Watch Where You’re Going

When you were a kid, did you ever play “Count the Cows” on road trips? You take one side of the car, your brother takes the other. Whoever ends up with the most cows wins. Kinda stupid, but a good way to pass the time.

If you want to amuse your kids, you might revive the game closer to home. In a recent article, I noted that the giant advertising companies “Clear Channel Outdoor and Viacom Outdoor together control 90 percent of the existing space” on billboards. Take a look, as you wander around the city. They’re easy to spot – each billboard carries the name of its contractor. And yes, Clear Channel and Viacom do seem to be everywhere. Viacom may be slightly in the lead, having locked up the bus shelters, but with Clear Channel Adshel soon to be provided with city newsracks for its backlit ads, it’ll catch up easily.

When the native daughter and firefighting fan bequeathed a fat sum to “add to the beauty of the city I have always loved,” I wonder if she envisioned the advent of Ad City. In case you haven’t ventured up the hill to Coit Tower recently, you might be impressed by the garish little souvenir section nestled in the center of the ground floor, surrounded by idealistic WPA murals depicting great moments in the lives of San Francisco’s people.

Stephen Worsley, who finds the bubblegum machine particularly offensive, calls the move “wharfism.” He adds, “Shouldn't SF artists be selling historic local art and be running the concession in this time capsule?”

What happened to the Golden Gate Bridge? Dennis Lawlor writes that this local icon can no longer be enjoyed from at least one longtime viewing spot:

Monday lunch in my favorite seat at Liverpool Lil’s, and my appetite destroyed. It’s Mt. Lucas!

The view of the bridge from our table has been blocked by the suspiciously tall mounds of earth bulldozed together in a not very well concealed attempt to discourage nosey local environmentalists, and/or union compliance monitors (like myself).

I’m told the “Yankee Clipper” himself much fancied this very table for that same simple pleasure our good mayor has so sadly been unable to maintain. (Well, maybe not this table. Joltin’ Joe spent most of his time here in the darkest corner of the bar, usually alone, but he would have noticed the view as he walked out the door.)

This fifth-generation San Franciscan is both humbled and relieved that our city’s role model for human conduct did not live to see this day.

Just south of Pacbell Park not just a mountain but an entire mountain range has risen, as construction for the giant Mission Bay project finally gets underway in earnest. A new 283,000 square foot Gap building along Terry A Francois Blvd. is scheduled for completion in October. The nearby piles of soil, unrestrained by tarps or other covers, seem to get smaller every day, as the wind sweeps past the ballpark and swirls up their surface. The good folk who frequent the Bay View Boat Club, across the street at Pier 54, must wonder if they’ve been transported to a sandstorm in the Sahara – or worse.

Most of the construction has begun at the other end of the tract, along Owens near 16^th, where UCSF Mission Bay Genentech expects to open a new biomedical research lab in October, with companion buildings to follow soon afterward. In the same area, Catellus is surging ahead with plans that came before the Planning Commission this week:

10. 2002.300B (P. ARCE: 415-558-5986)

MISSION BAY SOUTH BLOCK 41, PARCEL 1 - Request under Planning Code Section 321 (Office Development: Annual Limit) for a determination of the design quality and Project Authorization of the proposed office development for a five story building including 160,100 square feet of office space, pursuant to Planning Commission Resolution No. 14702. The Project site lies within the Mission Bay South Redevelopment Area and is classified as a Commercial Industrial District, as defined in Section 302.3 of the Mission Bay Redevelopment Plan, and is within the Height Zone 7 (HZ-7). This proposal consists of 160,100 square feet of office space, and a temporary surface parking area in Block 40, located south of the Site. Pursuant to Code Section 314, the project, which the Department has determined would result in the addition of 160,100 square feet of office use gross floor area, would require the provision of Child Care facilities. Any person may appeal this initial determination by delivering an appeal in writing to the Department within 15 days of this notice.

Preliminary Recommendation: Approval

11. 2002.301B (P. ARCE: 415-558-5986)

MISSION BAY SOUTH BLOCK 42, PARCEL 4 - Request under Planning Code Section 321 (Office Development: Annual Limit) for a determination of the design quality of the proposed office development for a two-story building including 80,922 square feet of office space, pursuant to Planning Commission Resolution No. 14702. The Project Site lies within the Mission Bay South Redevelopment Area and is classified as a Commercial Industrial District, as defined in Section 302.3 of the Mission Bay Redevelopment Plan, and is within the Height Zone 7 (HZ-7). This proposal consists of 80,922 square feet of office space. The proposal includes the completion of the adjacent sidewalks, (paving, planting of trees and installation of public lighting) and a temporary surface parking area in Parcel 6, located north of the Site. Pursuant to Code Section 314, the project would require the provision of Child Care facilities for an 80,922 square foot office. Any person may appeal this initial determination by delivering an appeal in writing to the Department within 15 days of this notice.

Preliminary Recommendation: Approval

In case you’ve forgotten, Catellus – a spinoff from the Santa Fe Pacific Railroad – worked out a painstakingly negotiated deal to create a 300-acre city-within-a city south of China Basin. The estimated residential population of 10,000, observer John Hutchison notes, will play havoc with the recently redefined voting districts. The biotech-based economy, well beyond the city’s usual sphere of operation, may also play havoc with jobs and lives.

In future weeks, we will return to the site, hoping to provide insights into the construction of Mission Bay, which lies out of the daily sightlines of most San Franciscans.

Even PacBell seems a little out of the sightlines of most San Franciscans these days. Wednesday afternoon, a sunny splendid baseball day, saw attendance far below the Giants’ customary sold-out crowd. The lower decks were filled and herds of school kids cavorted in the bleachers, but the upper deck – particularly the impossible-to-see left field seats – were empty.