The talents and caring certainly came out this Passover and Easter weekend. Even in the midst of a pandemic, the neighbors of Mission Terrace took steps to create a celebratory atmosphere for this holiday weekend. Easter Art hung in the windows of numerous homes so families could go out and do a socially-distanced Easter Egg hunt. We saw families out and about (keeping their distance from others) and kids dressed up with rabbit ears, and at least one kiddo with in the absolutely cutest baby chick costume.
      
After rumors that the Easter Bunny was still making its rounds through the neighborhood, some of the NMTIA members went out to track him down. Sure enough, he was spotted making his way down Santa Ynez street, waving to people through the windows and munching on a carrot. Thanks, Mr. Easter Bunny, for visiting us!

San Francisco surveyed the Mission Terrace and Excelsior neighborhoods, to see if people were interested in parking permits. Click the links below to see the results.

1. Summary of D11 Survey Results
2. Survey Responses Maps
3. Parking Occupancy Maps
4. "No" comments by category

NOTE: Actions to be taken as a result of this information is not yet decided and we are told that a community meeting will be held to discuss the results.
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Mission Terrace celebrates another year of a fabulous  4th of July parade and picnic. Over 500 people (and a very impressive showing of festive dogs) attended this year.

The event included a parade lead by a classic cars, followed by a SF fire engine, kids on bike and trikes and wagons, dressed up dogs, and decked-out neighbors waving flags and wearing red, white, and blue. This year's parade had Rose Ann as our Marshall, and California Senator, Scott Weiner, leading the way. 

The parade started at 100 Capistrano and wove its way through the Mission Terrace neighborhood, ending at  Balboa Park, where picnic and entertainment were to be had. Picnickers had their choice of hamburgers or veggie burgers (with all the toppings), chips, and a beverage. 

Magic Dan entertained the kiddos (as exhibited by their delighted squeals of joy!), kids got their faces painted, and people perused the classic cars.  

Special thanks to Roxie's Market who donated food and drinks to feed the masses, the SFFD for their fabulous fire engine, the SFPD for protecting the parade goers, and the numerous volunteers needed to put on this event.

By Hoodline
Tuesday, April 9th, 2019 4:46PM
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When it comes to variety and volume of local restaurants, San Francisco is no slouch. But which neighborhoods are winning the foot traffic war, and which up-and-comers are making the most headway in attracting diners? 

Hoodline analyzed data from SafeGraph, a dataset of commercial points of interest and their visitor patterns, to find out which neighborhoods have seen the highest volume and biggest percent change in foot traffic from January to February. 

Overall, SoMa continued to lead the pack in terms of attracting visitors to neighborhood eateries, with more than 70,000 visits to food and drink spots recorded in February, according to SafeGraph data. Meanwhile, Mission Terrace and Japantown each saw an upward trend in foot traffic to neighborhood restaurants, with greater than 6% growth in visits from January to February. 

Oasis Grill was one of the SoMa's highest-traffic dining spots in February, according to SafeGraph. Located at 200 Fourth St. (at Howard), the Mediterranean restaurant offers a menu of falafel, gyros, salads and shish kebabs, and caters to a strong lunch crowd.  

Though not typically considered a top foodie destination, Mission Terrace attracts the most foot traffic from residents of Excelsior and Bayview. Where are hungry visitors heading? According to SafeGraph data, Aloha BBQ and Taqueria Vallarta attracted the most traffic in the neighborhood in February. 

Located at 4935 Mission St. (at France Avenue), Aloha BBQ serves casual Hawaiian fare, from Spam musubi to Hawaiian barbecue to Kalua pork and more. Taqueria Vallarta, situated at 4697 Mission St. (at Persia Avenue), offers a classic menu of Mexican dishes, from tacos and burritos to enchiladas and tamales.  

Another trending neighborhood, Japantown, attracted 6.1% more restaurant foot traffic in February than in the previous month. One of the most-visited dining spots in the neighborhood was Benihana. Located at 1737 Post St. (at Webster), it's the SF outpost of the crowd-pleasing teppanyaki mega-chain that currently boasts over 80 locations worldwide. 

On the Bridge, located inside the Japan Center mall at 1581 Webster St., also saw among the highest visits in the neighborhood. It offers dishes such as katsu curry, Japanese seafood spaghetti, udon noodles and more.  

While SoMa is a hotspot for restaurant foot traffic, SoMa residents also loved to eat at North Beach restaurants in February, according to SafeGraph data. 

Tenderloin residents tended to visit the downtown/Union Square area to eat in February, and Tenderloin and SoMa coffeeholics visited Civic Center coffee shops the most.

"It used to be that the neighborhood was a quiet neighborhood with plenty of parking", comments one Mission Terrace neighbor.

With the growth of the population, the uptick of people driving to park to Mission Terrace to use public transportation, and the increase of adult children staying at home longer (among other reasons), those days of vast areas for street parking have fallen by the wayside.  Currently, there are several large-scale residential projects in the works; including a large development at the southeast (with limited parking included) and southwest (with zero parking included) corners of the neighborhood. [NOTE: NMTIA is working on getting a complete map of all proposed developments. A partial list can be found on our "Proposed Developments" page. Updates welcomed.]

