Eight month ago we moderated an exclusive panel and Q&A for 150 plugged-in people entitled, “The REAL (e)State of SoMa’s emerging midtown.” And next Wednesday (6/25), we’re doing it again.
Returning panelist Daniel Hurtado (Executive Director, Central Market Community Benefit District) will account for the CBD’s progress to date and future plans; Walter Schmidt (Chief Financial Officer, Trinity Properties) will dish the developer’s scoop; Nina Gruen (Principal, GRUEN GRUEN + ASSOCIATES) will talk neighborhood evolution; and Astrid Haryati (Director of Greening, Office of the Mayor, City of San Francisco) will answer: “the Greening of SoMa’s Midtown, buzzword or real beauty?”
SomaGrand is once again providing the venue and sponsoring the event (beer, wine and snacks). And you’re invited to network with other plugged-in people and secure the neighborhood scoop.
This gathering will be on June 25th from 6:00-7:30pm in the lobby of SomaGrand (1160 Mission Street at Seventh Street). Attendance will be limited to the first 100 individuals to email rsvp@socketsite.com (See UPDATE below). And no, this isn’t going to be a sales pitch (to which others can attest).
We’ll see you on the 25th. And as always, thank you for plugging in.
Editor’s Note: Space availability countdown in the comments (and an update to the post when we’ve reached capacity).
UPDATE: Sorry folks, but our 100 spots have been filled. Please drop us a note if you received a confirmation but need to cancel so that we might offer your spot to another. And if you never received an email confirmation but swear you beat the cutoff (2:12pm), please forward a copy of your original email and we’ll get you on the list. Regardless, and as always, thank you for plugging in.
∙ The Scoop On Wednesday’s (10/24) Gathering For Plugged-In People [SocketSite]
∙ Last Night’s Week’s Gathering: A Reader Driven Wrap Up (We Hope) [SocketSite]
95 spots remaining.
Where is SoMa’s emerging midtown? Is this the mid-Market area? Guessing that Market, between 5th and 8th is on the verge of coming back to life…
Why does the City of San Francisco have a
“Director of Greening”?
How could Paris, London or Rome ever grow and develop without their own Director of Greening?
How could Paris, London or Rome ever grow and develop without their own Director of Greening?
You know that these cities don’t have a similar position? I personally would be shocked if at least Paris didn’t have one.
How much are we the taxpayer paying for a Director of Greening?
Just another inflated salary in the army of 28,000 city workers. The mind simply boggles.
Director of Greening? Don’t know what that is.
And, because apparently we refuse to get it, City just hired consultant from Copenhagen to um, recommend changes. (Making S.F. into a people-oriented city)
Meanwhile, and in California time — despite 20 years of discussion– unbelievably –we still have cars on Market street, and cannot seem to learn the lessons of Amsterdam and many cities worldwide which have successfully converted main streets like Market to pedestrian & alt transit corridors.
Make no mistake –This is California! SUVs and Hummers rule. We are culture-car bound.
Good event Socket – more please. SocketAction Rising!
So, you say San Francisco imported a bureaucrat from Denmark (much like a nice ham) to make us a “people-oriented city”? And, in the mean time, I guess we’re only a Labrador-retriever-oriented- city, or something?
“Invented” have you been on the street lately? I’ve seen so many Smart Cars in the last month, and San Francisco is filled with hybrids. This city is very different from the rest of California in terms of transportation. The city has planning codes that limit the amount of parking new buildings can have, in order to decrease traffic concentration downtown. This has now turned into a “green” idea as well, due to the fact that it causes high parking fees making alternative transportation easier. I don’t know if we need all of these new “green” positions in city hall, but a city like San Francisco is prime for a “green” revolution.
75 spots remaining.
Not sure if any of you have noticed, but this city is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. If keeping that means that it’s super wealthy inhabitants have to shell out a few extra bucks in taxes a year to support the salary of a Director of Greening, then I’m all for it.
