Typewriters Save Valencia Street

Haven’t written your letters yet? Want to send the folks at city hall a message they can hold? Want to do it with a crew of good people in a very cool way? The following message from Hiya Swanhuyser is for you:

In the hopes of keeping American Apparel, and by extension other big chain stores, off Valencia Street, we’re having a letter-writing party. Elected officials such as the Planning Department whose attention we hope to get, weigh letters more heavily than you might think. It’s generally understood that one succinct hand-generated letter represents not only the opinion of the writer, but 99 others as well. You equal 100.

So we’re bringing our beautiful old manual portable typewriter collection to the café, to make the letter-writing more fun for us all.

What: Anti American Apparel/chain stores on Valencia letter-writing party
Where: Ritual Roasters, 1026 Valencia, S.F.
When: Sunday, Feb. 1, 6-8 p.m.

Letters will be sent to the following folks. If you can’t make the event, and you haven’t sent your letters yet, times running out. One week to go folks:

Pilar LaValley
San Francisco Planning Department
Pilar.Lavalley@sfgov.org

Bevan Dufty
District 8 Supervisor
Bevan.Dufty@sfgov.org

David Campos
District 9 Supervisor
David.Campos@sfgov.org

Christina Olague
President of the SF Planning Commission
c_olague@yahoo.com

Lawrence B. Badiner
Zoning Administrator
San Francisco Planning Department
Larry.Badiner@sfgov.org

Gavin Newsom
Mayor of San Francisco
Gavin.Newsom@sfgov.org

Protest Chain Retail on Valencia Street

The following is a press release from Pirate Cat Radio. Time to get out the signs ladies and gentlemen … read on:

San Francisco, CA, 1/29/2009 — Pirate Cat Radio will host a demonstration to protest the licensing of formula retail in the Valencia Street commercial corridor. Pirate Cat Radio deejays, community leaders, local business owners, and concerned citizens will gather at 988 Valencia St. at 10:00am on Saturday, January 31 to show their commitment to maintaining a locally-owned economy and support for the unique businesses of the neighborhood.

Pirate Cat Radio will be broadcasting live from the location, giving attendees the opportunity to voice their concern about the construction of an American Apparel clothing store 988 Valencia St.  ATA and Mission residents will join Pirate Cat Radio in expressing the significant interest in the Mission District protect the economic integrity of Valencia street.

“Regardless of the business practices or the quality of products sold at American Apparel, a chain store on Valencia marks a shift from unique, locally-owned businesses towards large, corporate formula retail,” says Monkey. “We do not believe this serves the best long-term interest of preserving the character of the neighborhood.”

Additionally, the cost of rent on Valencia St. has begun to pressure the local businesses that make the commercial corridor so special. If formula retail moves in and pays the inflated rent, the trend is unlikely to reverse, accelerating the potentially inevitable decline of the spirit that makes Valencia Street a noted commercial and cultural destination.

Pirate Cat Radio also encourages concerned citizens to voice opposition to formula retail on Valencia Street by taking the following actions:

·   Write a letter to the city planner in charge of this case:

M. Pilar LaValley
Preservation Technical Specialist/Planner
City & County of San Francisco Planning Department
1650 Mission Street, Suite 400
San Francisco, CA 94103
pilar.lavalley@sfgov.org
Subject: 988 Valencia – Case No. 2008.0720C

·  Attend the city hearing on the matter:

There is a meeting scheduled for Thursday February 5th at City Hall. Please call the San Francisco Planning Department at 558-6422 after Monday, February 2 for a more specific hearing information, RE: case no. 2008.0720C

Pirate Cats

The following is a note from Pirate Cat Radio. We couldn’t have said it better ourselves:

There appears to be some confusion about Pirate Cat Radio’s position on the addition of American Apparel to the Valencia St. corridor. Please take this as the official statement of the station management: Pirate Cat Radio is categorically against the construction of American Apparel chain outlet in the former home of the Mark Sanchez for District 9 office space for the following reasons:

1) Regardless of the business practices or the quality of products sold at American Apparel, a store on Valencia would mark a shift from unique, locally-owned businesses towards large, corporate formula retail. We do not believe this serves the best long-term interest of preserving the character of the neighborhood (see Haight St.)

2) The cost of rent on Valencia St. has begun to pressure the local businesses that make the commercial corridor so special. If formula retail moves in and pays the inflated rent, the trend is unlikely to reverse, accelerating the potentially inevitable decline of the spirit that makes Valencia street a unique destination.

