The San Francisco Planning Department's will they or won't they over the completion of the Ocean Avenue Neighborhood Commercial Historic District may finally coming to an end.
Richard Sucré, deputy director of current planning, told The Light new planners have been assigned to the 13-years-in-the-making project.
"The biggest thing that has been delaying us is the additional research to make sure that we got the African American story correct," he said. "We're aiming to bring the district forward for adoption by the end of this year."
In the meantime, planners are preparing to do community engagement events in the neighborhood by late summer or early fall.
The work is timed with the SF Survey, which is currently scouring the city's commercial districts for properties to protect. Planners recently held a public meeting in West Portal.
The Planning Department has had the application for the Ocean Avenue Neighborhood Commercial Historic District for years. Two years ago, a planner was asigned to advance the project but he then retired.
Planner Maggie Smith will complete the project, Sucré said, which will require that she ensure the neighborhood's African American history from approximately 1960 to 1980 is included in the application.
When told about the plans to complete the district this year by The Light, San Francisco Heritage President Woody LaBounty exhaled a sigh of relief.
The SF Survey is gathering community input and memories about Ocean Avenue businesses and places. Share stories through the SF Survey Community Stories Form or by emailing cpc.survey@sfgov.org.
