Patrick Saturday, March 25, 2006 at 5:56pm

There's a lot of dislike in the neighborhood for the Pottery Barn, but my problem is the dead (but well decorated!) space it creates as people walk by it.

This is prime boy-watching space! and would be much better served with a coffee shop or cafe with outdoor seating (pretty much what happens one block over at Noe and Market with Cafe Flore, at the corner of my block) This block of Market between Castro and Noe has a lot of small retailers, but there is a break created by the Pottery Barn that sets a tone and creates a disconnect.

Agreed. The south side of that block is more exciting--the Cafe creates foot traffic in the evening, plus there are galleries, florists and retail stores that are visually exciting. The north side of Market where Pottery Barn is located is dominated by service-oriented businesses (H&R Block) that are blah by comparison. The restaurant Catch is the best thing that has happened on that side of the street.

There are other factors that are detrimental to the neighborhood feel of the Castro. The gas stations at Market and Castro create dead zones and the traffic at that intersection is very fast and not pedestrian-friendly.

Jamison Saturday, March 25, 2006 at 8:58pm

Some of those gas stations might be on their way out, the one located across Castro from both the Potter Barn and the Diesel store, maybe be replaced by housing over retail. I wonder abut putting housing directly on such a busy corner (I can imagine the residents in a few years complaining about the late night noise as though it had only started after they moved in)

The Cafe definitely creates foot traffic, but there's also three other shops in that building as well (the subway, piecing shop and the former thai restaurant being redone. And the south side has its own dead spot, but the old electronics store isn't as wide, and I think that's a factor because you can see what's going on on the other side and there's visible activity going on.

The Gas Station at Market and Sanchez might be on the way out as well to be replaced with housing over retail. Across the street from that the paint store is will be remoded and turned into an upscale restaurant or market (I forget what). Only some of these proposed developments will actually happen, but I think even only a few will help connect the neighborhood and create momentum for more.

Joshua Sunday, March 26, 2006 at 3:58am

I was in San Francisco in July last year, and while I never got to Castro I was amazed at how abruptly the feel of Market Street changed between the UN plaza and where the main terminus of the cable car is (I forget the exact name of the plaza). As you walk along Market St in this area you go from a very respectable area which is well pedestrianised to a really, quite frankly, scary area populated by alcoholics and the homeless, and then back to a pretty respectable area..... it's just odd. Are things still like this? Do you know what I mean by this?

Patrick Sunday, March 26, 2006 at 4:53pm

Joshua: Yes it is still like this and it has been like that as long as I can remember. It's caused by the proximity of two areas of low-income residential hotels --the Tenderloin and Sixth Street. During the dot-com boom there were plans to develop the Tenderloin as "Union Square West" but then the economy went south. You can be sure that poverty pimps like Ted Gullicksen from the San Francisco Tenant's Union will do their best to keep development out.

Incidentally the plaza at the cable car turnaround is called Hallidie Plaza.

Jamison: Yes, I read the article in the BAR too. It will be interesting to see the Castro as gas stations and parking lots get developed into multifamily dwellings with ground floor retail.

Bryce Tuesday, March 28, 2006 at 9:56am

Jamison -- this is a really good discussion. You should pair these observations up with some photos, and package it all up in some way to share with neighbors/local planners/etc.

Jamison Tuesday, March 28, 2006 at 6:42pm

Good idea Bryce, If we get a break in the rain I'll get shots of the locations.

Joshua, that area is often referred to as mid-Market and as Patrick pointed out sits in a neighborhood called the Tenderloin, where it seems to be impossible to get anything done because any attempt to make an improvement is fought tooth and nail by advocates for the homeless, working poor, et al who seem to prefer the drug dealers and sex shops lining Market street to gentrificiation.

Once Market Street was San Francisco's grand boulevard lined with theaters and shops, but started to decline with the rise of the car (four lanes of cable cars and later trolleys ran down Market, with nearly every line merging onto Market for at least part of it's run) as people began to drive to the malls and later the construction of BART and the Muni Metro subways rendered Market Street a constructions zone for a decade.

Mid Market is improving though. Trolleys have returned to Market Street and the thousands of people they bring into the Castro each day is part of what's caused this boom in the neighborhood. The comprehensive Market and Octavia neighborhood plan is nearing approval which should spur a lot of new development along the stretch of Market between the Civic Center up to the Castro.

Something else which could have a big effect is the new Federal Building under construction near Civic Center at Seventh and Mission. I would be surprised if crime doesn't go down and other developers are banking on it revitalizing the area because right next to the Federal Building is another building is going up and beside that will be the new Trinity Plaza Development which seems to be a near sure thing now with support from all sides (or at least no real opposition on any side).