I know it’ll be difficult for all those out there that won’t be able to order that 3rd bottle of Dom Perignon at the French Laundry.
Anonymous – if you look at any USA city’s transportation system you will see that they are all automobile oriented cities. We are slowly snapping out of the false consensus reality that cars are required for life and shifting priorities back towards serving people rather than vehicles. SF is one of the cities at the forefront of this change.
Tell me, how is it that only the wealthy are taxed to obtain the funds for the salary of a Director of Greening? Which taxes do the wealthy pay that the middle-class doesn’t pay in San Francisco?
60 spots remaining.
I will be there, along with my wife, if I can talk her into it.
If keeping that means that it’s super wealthy inhabitants have to shell out a few extra bucks in taxes a year to support the salary of a Director of Greening, then I’m all for it.
Not all of us are super wealthy. I don’t personally mind the extra taxes, but I know lots of people struggling to raise one, or God forbid, two kids, in San Francisco and even with a good salary it can be a stretch.
Maybe we need to be like NYC and institute a progressive income tax.
Editor – will you being replying to our RSVPs, so that we know our emails didn’t get eaten by your spam filter?
[Editor’s Note: Yes (and drop us a note if you haven’t already received one).]
30 spots remaining.
Would love to attend, but I’ll be visiting the inlaws. Have fun.
RSVP sent! I am excited about my first SSG…I was busy for the previous one.
And I am fine with taxes going towards a Director of Greening, as long as he/she actually accomplishes something. I agree that we need more major walkways, and less cars traveling *through* the city…maybe an extension of the Embarcadero into a Beltway-type road with parking, and Muni/Bart/taxis for within the city?
5 spots remaining.
No, no! The last thing we want is the waterfront occupied by another massive concrete highway. The Almighty corrected that mistake with the Loma Prieta earthquake.
If you want fewer cars traveling through the city (which we want both from an urban-planning and grammatical perspective) we must simply make driving in San Francisco as difficult as possible. When you build roads, they just fill up with cars. When you don’t, people leave their cars at home in Hollister.
Sorry folks, but the 100 spots have been filled. Please drop us a note if you received a confirmation but need to cancel so that we might offer your spot to another waiting in the wings. And if you never received a confirmation but swear you beat the cutoff (2:12pm), please forward a copy of your original email and we’ll get you on the list. Regardless, and as always, thank you for plugging in.
Bakersfield has had an employee with a similar assignment since last millenium, but of course San Francisco can’t afford that level of sociable sophistication.
The greening director is helping make the planting of trees works out. This is complex for a whole range of reasons. Some streets need to be changed, and the process of putting utilities underground is fraught with complications.
It is really amazing to me that people who did not bother to inform themselves about what this position is or why it exists would dare to protest.
Sorry to have missed the cut-off. Is there a waiting list? How can we get on it – we attended the last gathering and it was very informative. Thanks!
Accurate nomenclature. South of Market starts at Mission and goes to Townsend. Properties along Market Street are in Yerba Buena, Central Market or Civic Center. There is good potential for development along Market Street. The west SOMA area is subject to a community planning process which is intended to restrict change or growth.
The most significant development on Market Street will be the conversion of the SF Mart to Market Square with the first floor holding neighborhood serving retail and the rest of the building office accommodating up to 4000 employees. It will become the focal point for the emerging new Civic Center neighborhood.
Drop SOMA name. It has little to do with what is going on on Market Street.
mr. cc, u r correct that there is a ‘Central Market’ area, however, this meetup is about SoMa. it’s being held at ‘SoMa’Grand. SoMa does not start at mission, it starts just south of market, which includes the numbered streets from market to mission and further south. the most significant development for this neighborhood is the SF Mart AND Trinity Plaza (for commercial & residents respectively).
wsoma community plan is NOT intended to restrict change or growth, but the exact opposite. it encourages both changes & growth, in particular with regards to increasing residential density & neighborhood serving businesses.