PM Linkage: Nob Hill Woes; Clipper Card Earrings; Hanging Out In the Lower Haight; More!

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Curbed Cup 2011: Curbed Cup Finals: (5) Lower Haight vs. (15) Russian Hill

× Like us and you'll find top breaking news in your Facebook newsfeed. Sign up for our daily email newsletter and get top stories and breaking news delivered to your inbox. Thursday, December 29, 2011, by Sally Kuchar

And now, the conclusion of the Curbed Cup, our annual award to the San Francisco neighborhood of the year. Because this is the most important decision of all time, the polls will be left open until noon, January 1. Let the final battle begin![Haight Shopping via Scott Cox/russian hill via Jason Rosete]

We've arrived at the moment we've all been waiting for: the final showdown of this year's Curbed Cup tournament. Our contenders are two well established neighborhoods, meaning no new nabes or microhoods made it to the final round. First we have the Lower Haight, fresh from a strong win over its neighbor Hayes Valley. What was the year like for the Lower Haight? Full of ups and downs. An amazing public mural was vandalized beyond recognition and a fire hit the center of the neighborhood at Haight and Fillmore. True to form, Lower Haighters have met these setbacks with a neighborhood spirit: getting together to clean up the mural and hosting fundraiser after fundraiser for victims of the fire. A classy bunch like that surely deserves your love.

The other possible neighborhood of the year is Russian Hill, which only just eked out a win over Bernal Heights in the Final Four. Russian Hill's the neighborhood for the 1%. It's got the bulk of what most people think is quintessential San Francisco: hills and views and vegetation. Also: very, very, very exclusive and pricey real estate. Tourists flock to it for its curvy street (yes, we're talking about Lombard) and epic cable car rides. Residents flock to it if they're comfortable with $2,500+ monthly HOA dues and being featured in the Nob Hill Gazette. So which neighborhood wins it all?

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Under 500K Club: Live Life in the Upper Haight For Under 500K

× Like us and you'll find top breaking news in your Facebook newsfeed. Sign up for our daily email newsletter and get top stories and breaking news delivered to your inbox. Friday, December 9, 2011, by Sally Kuchar 21 Delmar is right smack dab in the middle of the Haight Ashbury neighborhood, between Masonic and Ashbury streets and Waller and Frederick streets. It's a 1-bed, 1-bath flat that could very well be a two bedroom flat, if you're comfortable with giving up a front parlor. But hey! There's a living room down the hall and yes, it too has a fireplace. Although the kitchen's layout is a bit wonky, we're seriously digging the striped floors and shiny countertops and appliances. We should also point out that the listing states that the property is "close to public transportation, neighborhood conveiences, Google & Apple shuttle stops. Monthly HOA dues are $200 and there's no mention of parking. It's been on the market one day and is asking $499,000.
· 21 Delmar [Redfin] 21 Delmar Street, San Francisco, CA

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AM Linkage: Bike Lust; Haight Goes Two Ways; Mission Street's Lost Theaters; More!

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AM Linkage: New Mural Coming to Lower Haight; Cable Car Roundabout Craziness; Dolores Park Shenanigans; More!

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PM Linkage: Working Out in the Lower Haight; Dogs of Dolores Park; Restaurant Hotties; More!

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Garage Porn: Upper Haight Features World's Coolest Garage Door

× Like us and you'll find top breaking news in your Facebook newsfeed. Sign up for our daily email newsletter and get top stories and breaking news delivered to your inbox. Wednesday, April 20, 2011, by Sally Kuchar

A Curbed SF reader sent us the above video of a magical garage door in the Upper Haight. McMills Construction was working on an investment property on Oak Street, and they were scratching their heads over how to build a garage to enhance the tenant's use of the building. As we all know, it's nearly impossible to consistently score a decent parking spot in the Upper Haight. The problem, you see, is that the city planning department had recently started enforcing its mandate to limit changes to the character of historic building's front facades-- especially when it came to converting bay windows into garage doors. Corey McMills, who's got a background in mechanical engineering, thought of an idea to covert the walls of the bay window into door panels that would fold into the garage space to allow cars to enter. The planning department accepted it. McMills Construction teamed up with Beausoleil Architects to help with the details. The result is brilliant.
· Architectural Magic [Beausoleil Architects]

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NIMBY-watch: A Potential SRO in the Lower Haight

× Like us and you'll find top breaking news in your Facebook newsfeed. Sign up for our daily email newsletter and get top stories and breaking news delivered to your inbox. Tuesday, April 19, 2011, by Abby Pontzer

The true test for closet NIMBYs: would you let a SRO (Single Room Occupancy) Hotel open in your neighborhood? We talk lots about nosy neighbors having a say on your addition or a restaurant's patio, but in the Lower Haight, neighbors want a say in whether a building owner can turn his Victorian flats into a SRO.

David Nale, who owns a building a block and half off Haight on Fillmore, has already been renting rooms to individuals, but he doesn't have the ability to get each person their own lease. Neighbors have asked the city to review his application for permits to turn the building into an SRO, based on claims that they have seen current residents littering and that there would be noise and light pollution issues from the code-mandated open-space roof deck. Remember, that just a few weeks ago and blocks away, neighbors petitioned to allow an outdoor space at Ragazza, a restaurant on Divisadero. So what makes this different? SRO versus hip pizza joint, that's what.
What do you think, dear readers? Are all NIMBYs created equal? Should these Lower Haight neighbors be lumped into the same batch who ask for hearings on everything? Or are they concerned neighbors trying to protect their community?
· Lower Haight neighbors put up ‘keep out’ sign on residential hotel [SF Ex]
· Ragazza Sees About Opening Its Lovely Patio [SF Eater]

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On the Market: Your Very Own Upper Haight Condo to Sit/Lie In

× Like us and you'll find top breaking news in your Facebook newsfeed. Sign up for our daily email newsletter and get top stories and breaking news delivered to your inbox. Friday, April 8, 2011, by Sally Kuchar Sold as a TIC in late 2005 for $744,800, 776 Clayton is back and now a condo. The 2-bed, 2-bath, full-floor unit is asking $899,000. The 1896 Victorian's exterior and interior got some updates, like a fresh coat of paint and a new kitchen. And while the interior isn't for everyone, we're certain it's perfect for someone who has an exposed brick wall fetish and loves a funky kitchen layout. There's one other unit in the building and monthly HOA dues are $350. 2-car parking is included.
· 776 Clayton [Redfin]

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