IN THE MAY 2013 ISSUE of the local district newpaper, The Potrero View: The Potrero View : Serving the Potrero Hill, Dogpatch, Mission Bay & SOMA neighborhoods of San Francisco since 1970 potreroview.net/news10985.html = = = = = = = = = May 2013 More Development in Dogpatch; Anchor Brewing Goes Bayside: Sasha Lekach More housing and retail space is being developed in Dogpatch and along the waterfront, with three building projects progressing, including plans for a second Anchor Brewing Company facility near AT&T Park. ....[SNIP]..San Francisco-based Build Inc. ....[SNIP]..Build Inc. partner Michael Yarne. ....[SNIP].. A few blocks away, last summer Build Inc. also bought the property on which Cafe Cocomo is located, and plans to replace the dance venue with housing. The beleaguered nightclub at 650 Indiana Street is in the midst of several legal battles regarding unpaid rent and a shooting death outside the club in 2005. As noted on several posts on the online community forum NextDoor, Dogpatch residents have complained for years about being kept awake until 2 a.m. by noise emanating from the club. However, some residents support the venue as a locally owned small business that’s dedicated to musicians, dancers and other artists. Last month, the Club’s general manager, Rhush Wanigatunga, wrote a letter to residents describing the difficult decision to leave the space after 18 years of operation. According to Wanigatunga, the owners concluded that Dogpatch is no longer suitable for a night club, with the increasing population density and number of families moving into the area. Wanigatunga anticipated that CafО Cocomo would close by next spring at the latest, with the final cycle of summer musical events – including parties on Memorial Day, Labor Day and the second Sundays in June, July, August and September – this year. Weekly salsa, tango, and bachata dance events will continue until the venue closes. Plans for the Indiana Street site, which is zoned for urban mixed use, include 120 units comprised of two distinct buildings. Yarne called them the O and M buildings, together making “Project OM.” The two buildings will have different architects, giving the project “some variety and some character,” Yarne said. A mid-block alley tentatively named the “Cocomo Mews” would be located between the two structures. The entire complex would be 135,000-square-feet, with each building standing five stories, or 58 feet, tall, which is within zoning limits. According to Yarne, the proposed development is consistent with the Eastern Neighborhoods Area Plan. Along with housing, plans call for a 1,500-square-foot art cafe on the corner of 19th and Indiana streets, and an 8,900-square-foot public plaza already dubbed “Decompression Plaza.” The annual post-Burning Man event held at Club Cocomo in October would be invited to continue at the site. According to Yarne, Build, Inc. is hoping to install large-scale art and sculptures in the area. The developers want to work with Black Rock Arts Foundation and Oakland-based art collective Five Ton Crane to give people an opportunity to see large-scale Burning Man type art year-round. “We make an effort to think outside the box,” Yarne said. Yarne expects the Planning Department to approve the Cocomo project by the end of this year. Construction could begin within 18 months; however Yarne estimated it’d be two years until groundbreaking. Parking at the site would also go underground, in an effort to preserve street level spaces. Initial design proposals for the Cocomo site were shared at a Dogpatch Neighborhood Association (DNA) meeting earlier this spring, and were positively received, according to Yarne. The Potrero Boosters Association also reviewed the proposal, with members of that neighborhood group mostly concerned about the lack of family units. In response, Build, Inc. committed to including three-bedroom units in the building’s design. Modified plans will be presented to DNA this month, while the Boosters were informed about the revised design in April. Build Inc. has eight years of experience working in Dogpatch. The Homes on Esprit Park complex on Minnesota Street, and Piccini restaurant on Minnesota and 22nd streets, were developed by the firm. Yarne said Build is also involved in community efforts to form a Green Benefit District (GBD) , which would create resources for maintaining Potrero Hill parks, open spaces and other green areas. “We’re doing more than just developing,” he said, noting that his firm is offering GBD organizers their expertise with City government politics. ....[SNIP].. = = = = = = = = =
Posted on: Tue, 25 Mar 2014 21:29:01 +0000