July 2007 - The Potrero View

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6 THE POTRERO VIEW JULY 2007 New Building Bulks Up, Blocks Off Potrero Corner By Harry J. Johnson Veva Edelson, an artist who lives on 18th and Kansas streets in a house built in 1894, isn’t happy about the new construction taking place next door. Her neighbor, Dan Miller, subdivided his 50 by 100 feet doublelot, which is partially occupied by a half century-old house, and is erecting a three-story structure. The new building, which consists of two condominium units, occupies an area that was once a large, lush, garden enclosed by a wrought-iron fence. Edelson claims Miller has ignored the neighborhood’s existing modestsized housing characteristics by constructing a monster building that blocks her and her neighbors’ views of the City and Golden Gate Bridge. It also invades her privacy, she said, with multiple windows facing her home, prompting her to keep her shades drawn. She estimates the new structure is more than twice the size of her 2,000 square foot house. “It sucks. This is my home. I don’t think it’s right,” said Edelson. “Before this I enjoyed open space and had more of a view of downtown. I’ve lived here since I was nine years old; in the ’70s when nobody wanted to live on Potrero Hill.” The original building plans placed the structure right up against her home’s north side--her home faces east--and, according to Edelson, provided for inadequate parking. After a letter writing and petition campaign, she was able to persuade the San Francisco Planning Department to require some design alterations. “It took lots of work to get my point across,” said Edelson. “I also had to learn the terminology of the city planning department; you have to learn their language to get anything done. We went to design review with the planning department and we won. The developer had to redesign the building and hire a new architect. The new building, although the size is very, very large, is a way better design than the original.” Under the revised plans two parking spaces had to be created per unit, as well as a central courtyard, providing open space between Edelson’s home and the new structure. “How can you build a building that so dramatically impacts my house? Wouldn’t it be better to work to build something that would be Photos by Harry J. Johnson A three story condo dwarfs neigbor Veva Edelson’s historic building (top). The new view from Edelson’s windows (above). These windows formerly had city and garden views. good for both of us? Rather than respecting each other’s interest and working towards a compromise that is acceptable to both people, he showed no willingness to compromise. It was only when he was forced to come to the table at the design review board.” After two failed attempts to contact Miller for an interview, he happened to be outside his new building when the View photos were being taken. “The only thing I have to say is: I love Potrero Hill,” he said.
“We’re bringing something to people for free. It can’t get any easier than that,” says Scott Delucchi, senior vice president of Community Relations for the Peninsula Humane Society and Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Delucchi is a man with a mission – to spay and neuter as many dogs and cats as possible, thereby reducing the number of unwanted animals who wind up in shelters. And he’s willing to come to you to do it. Earlier this year Humane Society veterinarians started a twice a month commute from the peninsula in a custom-made rig to spay and neuter cats and dogs cared for by needy San Francisco residents. The surgeries had been offered only on the third Thursday of each month outside San Francisco Animal Care and Control office’s in the Mission. But to better serve the City’s eastern and southern neighborhoods, the Humane Society added Bayview-based Pet Camp to its route. The mobile spay/neuter clinic will be parked outside Pet Camp, an animal boarding facility, on the first Thursday of every month. In both locations the mobile clinic accepts pets between 8 and 9 a.m., to be picked up in the afternoon. No appointments are necessary, but dogs must have a current DHLPP vaccine and cats must have a current FVRCP vaccine. No proof of rabies vaccines, City license or economic THE POTRERO VIEW JULY 2007 Spay and Neuter Unit Coming to Your Block Soon By Virginia Donohue Photo by Scott Delucchi The Peninsula Humane Society and Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals now provides free spay and neuter services from their mobile pet surgery suite twice a month in the Bayview and Mission neighborhoods. need is required. Pets should not have food after midnight before the surgery because they’ll be receiving anesthesia. There’s a limit of one pet per family. Pets older than eight years or weighing more than 80 pounds are not permitted due to the constraints of working in a vehicle rather than a hospital. Humane Society veterinarians developed these protocols after testing the vehicle by spaying and neutering pet evacuees from Hurricane Katrina in the Society’s parking lot. The mobile spay/neuter clinic is sponsored by San Francisco Bay Humane Friends, led by Vanessa Getty. The group wanted to have the greatest impact on animal survival, and together with the Humane Society identified free spay/neuter surgery as the best intervention to offer. The vehicle, which started to roll in late-2005 and handles about a dozen surgeries a day, is outfitted with $125,000 worth of equipment, and costs roughly $250,000 a year to operate. Shelters have offered various spay/neuter programs for years, but, according to Delucchi, “the idea is to eliminate previous hurdles, like cost and transportation, by bringing the surgery to the neighborhoods we serve.” Delucchi said that neutered and spayed animals are less likely to roam, are less aggressive and that the occurrences of certain cancers are eliminated or significantly reduced.
Page 1 and 2: JULY 2007 F o r y e a r s , P o t r
Page 3 and 4: Editorial: Let’s Put the Public B
Page 5: Short Cuts Continued from Page mega
Page 9 and 10: Late Night Market Keeps San Francis
Page 11 and 12: Lia Hillman, Potrero Branch, Acting
Page 13 and 14: THE POTRERO VIEW JULY 2007 The San
Page 15 and 16: Dogpatch Neighborhood Association u
Page 17 and 18: Saloon Continued from Page 16 bobbi
Page 19 and 20: Walking Through History in Dogpatch
Page 21 and 22: Helipad Continued from Page 21 the
Page 23 and 24: Classified Ads Art and Music PIANO

July 2007 - The Potrero View

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