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Dear Corbett Heights Community:
CHN has been very active enhancing and defending your neighborhood. Here's our Fall update on what we've accomplished and what we are working on... DISTRICT ATTORNEY RACE Although the winner is still unclear, hopefully, you were able to attend our quarterly membership meeting on October 24. We were able to attract all four candidates for the SF District Attorney contest. Each candidate spent about 30 minutes, with a vast majority of the time focused on questions and answers. Our mandate at CHN is to provide unbiased information so our members can make their own decisions. This is exactly what happened on that Thursday night. No filters, no sneers, no selective invitations. We are transparent, fair and apolitical. PROP E PASSAGE IS A POTENTIAL THREAT TO CORBETT SLOPE With the passage of Prop E: (Affordable Housing and Educator Housing), Corbett Slope could be torn down and turned into a large housing project. The Slope now falls under this legislation which requires the property to be city owned and more than 10,000 square feet. Many people think the Slope is a park, but it is not. It is maintained by CHN volunteers, but it falls under the control of Department of Public Works. Legally, the Slope is now “up for grabs.” We will track this issue closely. The first warning will come if/when the city proposes to sell the land. Stay tuned… CORBETT SLOPE STAIRWAY For years a stairway has been proposed which would run from Corbett Avenue to Market Street. The cost of construction would easily exceed a million dollars and accomplish little. CHN now opposes this waste of money and has communicated this to all the appropriate government agencies. LOT SPLITTING Several proposals are coming forward where a developer can divide a lot, reduce or kill backyards and then construct new structure (s). There is a huge financial incentive for the developer. We are following this very closely and when a formal proposal is made to city planning CHN will become actively involved. YOUR COMMUNITY PARKS CLEAN UP Hopefully, you’ve noticed a significant improvement in many of our community parks. This doesn’t happen by accident and the city has little or no involvement. Our parks are not part of Parks and Recreation, so all the hard work is local. In the last six months, CHN and our members have made substantial progress cleaning up Merritt Park, Corbett/Ord Triangle, Corbett Stairs and Mars Stairs. The revitalization began in the Spring of this year and started when we organized a “Clean and Green” drive which featured CHN volunteers and workers from our non-profit partner, the SF Parks Alliance. We hauled out 30+ large bags of branches, weeds and assorted garbage. Our next “Clean and Green” drive will be Saturday, December 7…and yes you are invited to attend, just bring some knee pads and a pair of gloves! More information shortly. CORONA HEIGHTS SPECIAL USE DISTRICT (SUD) VERSION 2.0 About five years, CHN led the battle to create a special use district which would add more zoning controls to our neighborhood. We have used this legislation to avoid over development. Most recently, it was a critical consideration in our attempts to reign in a large, four story development on Ord Court. After a sustained battle, the development was scaled back to three stories, density was reduced by 900 square feet and the quiet streetscape of this quiet cul-de-sac was maintained. Moving forward, CHN will take a serious look at the Corona Heights SUD to see if we can amend it and make it more affective. FIRST ELECTRONIC ELECTION A RESOUNDING SUCCESS This summer, we introduced a new electronic voting system so our members could use the web to vote for CHN board candidates This system is highly reliable and secure. It also allowed us to post a background statement from each candidate. As a result, our members could vote from the comfort of their home and do a bit of research. The end result was encouraging: a record voter response, 40 percent! Any feedback? We're all ears. IMPROVED FISCAL CONTROLS FOR CHN The previous CHN board and the current board felt that the organization required more checks and balances to ensure your membership money is well managed. After an extensive search, CHN moved our financial accounts under the SF Park Alliance. This respected non-profit has a rigorous procedure to document all expenditures. For example, any expenditure (big or small) needs a receipt and a copy of the credit card statement that confirms the amount...Now our finances are tight and transparent. CHN DUES/CONTRIBUTIONS NOW TAX FREE Since CHN is now under the banner of SF Parks Alliance, all membership fees and gifts are tax free. Start or renew your membership today. COMMUNITY PROJECT INVESTMENTS Next year, CHN hopes to make a proposal to raise funds for one or more local projects. This city funding ($5,000 to $20,000) could be targeted at anything that would enrich the community: a park improvement, a bike rack, a very specific traffic control, etc. The only real guidelines are a reasonable proposal and a clear community need. So, send us your ideas. We hope to make a submission in Spring 2020. No funding is guaranteed, but it’s worth the effort. |
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