On Thursday, February 19, the Plaza 16 Coalition held its first community meeting for 2015 and it was rousing success. Community folks once again packed St. John’s Church at 15th and Julian Street to get the latest updates on Maximus Real Estate Partner’s proposed development for 1979 Mission St. (at 16th), learn about the City’s approval process for such developments, and to initiate a community-led process for developing a community-serving vision for development for Plaza 16.

After a bit of socializing and food, Laura Guzman of Mission Neighborhood Resource Center opened the meeting with a warm welcome. María Zamudio of Causa Justa :: Just Cause then brought everyone up to speed on what’s happened with the project thus far and what the Coalition has been up to over the last several months.

Next, Joseph Smooke of [people.power.media] walked us through the City’s planning process to explain how market-rate housing developments get approved in San Francisco. He made crystal clear that the Maximus monster is by no means “a done deal,” that the project is currently in the earliest stages of the approval process, and that it must clear many hurdles over the coming months if it is to gain approval. Along the way, the community will have many opportunities to offer input on the project and we must take advantage of each of those opportunities. He also made clear that a community-serving alternative project is definitely possible.

Next, Oscar Grande of PODER placed this development fight in the context of past fights in the Mission and showed a clip from the classic documentary Boom the Sound of Eviction (you can watch this excellent film online).  He suggested how the community can begin to develop a process for creating an alternative community-serving vision for 16th and Mission and what it will take to win this fight.

Andrea Martinez of the San Francisco Women’s Building then facilitated a breakout group session where we discussed our most treasured assists in our neighborhood as well as the particular challenges we face in our community.  These small groups discussions were powerful and engaging and served as the preliminary step in the big collective discussion for what we as the community want at 16th and Mission and how we will get there.

Finally, we closed the meeting with next steps, namely:

Planning Meeting for March 4th Action
WED. FEB 25, 6PM
PODER: 474 Valencia Street near 16th
Suite #125

March 4th on Maximus:
We demand affordable housing not meager community benefits!
WED. MARCH 4
Meet at 5:45 PM
Laborers Local 261 Union Hall
3721 18th Street at Shotwell
RSVP and invite your friends, family and neighbors on Facebook

Next Monthly Community Meeting
THUR. MARCH 26TH at 6PM
Marshall Elementary School,
Capp Street at 15th
More details to be announced

Special thanks to Causa Justa::Just Cause for the food. Thanks to all the folks who helped set up, provided child care, served food, and generally helped host the meeting. Thanks to St. John’s Father Smith for hosting us at the church and thanks to Kyle Smeallie for the photographs below.

Please join the Plaza 16 Coalition, Calle 24 Latino Cultural District, Our Mission No Eviction, and the Latino Democratic Club to stop the Monster luxury development at 16th and Mission

MARCH 4th on MAXIMUS
We Demand Affordable Housing not meager
“community benefits”

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4
MEET at 5:45 PM SHARP
LABORERS LOCAL 261 UNION HALL
3271 18TH STREET at SHOTWELL STREET

On March 4th we will march into Maximus’ public meeting. We will demand truly affordable housing for our community not monster luxury towers and meager “community benefits.”

MAXIMUS REAL ESTATE PARTNERS–the developers who have proposed the twin 10-story towers at 16th and Mission Street, better known as the MONSTER IN THE MISSION–have announced a public meeting on March 4th.

At this meeting Maximus will present a package of “community benefits” intended to mitigate the tremendous detrimental impact their development would have upon the Mission District.

But, of course, no meager community benefits package will make up for the drastically increased residential and commercial rents and the widespread displacement this project will cause in our community.

At this meeting we will have an opportunity to face representatives of Maximus directly and tell them that the only community benefit we need is affordable housing and that we refuse to let them build their luxury towers in our community.

Contact Andy@Plaza16.org for more info.

http://www.Plaza16.org/

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MIÉRCOLES, 4 de MARZO
Nos reuniremos a las 5:45PM
LABORERS LOCAL 261 UNION HALL
3271 CALLE 18 y SHOTWELL
La reunión sera de 6:30 – 8PM

Plaza 16 Coalition Endorsers/Supporters

Abalone Alliance Clearinghouse • Alliance for a Better District Six • ACCE (Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment) • Barrios Unidos • California Coaltion for Women Prisoners • Calle 24 Arts Consortium (Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, BRAVA! for Women in the Arts, Precita Eyes Muralists, Accion Latina, and Galeria de la Raza) • CARECEN • Calle 24 Latino Cultural District • Calle 24 Merchants (La Victoria, L’s Cafe, El Nuevo Fruitlandia, Sunrise Cafe, Praxis, Explorist International, Mission Skates, Modern Times, Alley Cat Books, Luara’s Beauty Salon, Dju Jewelry, Mixcoatl, Linda Wilson Photo Archivist, El Tecolote, Laura Campos Muralist, Linda Beenau, Wonderdog Rescue, Dog Earred Books) • Carnaval Mural Restoration Committee • Casa Sanchez • Causa Justa :: Just Cause • Center for Political Education • The Chocolate Project • Encatada Gallery • Cesar Chavez Parade and Festival Committee • Central City Democrats • Coalition on Homelessness • CODEPINK SF • Chile Lindo • Círculo de Vida • Clarion Alley Mural Project • Dolores Street Community Services • District Eight Democrats • Eviction Free San Francisco • Eviction Mapping Project • Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club • Global Exchange • Historic Liberty Hill Street Neighbors • HOMEY (Homies Organizing the Mission to Empower Youth) • Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco • Instituto Familiar de La Raza • Instituto Laboral de la Raza • Idriss Stelley Foundation • Ingelsia Catolica Angelica Latino American • International Indian Treaty Council SF Office • Jade Lotus Midwifery • Jon Gollinger (No Wall on the Waterfront) • La Colectiva • Latin Business Network and Community • Latin Zone Productions • LMNOP Neighborhood Association • Madres Unidas por California • MEDA (Mission Economic Development Agency) • Mission Girls • Mission Films • Mission Neighborhood Centers • Mission Neighborhood Resource Center • Mission Small Business Association • National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) • Nine Dream • Our Mission NO Eviction • PODER • Precita Center • Prisoners with Children • Progressive Women Rising • Puerto Alegre • Redstone Labor Temple Association • Ruckus Society • San Francisco Latino Democratic Club • San Francisco Food Not Bombs • San Francisco Lowrider Council • San Francisco Print Collective • San Francisco Tenants Union • San Francisco Tomorrow • Sierra Club • SEIU Local 1021 • Shaping San Francisco • senseofplace LAB • Station 40 • Susana y su Orquesta Adelante • Teatro Homies • Techies Against Displacement • Tenant Association Coalition • United Educators of San Francisco • Urban Habitat • Urban Music Presents • Valencia Corridor Merchants Association • Victory Outreach • Western Regional Advocacy Project • The Women’s Building of San Francisco