunningham) gives a motivational talk in Cutting Ball Theater’s World Premiere of Tenderloin. Photo Credit: Rob Melrose

TENDERLOIN is an unforgettable piece about the people and places that make up this neighborhood and suggests a place that may not conform to an outsider’s impressions. Rather it speaks of a deep love of the neighborhood and of its surprising beauty.

Some of the themes that have emerged are what is a home, how do we deal with the poor as individuals walking through the neighborhood, as churches and social service organizations serving the needy, as a city government who, through concentrating social services in one neighborhood creates “containment zones,” and as a country making choices about providing (or not providing) a social safety net?

Creating TENDERLOIN

Creating TENDERLOIN was a year long project commissioned by Cutting Ball and came together through the efforts of Annie Elias, writer/director and a team of actors including Tristan Cunningham, Siobhan Doherty, Rebecca Frank, Michael Kelly, Leigh Shaw, David Sinaiko, and David Westley Skillman, that took to the streets to get a first hand account of the lives they portray.

Gathering the stories and conducting the interviews, that would later become the script, required the cast to reach out to the neighborhood and interact with the community. Each actor conducted numerous interviews with those living and working in the neighborhood to gather material.

Using transcripts from these interviews, TENDERLOIN literally brings the neighborhood into the theater.  The production is a powerful experience, honoring the essence of the Tenderloin through the stories of the everyday people that make up this historic San Francisco district.

“It was an amazing process and an eye opening experience,” says Bay Area actor Tristan Cunningham, “Conducting the interviews and connecting with each person was challenging. I would interview the people I was drawn to and try to establish a connection.”

Not everyone wanted to be interviewed, she explained, but those that did spoke candidly about their experience of living in the Tenderloin and being part of the community.  “Each person I met brought a different perspective,” Cunningham says.

Cunningham recalls some of the interviews she conducted:

“One man has lived in the neighborhood since 1957 and loves it. He walks the streets, greets people and is very much part of the community.  It’s his home.  Another moved to the area as an ex-con. The only job he could find was sweeping the streets.  He has many strong feelings against the Tenderloin and is trying to save money to move.”

The actors conducted approximately 40 interviews ranging from activists, healers, police officers, street cleaners, artists, ex-junkies, immigrants, SRO residents, children, and Tenderloin movers and shakers – and their stories are told to provide an unflinching view of the neighborhood.

To fully recount and honor the stories each person shared, the actors have taken on the characteristics, mannerisms and personalities of each character.  Bringing the characters to life takes tremendous talent.  TENDERLOIN not only showcases the community, but offers great insight into the talent of San Francisco’s theatrical community.

“TENDERLOIN paints the neighborhood as a beautiful, interesting, multi-layered place”, says Suzanne Appel, Managing Director of Cutting Ball, “and provides audiences an opportunity to see the neighborhood through the eyes of its residents.  They will leave with a deeper understanding of the community.”

Community Outreach

Cutting Ball Theater is part of the Tenderloin community.  It is the resident theater company of EXIT Theater on Taylor located at 277 Taylor Street and its business office is a block away.  Throughout the process of creating TENDERLOIN, Cutting Ball has made tremendous efforts to ensure the production is accessible to those that don’t normally attend the theater. 

A great deal of interest has been building around TENDERLOIN, stemming from the way in which it was produced.  The outreach needed to create the script has generated a lot of buzz and “word of mouth” promotion.  As Cutting Ball developed specific programs to make the show more accessible, they found that there was already a great deal of interest, and many organizations throughout the community were willing to partner and support TENDERLOIN.

In partnership with numerous organizations and individual donors including the Tenderloin Economic Development Project, The Boys and Girls Club of San Francisco, the North of Market Tenderloin Community Benefit District, the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation and many individual donors including Carol Shorenstein-Hayes, Cutting Ball is able to offer “Neighborhood Tickets“.

This offering was made possible through a successful “Pay What You Can” campaign, which raised funds to provide free and discounted tickets to the production.  Cutting Ball met its goal of raising $9,000 and is offering “Neighborhood Tickets” to Tenderloin residents for all productions.

Cutting Ball has also worked with neighborhood schools and social workers to arrange dates for students and shelter residents to attend the theater as a group. “Not everyone is comfortable going to a show”, says Appel, “making it possible for non-theater goers to attend the production as a group will provide for a more comfortable experience.”

