When I moved to San Francisco back in 1998, at this intersection, located in an industrial area of the city, was the independently run Goodman Lumber. I purchased my little Hibachi BBQ there. By the end of 2000, it had closed. The windows have been boarded up and graffiti is started to make its way onto the walls.
Goodman Lumber (2005)
The laws of science tell us that where there is a vaccum (or void) something will come and fill it's place. Enter........Home Depot. By the way, did you know that Home Depot opened 25 stores nationwide in the month of June, 2005?
For its entire existence, the city San Francisco has viewed itself as a unique place, distinctly not suburban "middle America". Residents take great pride in shopping at independently owned, non-chain, businesses. My own neighboorhood of Bernal Heights has only once "chain" establishment, a branch office of Bank of America. So when Home Depot proposed to build a store on that site it was fireworks city and it has pitted two adjacent neighboorhoods at odds with each other.
On the map above, you see that Bayshore Blvd. runs north-south roughly parallel to Hwy. 101 (which is a freeway at this point in the city). Bayshore serves as the political boundary between Bernal Heights on the left (West) and Bayview-Hunters Point on the right (East). Bernal Heights is a gentrified neighboorhood that buys into the "San Francisco is unique" belief. Bayview-Hunters Point is the city's last predominantly African-American area where the money era of the dot.com craze never made it here. I think the Department of Housing and Urban Development would consider it blighted.
Bayview-Hunters Point welcomes the presence of Home Depot because it will bring jobs to their neighborhood and other benefits. Bernal Heights is fighting Home Depot for reasons of traffic and that it will put the independent stores out of business. Here is a anti-Home Depot website that I learned of when I got a message urging me to attend the Planning Commission meeting this past Thursday. Home Depot got was granted its building permit and the store will be scaled back a bit, but it will open in 2007.
So where do I fall on this whole issue? When I first heard that Home Depot had proposed to build a store on the old Goodman Lumber site, my reaction was the reflexive "over my dead body" reaction. But I've learned that I need to temper that reaction because that is what living in San Francisco has taught me to do, which is march lockstep in the "San Francisco is unique" doctrine.
But having taught Economics and seen over and over again, examples of where things (the generic things) happen, and due to whatever incentives or power, adaptations are made and life moves on. Both neighboorhoods have incredibly valid points. I am neutral on this issue for the following reasons. I am not against Home Depot, if it wasn't Home Depot, some other commercial establishment would have come to that space. Granted, most San Franciscans would love to have seen a set of cute "boutique" stores, hip restaurants and art galleries come in all along a car-free pedestrian mall, but we're getting Home Depot. Such is life.
However, MY issue is the fact that due to it's location at that particular intersection and the fact that Bernal Heights and Bayview-Hunters Point are on the eastern edge of the city, Cortland Avenue will become a highway of cars and trucks as residents of Noe Valley, Glen Park and points west will use the only logical route to get to the Home Depot. Cortland Avenue is the street upon with I live. Already, it's a bit hairy sometimes to cross the street when I park my car on the other side, and it's somewhat noisy the cars whizzing by, but to add more cars to Cortland Avenue is an issue for me. In addition, that intersection of Cortland Avenue and Bayshore Blvd. is one that I use everyday to go to work. Granted, there may not be traffic jams at 7AM every weekday morning to get into Home Depot, but I believe that there may be an increase in the number of large semis making Home Depot deliveries.
If it becomes too much of a hassle to try and make this left turn to get onto Bayshore to get to the freeway, I will have find some alternative way to get to Highway 101-North. See? Adaptation and change. So all us residents of Bernal Heights need to accept that Home Depot is coming to our front doorstep. How we decide to deal with the issues that arise will be the important thing.
The laws of science tell us that where there is a vaccum (or void) something will come and fill it's place. Enter........Home Depot. By the way, did you know that Home Depot opened 25 stores nationwide in the month of June, 2005?
For its entire existence, the city San Francisco has viewed itself as a unique place, distinctly not suburban "middle America". Residents take great pride in shopping at independently owned, non-chain, businesses. My own neighboorhood of Bernal Heights has only once "chain" establishment, a branch office of Bank of America. So when Home Depot proposed to build a store on that site it was fireworks city and it has pitted two adjacent neighboorhoods at odds with each other.
