SFSU Students must be back in town... Trash/Graffiti and...

The empty parking areas, the quiet strolls will be ended soon. SFSU is back in session. Again the increase is quite notable, in the number of students moving into parkmerced. The trash bins overflow with waste, boxes, ikea catalogs, and general excess. SFSU was to embark on more of a concerted effort on sustainable and shared materials, or a resource system but this never materialized in time for the fall schedule. Furniture begins to litter areas, as move-ins typically dont "measure" their units, and are forced to "abandon" furniture, or make a new purchase and dump in adjoining areas. A couple young ladies, recent move-ins, decorate their entry way with chalk symbolizing their new found freedom, and accessorizing the entry to encourage others to drop in and party. We do hope they are open to all visitors, as this is a "neighborhood" and of course its always nice to invite your adjoining neighbors a shared BBQ or evening soiree is fine, and not just invite half the SFSU campus for keggers. Will have to wait and see how the Party situation on site, occurs this year, as it usually starts slow, but the residents do start complaining quickly when out-of-control parties start to rise in number. Students were not notified of the recent changes in the renter's packets, the increased rent costs for "rennovated" units, nor the issues of construction sites at the library. The UPS blocks also have recent implemented changes like locked laundry room doors, that were prior open allowing pass-through of blocks. Once again the SFSU campus housing group ignores community. It is obvious when you walk the blocks that they are not maintaining units. Some areas look visually distressed due to non-maintenance and some areas are a serious hazard. The university corporation could be easily sued due to the lack of proper housing maintenance on the UPS and UPN blocks. We have sent notice of these issues to J.Porth of the relations PR dept. to SFSU.

Landscape(s) Planting(s) and "upgrade(s)"

I find the upgrade business to be very "entertaining". When you see the rush to plant, to make, to do, (sim. to a home depot fashion mall) the effort is seen to make changes and not review the selections. The front entry ways of the towers have been "improved" by entry glass canopies. The tops of which already are "dirty" and the lighting of which is questionable in quantity since this is a supposed "sustainable" change. The plantings selected are "birch" and "grasses" that tend to be allergy plants. The plants themselves already show the ability to accumulate "trash" and are low maintenance to help in reducing our energy use, and water use on site. The grass today on site in the middle of a hot morning was being watered (tends to burn the grass and waste water) so why we are "replanting" seems questinable when the installed water system "the cadillac" of water control systems was never installed correctly or operated efficiently on site. Than you have the images of the new tree planted where once a majestic cypress tree stood. The other image shows the size of the meadow cypress trees. The new one a stick, that will take years to reach full maturity. What is interesting is that typically in urban forrestry replacement trees, you pick a sim. style or type, and one that is significantly "started" and of a larger root ball, possible a quick growing tree to also help in retaining the canopy lost. Again not the case and the urgency as shown was to remove the prior tree and planter, (once again a question of integrity) as they have not replaced the conc. box planter/seat, and instead have moved onto other projects on site. The usual effort of parkmerced is to fix quick, and not "back-check" the prior effort to ensure it is doing well. In a similar vein the tower painting a quick one-coat install shows bleed through on painted towers. So my guess is that they will be coming back through for another coat soon. The generator's in the landscape I noted in a previous post, already have been "enlarged" for plantings around the units, and tall black stacks now protrude from the tops (exhaust). Its so nice to have a landscape design interrupted by such boxes. Regardless of the emergency use and improvement to the towers, these boxes could have been sunken underground, or placed within the tower basements through alternative methods that may cost more, but would not impact visually the landscape as much.

Changes that affect "integrity" of a possible landmark district....

A)Trim again is being added, this time stapled around the windows, with additional shutters being plastered on the prior minimal facades. Prior the trim was manufactured off site on other block changes, this time its more of a hurry to get it in...

B) plantings changed for "showcase" units emphasize drought resistant plantings, and change the original plant types without review.

C) Did you order a crown? Like mall designs, the units on Arballo are being served a crown, as large moldings painted black are added to the tops of units, a quick search online determines that no permits were issued for this work, again the city is not paying attention to developments and change in character and alterations that affect a possible landmark candidate.