Additionally, they created “Tenderloin Trail” a fundraising and marketing program that encourages audiences to experience some of the great restaurants in the neighborhood.  Fish and Farm, Farmer Brown, Jasper’s and 50 Mason Social House are participating and will offer a sampling from their menu prior to the Saturday shows. 

TENDERLOIN runs through May 27th.  Tickets may be purchased online or one hour in advance of performances at the Cutting Ball Box Office at EXIT on Taylor (277 Taylor Street). Visit the following links for more information about Cutting Ball Theater and TENDERLOIN.

In the words of TENDERLOIN writer and director, Annie Elias, “I hope you will take this piece as an entry point and an invitation to get to know this neighborhood better, to shed your own defenses, look up and look beyond first impressions to see the vibrant humanity around us.”

 

 

 

 

Central Market Partnership April Meeting Recap: Focus on Development and Housing

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There is a lot of activity taking place along Central Market and the Central Market Partnership meetings are a good way to keep up with all that’s happening.  Our April meeting at ACT’s new Costume Shop Theater  featured presentations by Shorenstein representative Tom Hart on the development of Market Square and former D8 Supervisor and Director of HOPE (Housing Opportunities, Partnership and Engagement), Bevan Dufty on housing initiatives occurring throughout Central Market and San Francisco. Highlights of the presentations are as follows:

Market Square

The Market Square project located at 1355 Market Street spanning the entire block between 9th and 10th Streets will be the future home of Twitter, One Kings Lane and other businesses that will bring new employment opportunities to Central Market.

Hart circulated renderings of the project and provided an update on the progress of construction.  The building, originally constructed in 1937 is an historic, art-deco icon that once housed the Western Furniture Exchange and Merchandise Mart.  It is being renovated to include state-of-the-art modern offices and ground floor retail while maintaining its classic architecture.  Once complete, the building will house 890,000 square feet of Class A office space above 200,000 square feet of street-level retail and one level of underground parking. The office space is being constructed as “Adaptive Space”, which allows various uses such as tech and creative companies the flexibility to configure and customize the space to best meet their needs.

Shorenstein is also incorporating community and public spaces into the development.  There will be meeting space for community organizations and arts groups and a common plaza as well as open space to connect the neighborhood and help to rejuvenate the area.

Shorenstein is coordinating efforts with historic preservationists to preserve the building’s iconic art deco architecture. However, the buidlings mechanical components and internal systems such as electrical and lifesafety systems are being retrofitted and modernized. Where possible sustainable construction practices are being used – for instance wood timbers from the original roof structure are being repurposed in the building’s lobby.  Shorenstein is currently negotiating the top two floors and plans for the building to be 80% occupied by the end of the year.

HOPE

Bevin Dufty, former Supervisor and Director of HOPE (Housing Opportunity, Partnerships and Engagement) provided an enthusiastic update of HOPE’s accomplishments and initiatives since being appointed to the position in January.  To date, 100 families have been housed and the agency continues to explore creative and non-traditional ways to address homelessness.  Dufty is committed to the Central Market neighborhood and is actively partnering with neighborhood agencies that address homelessness and provide supportive housing.

Dufty raised many interesting points about homelessness.  Solutions are not one-size fits all.  There are a number of sub-cultures within the homeless community.  Each group has different needs that require specialized care and services.

One program he spoke of is “Wet Housing”, which provides supportive housing for homeless men and women struggling with chronic alcoholism and addiction.  This group tends to be one of the most prevalent users of public services.  Wet Housing provides an integrated array of clinical services and supportive housing that gives the most vulnerable populations the necessary skills to lead more productive lives.

According to Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC), a Wet Housing program based in Seattle, and a 2009 study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association this approach annually saves taxpayers nearly $4 million dollars.  This is one of many solutions Dufty is exploring through HOPE.

Veterans housing, artists’ resident housing and ongoing adult education are other initiatives Dufty discussed.  These services are needed in Central Market and in many other neighborhoods throughout San Francisco.

Tackling homelessness and providing people with the skills and opportunities to stay off the streets requires creativity and dedication as well as the ability to leverage scarce resources and work with diverse partners.  HOPE brings partners and resources together and strives to create the synergy that is needed to build stronger, more stable neighborhoods. These initiatives will all help in the revival of Central Market.

The next Central Market Partnership meeting is scheduled for June.  Please sign-up to receive periodic information and announcements about Central Market and the Central Market Partnership.