On the map above, you see that Bayshore Blvd. runs north-south roughly parallel to Hwy. 101 (which is a freeway at this point in the city). Bayshore serves as the political boundary between Bernal Heights on the left (West) and Bayview-Hunters Point on the right (East). Bernal Heights is a gentrified neighboorhood that buys into the "San Francisco is unique" belief. Bayview-Hunters Point is the city's last predominantly African-American area where the money era of the dot.com craze never made it here. I think the Department of Housing and Urban Development would consider it blighted.
Bayview-Hunters Point welcomes the presence of Home Depot because it will bring jobs to their neighborhood and other benefits. Bernal Heights is fighting Home Depot for reasons of traffic and that it will put the independent stores out of business. Here is a anti-Home Depot website that I learned of when I got a message urging me to attend the Planning Commission meeting this past Thursday. Home Depot got was granted its building permit and the store will be scaled back a bit, but it will open in 2007.
So where do I fall on this whole issue? When I first heard that Home Depot had proposed to build a store on the old Goodman Lumber site, my reaction was the reflexive "over my dead body" reaction. But I've learned that I need to temper that reaction because that is what living in San Francisco has taught me to do, which is march lockstep in the "San Francisco is unique" doctrine.
But having taught Economics and seen over and over again, examples of where things (the generic things) happen, and due to whatever incentives or power, adaptations are made and life moves on. Both neighboorhoods have incredibly valid points. I am neutral on this issue for the following reasons. I am not against Home Depot, if it wasn't Home Depot, some other commercial establishment would have come to that space. Granted, most San Franciscans would love to have seen a set of cute "boutique" stores, hip restaurants and art galleries come in all along a car-free pedestrian mall, but we're getting Home Depot. Such is life.
However, MY issue is the fact that due to it's location at that particular intersection and the fact that Bernal Heights and Bayview-Hunters Point are on the eastern edge of the city, Cortland Avenue will become a highway of cars and trucks as residents of Noe Valley, Glen Park and points west will use the only logical route to get to the Home Depot. Cortland Avenue is the street upon with I live. Already, it's a bit hairy sometimes to cross the street when I park my car on the other side, and it's somewhat noisy the cars whizzing by, but to add more cars to Cortland Avenue is an issue for me. In addition, that intersection of Cortland Avenue and Bayshore Blvd. is one that I use everyday to go to work. Granted, there may not be traffic jams at 7AM every weekday morning to get into Home Depot, but I believe that there may be an increase in the number of large semis making Home Depot deliveries.
If it becomes too much of a hassle to try and make this left turn to get onto Bayshore to get to the freeway, I will have find some alternative way to get to Highway 101-North. See? Adaptation and change. So all us residents of Bernal Heights need to accept that Home Depot is coming to our front doorstep. How we decide to deal with the issues that arise will be the important thing.
1 comment:
Well, i had to comment on this one, ernie. Being and architect and very much in love with this city, I have to say this: I get tired of all the whining that San Franciscans do about "losing our identity"...Talk about insecurity!! Great cities evolve and change, including growth, density, changing neighborhoods, demographics and how and where we shop and eat.
Home Depot is not really a threat. It will allow many property owners and renters access to building materials and "fixit" stuff, at good prices, with many choices. Will it hurt some small shops or hardware stores? Yes, maybe. But the marketplace and quality service should determine who survives. Why continue to patronize an overpriced independent hardware store (without lots of choices) just because they are "mom and pop"...Everyone seems to "hate" Starbucks, except they are always busy. go figure. I would never want to see San Francisco become a bland shopping mall, with nothing but chain stores. Our neighborhoods are strong, with unique identities and quirks. They are rich in history and living style, and continue to evolve and change. Each generation, including ours, needs to remember the past and what made and makes San Francisco so special. We need to pass on that character and personality to the next set of residents, and continue to fight against blandness, and maintain our (somewhat) self-centered edge. If we are as special and unique worldwide, as we believe, then our pride, love, and care of this unique urban village will not be lost because Home Depot chooses to become a neighbor.
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