D) Revise, Revise, Revise, until no-one knows whats new or old, the planters out front of the towers were being worked on again today, in addition landscape installed less than a few years ago, is removed and other types will be planted. What a waste, as usual, no input, no review, no info. on the costs, and waste of this effort on the landscape changes. Jackhammers go during the day, more signs of un-habitability of these units with on-going construction, landscape work, and development daily.. Moving trucks appear more frequently, students move in, families move out...

generators in the landscape

What to do with "upgrades", rennovations included on the towers elevator upgrades, now large mechanical boxes dot the landscape between the towers. Could they be placed underground out of site? Was this the best option or was there a better alternative? Safety improvements are needed, but what is the overall costs? The tree removed near the meadow was over 80+ years old, and may have been a historic landmarkable tree. The only thing it was disrupting was the pavement, now planter, pavement is removed, and a new box, and concrete pad take its place...Integrity comes into question when developers intentions dictate the future at the city level.

Images of the Landscape Design

Some images of the landscape, walks through the site, random selection, versus what we see being "implemented".

SFSU Creative Arts Center vs. Parkmerced Community Recreation Area

A few more images of the area, its sad condition emphasized through years of neglect already by the SFSU campus. Tenants were never compensated, or rent reduced due to the loss of used on this site, and obvious deterioration that has occured. SFSU's new creative arts center has a donor, and a new architect selected. What happens to our prior ammenity? What happenens to our open space. The SFSU purchase of this site should be highly questioned, and the permits protested until the community receives some form of compensation, and possibly our rent's reduced for the loss of use of the site, and its demise due to neglect. Parkmerced's original outlay of 191+ acres has been reduced by these "land-sales" to the SFSU Foundation. The overall effect on our neighborhood and loss of ammenities is why we keep seeing densification as the "trade-off" and not renewal of our facilities. Landmarking Parkmerced's original district boundaries, could place a hold on such land-bait-switch tactics that have subverted our prior control of these areas.

Parkmerced's Recreation Area (closed till creative arts center built)

A sad sign of what occurred during the prior "land-sales" to the SFSU Foundation is the prior ammenity of the recreation site of parkmerced. These images of the recreation center, and fields shows what has occured since the purchase by the SFSU Foundation, and transfer to CSU, for the future "Creative Arts Center" of SFSU. When parkmerced was built numerous children and adults congregated at this site as a community center. Since post leona-helmsley, the maintenance was deferred and post owners let the site decay. The installation of the montessori school breathed new life into the building for a time but the eventual shift of the school, and quick sell-off to the SFSU Foundation brought on only additional neglect. The center is currently closed, and used by the university as a storage bin. The basketball courts used by students is in terrible neglect, with cracked pavement, and no nets. The landscape areas are not maintained or cleaned, and the handball courts only accessible by walking in around the site. The fencing on site locks off most access on weekdays, and weekends, and the tennis courts seem also to be neglected. There are tenants and students who use the site, and the SFSU Softball signage is the only seemingly maintained portion of the site. The Softball woman's team had to fight to get the space as it is, and thus SFSU due to "explained" lack of funding seems unable to maintain or keep up what they have purchased. Therefore the need for "donor" sites, where funds are generated to create new facilities at the expense of other neighborhoods space. The low walls in the parcel seem a part of parkmerced, though lost to weeks and chain link fencing installed and locked up by the university, this area served a greater purpose which was open space for the tenants of parkmerced. The original design can be seen in the layout of the facilities and community center which had an open tunnel allowing access to the areas. Kids biked here from the towers, to play. Now the university stores its "emergency supplies" and only the softball field is made useable for the team sports. No areas used by tenants has been maintained or allowed to continue its prior function. No proposal by the SFSU Masterplanners, or the EIR and further MOU between the city and CSU regent negotiators included community input towards the original masterplanned community, its ammenities or there loss of use to the university! This again is how developments, state entities, and neglect all lead towards change that is not beneficial to the communities they prior served. The signage which states "Gate to remain locked in the open position during school hours or during public functions" does nothing to allow tenants in. They are now exluded members of the community. The wasted space, dead grass, deferred maintenance and locked gates show the treatment of community by the university and its masterplanners. Before kids biked all the way into this site, and could leave them un-attended. The c.v.c code posted denotes no such kid transport systems are allowed. Campus rules now dictate use, and lack of care. The SFSU Library gets the cash first, and the prior joint facilities are locked and fenced off, to prohibit tenants from enjoying the ammenities that were part of the original design of parkmerced.