Laura Wenus
Mission Local
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, United States
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Past articles by Laura:
Do displaced tenants from deadly 22nd and Mission fire have a right to return?
The Department of Building Inspection stated in October that a portion of the burned building is intact — but now it's keeping silent More than three → Read More
Painting with Mission Colors
Jessica Joy Jirsa paints urban landscapes from the Mission and San Francisco. She gets to know people who live in the areas she paints because they see her on their way to and from home. "I started this on Tuesday and came back today. I was daring it to rain!" Despite the cold when she started the painting, the → Read More
SF developer plans a nonprofit to build affordable housing faster » MissionLocal
Government isn’t moving fast enough on building housing, say developers Joe and Joey Toboni, so the father and son with two market rate projects in the Mission and Mission roots, are taking matters into their own hands. “What the public and especially the less fortunate would consider to be the government’s role in helping people in need is not happening. It’s just not happening,” the elder… → Read More
Meet the woman turning a nonprofit into a developer of affordable housing » MissionLocal
In her four years working in the real estate arm of the Mission Economic Development Agency, Karoleen Feng has played a key role in turning the program from an idealistic aspiration into a major player in the neighborhood’s housing scene. A year or two ago, Feng said, the nonprofit didn't much impress the local development community. “I was talking to a realtor and he was kind of not really… → Read More
Developments in Development: More and less » MissionLocal
Developments in Development is a “weekly” column recapping real estate, housing, planning, zoning and construction news. There’s 880,000 of us now living in this city. And record numbers of us have jobs – unemployment is 2.3 percent, the lowest it’s ever been. But about those jobs. The Council of Community Housing Housing Organizations recently presented an estimate to the Planning Commission of… → Read More
Cosmetology school closes permanently » MissionLocal
Clients looking for a new look that's easy on the wallet may be in for an unpleasant surprise: The San Francisco College of Cosmetology on Mission Street near 16th appears to have permanently closed its doors. The space bears a large "for lease" banner and a sign in the door hints at perhaps an abrupt closure: Dear Students: San Francisco College of Cosmetology is permanently closed for business… → Read More
New SF Mission resident’s first project: Cleaning up trash » MissionLocal
Jeff Winkle has a job working for a bank, but he's getting ready to start picking up trash. When Winkle started looking for a place to live in San Francisco, one of the first things he noticed was the garbage. “I think that San Francisco is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, but right now, I qualify that by saying you just keep your head looking forward and up,” he says. Winkle, 24,… → Read More
Noisebridge, facing displacement, plans to come back bigger and better » MissionLocal
Being booted by August 2018 is not the first existential threat that the quirky, "do-ocratic" hackerspace Noisebridge has faced – and this time around, some core Noisebridge geeks are dreaming big. They’re hoping not just to live on, but find a bigger space and maybe even buy a permanent home. As the place and its reputation have grown, so have its coffers. Noisebridge member Scotty Allen said… → Read More
Developments in Development: Drops in the bucket » MissionLocal
Developments in Development is a “weekly” column recapping real estate, housing, planning, zoning and construction news. We’re building a fair amount, but Socketsite reports we’re going to be building less. Apparently the total number of units in the pipeline has dropped to 63,300, about 400 fewer than its peak in 2016. Interestingly, Socketsite’s map points out something that activists who… → Read More
Robbers reportedly injure victim in shooting at Mission St. business » MissionLocal
A person was injured in a robbery and shooting inside Mission Loan and Pawnbrokers near 19th Street, according to bystanders. Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment. ABC7 and KRON4 report that four suspects came into the store and shot someone inside. It's unclear what condition the victim is in. Breaking: Police in San Francisco are on scene of a shooting in the Mission… → Read More
Neighborhood Notes: CCSF aids undocumented students; Tacoless Tuesdays; Robot removal » MissionLocal
