The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency will hold an online public hearing Friday, September 6, at 10 a.m. to receive input on a new stop sign and stop changes on the J Church Muni line in Noe Valley.
According to the proposal, a new all-way stop sign would be installed at Church and 28th streets, and the spacing of J-Church stops will be adjusted on Church Street. This entails moving the Clipper Street stop to 26th Street and relocating the 27th Street stop to 28th Street, a news release stated. "Stop spacing would be more even and would give more people access to a stop nearby," SFMTA stated.
For information about participating in the virtual meeting, click here.
SFMTA noted that no decisions are made at the public hearing itself. Decisions are made within a week of the public hearing based on all feedback received, the agency stated.
In other J Church news, SFMTA has announced future improvements at the intersection of Church and Market streets. According to a project introduction, SFMTA is "partnering with local merchants, neighbors, and Public Works to design a new plaza that will better serve the neighborhood at this key hub, creating a lively new gathering space and enhanced transit boarding experience."
To improve wheelchair accessibility and the transfer experience from surface transit to the subway, the outbound J Church stop at Church and Market streets was moved to the south side of Market Street and a temporary, accessible wooden platform was built in late 2020, the project description stated. "After extensive public outreach and a public survey about the accessibility changes in mid-2021, the SFMTA board approved moving the stop to the south side of Market Street on a permanent basis in December 2021."
Since then, SFMTA has embarked on a process to upgrade these temporary improvements into a high-quality transit and pedestrian plaza, with input from merchants, residents and riders. These improvements will not affect the routing of the J Church line, the agency stated.
District 8 town hall on upzoning
The Castro Merchants Association, Dolores Heights Improvement Club, Noe Neighborhood Council, and several other local groups will hold a District 8 town hall to discuss proposed upzoning to increase building heights Monday, September 9, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Noe Valley Ministry, 1021 Sanchez Street.
Invited guests are gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman and Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin, who represents District 3 and is also a candidate for mayor in the November election. Moderators will be gay former planning commissioner Dennis Richards, Neighborhoods United SF co-founder Katherine Petrin, and SF Tenants Union board member Jennifer Fieber.
According to a flyer, District 8, which includes the Castro, Noe Valley, and other neighborhoods, "faces significant upzoning directed by our mayor, which aims to increase building heights throughout the city." According to the flyer, the "towering structures" won't address affordable housing but will instead "lead to luxury high-rises, the demolition of single-family homes ... and neighborhood gentrification."
To register for the town hall, click here.
Senior group seeks volunteers
Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly is now seeking volunteers. The organization, which has an office in San Francisco, is part of a national network of nonprofits committed to relieving isolation and loneliness among older adults, a flyer noted.
Some programs the organization offers include medical escort, weekly phone calls, birthday calls, stroll buddies, tech allies, visiting volunteers, and in-home visits.
Interested people who are aged 18 or older are welcome to complete a sign-up sheet. All volunteers must complete a background check and a one-time orientation prior to participating in any LBFE social programs, according to the agency.
For more information and the form, click here.
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