However, there are other considerations which also impact people's lives in the neighborhood; this includes the cost of the annual permits (currently $136 per permit, and increasing rates for the 3rd or 4th vehicles per address), the concerns that people might try and use the alleyways for parking, the wishes that more people use their garages for parking (instead of for storage or living space), and the concerns with larger numbers of people living within single households. 

THE SFMTA PARKING PROGRAM

The methods and decision-making have varied for Residential Parking Permit (RPP). In some neighborhoods, local residents filed petitions, in others it was neighborhood councils that pushed for change, local businesses get into the action, and (as in our case) surveys may be collected. The end results also vary. Some neighborhoods have opted for parking meters, and if permits have been agreed upon the hours and length of time for each permit zone may also vary street by street.

In most parking-permit neighborhoods, two permits are issued per household at the base rate. Additional permits can be purchased at an increased rate. There are also programs to manage visitors, medical & childcare givers, business owners, active duty military persons, students, and more. Click HERE for further information.

DEADLINE LOOMING

While the survey was sent out to all District 11 residents, the collected information will be analyzed and (if warranted) decisions may be made on a smaller geographic basis. As just one example; if the majority of households in Excelsior proper opted in, and the majority in Mission Terrace opted out, then the Excelsior folks might get permits and the overflow cars might park in Mission Terrace... or the reverse could occur.

Deciding and implementing a parking program typically is a multi-year process.  Yet the deadline for residents to respond to the survey is soon (March 30th, 2019.)

Whatever residents want, the hope that enough neighbors turn in their mailed surveys or respond online (link HERE) so a deeper understanding of the wishes and desires of our neighborhood go into the final decisions.

If there are any questions about the survey, SFMTA requests that you reach out to them at InfoRPP@sfmta.com

Social media was all a chatter, Havelock Street was packed bumper to bumper, and people streamed in from all angles. That's right, the anticipation was finally over and Balboa Pool was to be open again on Saturday, February 23rd.

The swimming pool in Mission Terrace's Balboa Park was founded in 1959, had been in need of renovations and ADA accessibility upgrades. Funding was secured and the pool was closed back in October of 2016 to begin work for what was supposed to be a one-year project. Almost 2 years and 4 months later (delays largely due to disputes with PG&E) the pool was opening again... with much fanfare.

SF Rec & Park was on hand with free giveaways and people wanted through the new building. High above the swimming pool and enjoyed by spectators lining the pool, was an enormous mural titled All My Friends At Once, by artist Jason Jägel, funded but he city's two-percent-for-art funding, which included nods to the neighborhoods close to the pool.

Speeches were given by San Francisco's Mayor London Breed, District 11 Supervisor Ahashi Safai, NMTIA's Board Present David Hooper, and many more.

After the speeches were completed, Mayor Breed lead a countdown to the first plunge into the pool, to rousing cheers all around, followed by an impressive show by the San Francisco Merionettes, an award-winning synchronized swimming club formed in 1956.  This was followed by a free open swim for anyone who wanted to brave the crowds.

If swimming wasn't your thing, then no worries as there were plenty of outdoor activities as well; giant bubble-blowing, bean bag tosses, and a bunch house.

​All-in-all, it was a fantastic day for the neighborhood.

During a rainy Thursday morning in Mission Terrace, a car could be seen stopping by homes throughout the neighborhood; the driver jumping out into the rain to drop off Valentine's cards given by their fellow neighbors.

The "Spread Some Love" project began last year, with the goal of spreading positivity in the world by starting right here in our own neighborhood. The project started small, with just a handful of participants last year, yet more than doubling in size for 2019.

How the program works: In January, announcements are sent out via social media and email, alerting MT residents to the project. Participants were provided with an online form, which required the address of the participant (the person who wanted a card sent) and the address where the card was to be delivered, so that NMTIA could ensure card were being sent to & from MT residents. Participants had the option to add a special note if they desired. All cards were delivered by hand on Valentine's Day.

All-in-all, this year's project was a success!

Walking through Mission Terrace during the first couple of weeks in February, you may have noticed pieces of the sidewalk missing, with signs up saying "FRIENDS OF THE URBAN FOREST." (aka "FUF.")

FUF is an amazing San Francisco p501(c)(3) which helps individuals and neighborhood groups plant and care for street trees and sidewalk gardens in San Francisco. This "green infrastructure" improves our city by beautifying neighborhoods, cleaning the air, and reducing polluted stormwater runoff. Since 1981, FUF has brought communities together to plant more than 60,000 trees, totaling almost half of the city's street tree canopy.

On February 9th through the 11th, in partnership with Mission Terrace residents and Friends of the Urban Forest, more than 50 trees were planted in our neighborhood!

Thank you to everyone who participated in this event. Can't wait to see what it'll look like in 10 years! If you are interested in having a tree planted of a sidewalk garden installed in front of your house, reach out to FUF. It's easy and affordable!