City College pledges support for undocumented City College’s Board of Trustees set aside more than $670,000 for support services like academic counselors, social workers and fellowship opportunities for undocumented students. One Board member, Tom Temprano, said in a statement that undocumented students have expressed fear about talking to a counselor and availing themselves of other services.… → Read More
Fort Point brewpub can open at 20th and Shotwell » MissionLocal
Planning Commissioners on Thursday narrowly approved a proposal for a microbrewery and restaurant to be opened inside the building currently owned and used by bagmaker Timbuk2 at 20th and Shotwell streets. The approval is contingent on the brewpub operator mitigating noise from the pub and smell from the brewing, closing at 10 p.m. on weeknights and midnight on weekends, having a loading zone… → Read More
A new voice leading the Community Music Center » MissionLocal
Julie Rulyak Steinberg has taken the helm of the Community Music Center on Capp Street, taking the position of Executive Director in mid-September. She comes to the Mission from a similar program in New York. Mission Local sat down for a quick interview about her plans for the future at the 92-year-old institution. The interview has been edited for clarity and brevity, and links have been added.… → Read More
75 units of housing approved for 19th and South Van Ness » MissionLocal
Planning Commissioners unanimously approved a proposal Thursday evening for 75 units of housing and a commercial ground floor to replace a long-abandoned gas station at 19th Street and South Van Ness Avenue. The proposal for 793 South Van Ness Avenue uses the state’s density bonus program to exceed the city’s height limits for that lot, meaning it will be 75 feet high with seven stories,… → Read More
Neighborhood Notes: Holiday shopping, art walk, history, civics, and “safe places” » MissionLocal
A holiday walk in Bernal tonight, craft fairs and screen printing tomorrow. Tis the season, and this weekend is loaded with possibilities for buying local or simply enjoying music and art. Holiday Shopping tips The Mission Bernal Merchants Association’s holiday walk will be held Friday (yes today) from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The locally owned restaurants, bars, galleries, coffee shops, and other… → Read More
Planning Commissioners green-light one SF housing proposal, hold off on another » MissionLocal
The Planning Commission approved a 75-unit building at 2918 Mission St. near 25th Street and held off on a decision about a 60-unit building planned for 2750 19th Street, requesting that the owners make clarify the proposed community benefits. The vote split 4-2 on the 75-unit Mission Street building, with even commissioners who voted to approve it concerned that the building doesn’t set aside… → Read More
Fire breaks out at Mission District senior housing complex » MissionLocal
Firefighters have contained a fire on the seventh floor of Mission Dolores Senior Apartments at 1855 15th Street that left three people with non-life-threatening injuries. The fire was reported at 1:21 p.m. and quickly upgraded to a two-alarm fire, then reported contained by shortly before 2 p.m. Melanie Casinas, who lives on the fourth floor of the senior home, and was in her apartment when she… → Read More
Robot guards the dogs at SF animal shelter and frightens some » MissionLocal
What’s five feet tall and weighs 400 pounds, shaped like a cross between an egg and a bullet, and ready to stop crime at your local animal shelter? “K9” is a Knightscope security robot now on duty at the San Francisco SPCA. To eliminate any confusion as to where it belongs, it’s emblazoned with pictures of happy animals. One animal, though, was not happy to see the bot: Ginger, a 60-pound dog… → Read More
SF Supervisor asks BART directors to come clean “filthy” 16th St. Plaza » MissionLocal
For months, BART Director Bevan Dufty has been out at 16th and Mission streets on Wednesday morning sweeping the trash on the plaza. A few weeks in he was joined by District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen. Appalled at the state of things, Ronen has now called out the other BART directors, inviting them to join in the morning cleanups and asking for a long-term fix. "The conditions we have seen are… → Read More
Developments in Development: Exclusion » MissionLocal
Developments in Development is a “weekly” column recapping real estate, housing, planning, zoning and construction news. I’m sure you’ll be shocked – shocked – to learn that gentrification in the Mission is (still) at an advanced stage. That’s the ultra watered down takeaway from the updated maps from the UC Berkeley Urban Displacement Project, which used 2015 date to study displacement. The… → Read More