Feel free to drop me a line if you need any further clarification.

=Monkey

KRON Covers The Campaign

Don’t forget to write your letters:

Pilar LaValley
San Francisco Planning Department
Pilar.Lavalley@sfgov.org

Bevan Dufty
District 8 Supervisor
Bevan.Dufty@sfgov.org

David Campos
District 9 Supervisor
David.Campos@sfgov.org

Christina Olague
President of the SF Planning Commission
c_olague@yahoo.com

Lawrence B. Badiner
Zoning Administrator
San Francisco Planning Department
Larry.Badiner@sfgov.org

Gavin Newsom
Mayor of San Francisco
Gavin.Newsom@sfgov.org

When sending letters…

Don’t forget to CC linda.avery@sfgov.org. Linda is commission clerk and will ensure that feedback gets to commissioners. For a full list of people to send letters to, click here.

The Mission Doesn’t Want Chains

From Pirate Cat Radio:

In 2006, San Francisco voted on added restrictions for chain stores. 2006’s Prop G can be viewed as a referendum on chain stores. It passed with 58.2% of the vote.

The vote in the Mission was overwhelmingly opposed to chain stores–between 70% and 90%!

The proposed American Apparel on Valencia is actually across the street from District 9 in District 8. But that area also voted over 80% for Prop G.

Read more here.

A Quick Note On Our Blogroll

Every business linked to on our blogroll is a business that is publicly against American Apparel opening on 988 Valencia. Each has been asked if they’re OK with being listed on the blogroll and they have said yes.

Another Business Owner Speaks Out

Below is an open letter written by Sean Quigley, owner of the Valencia Street business Paxton Gate, to Pilar LaValley of the planning commission. Want to write your own letter? Click here to learn more.

Dear Ms. LaValley,

I am writing regarding the proposed opening of American Apparel on Valencia Street.  I moved my business to Valencia Street in 1999 knowing that the area was not yet a shopping destination.  Many of my neighbors – Dema, Therapy, Ruby and others – had already started to create the unique feel that Valencia Street has become.  My businesses and others have added to that flavor and together we have created a collection of creative and unique companies that are independently and locally owned.  When I moved my business here I canvassed many neighborhoods and selected this one because I wanted to help create a neighborhood rather than move into an already established one.  I would hate to see that work go to waste.

By allowing American Apparel to open on Valencia Street we will set a precedent that will be hard to argue against in future hearings making it likely that other chain stores like The Gap, Starbucks, and Banana Republic will follow.  The hard work that we have accomplished in creating a unique shopping experience will be lost and this shopping district will be like others.  Customers and tourists will have no reason to venture to the Mission District when they can do all of their shopping at the same stores downtown, on Union Street or Fillmore.

This is not about American Apparel; I have nothing personally against them.  This is about chain stores and changing the flavor of a unique neighborhood.  I strongly oppose this proposal and I hope that my thoughts and those of my neighbors will be respected.

Sincerely,

Sean Quigley
President
Paxton Gate, Inc.
Paxton Gate’s Curiosities for Kids
One Inch to the Left, Inc. — Landscape Design-Build
(all located on Valencia Street)

Urban Hike

Hi Everyone,

We’ll be meeting up at Ritual tonight at 6pm to get some more posters up around the neighborhood. If you want to do some walking this evening feel free to come by, (though you may definitely want to bring an umbrella).

Hope to see you there.

PS – For info on writing letters see the post below.

We Write Letters

Hi Everybody,

These are the people to send your letters to. We recommend that you send a letter to every person on this list. Remember, keep your letters short and to the point: a mega-chain like American Apparel will change the unique feel of Valencia Street (for an example letter click here). Please remember to list your address, especially if you live close to 988 Valencia Street, and also be sure that your subject reads: 988 Valencia – Case No. 2008.0720C. The more letters they receive the more the folks at City Hall will know how the neighborhood feels about letting American Apparel onto Valencia Street. Please take the time to write a letter:

Pilar LaValley
San Francisco Planning Department
Pilar.Lavalley@sfgov.org

Bevan Dufty
District 8 Supervisor
Bevan.Dufty@sfgov.org

David Campos
District 9 Supervisor
David.Campos@sfgov.org

Christina Olague
President of the SF Planning Commission
c_olague@yahoo.com

Lawrence B. Badiner
Zoning Administrator
San Francisco Planning Department
Larry.Badiner@sfgov.org

Gavin Newsom
Mayor of San Francisco
Gavin.Newsom@sfgov.org