Did You Know...

Did you know that CitiScape offers more than just Property Management? Well, it's true!

Included in our Professional Management, Personal Service, everyday, CitiScape can:

• Connect you to a live, warm & friendly Receptionist (imagine that?) - just call us @ 415-401-2000 - who will receive and route your call Monday - Friday, 8:30am to 5:00pm.

• Manage your special projects. CitiScape has a dedicated Project Management team, read all about our Project Management department here.

• Repair your leaky or broken bits, bobs and whatnots. CitiScape has joined forces with EHJ Construction (state license no. 530570) to create CitiScape Maintenance Services (CMS). This joint effort not only insures that CitiScape can provide your HOA with the best maintenance and repair services possible, it also allows us to provide “Owner Direct” repair services to individual owners. Click here to start a Service Request.
  

• Respond to your building emergency. Whenever you have a building related emergency please call CitiScape’s Emergency Hotline: 415-487-3697. CitiScape’s On-call Manager is available to answer your call 24 hours a day/365 days a year.
  

• Dispatch your non-urgent building request to our network of preferred vendors. The best way to request non-emergency service from CitiScape is to simply send an email to ServiceRequest@citiscapesf.com. This automatically starts a new customer service ticket, which guarantees that your request will be handled promptly. Once sent, you can then log into our Online Ticket Tracker System (called Gnosio, pronounced "GUH-know-see-oh") and view the status of your request at any time.
  

• And, we even have a Notary Public on staff. Contact Su Kemp to have your important documents notarized.
  

Now you know, and you know what they say, knowing is half the battle!

Church Humor

This is literally a 'church signs' debate, being played out in a small town, between the Catholic church and a Presbyterian church. From top to bottom shows you the response and counter-response over time. The Catholics are displaying a much better sense of humor! You get the impression that the Presbyterians are actually taking this seriously! Apparently Cumberland Presbyterians don't know how to spell 'Catholicism.'

Mayor's Open Space Task Force

Mayor's Open Space Task Force
"OPEN SPACE 2100 is a planning project to help provide a long-term, sustainable roadmap for using, acquiring, developing, funding, and managing open space in San Francisco. The Planning Department, the Mayor’s Office of Greening and the Recreation and Parks Department have been working closely with other city agencies, as well as with our nonprofit partner, the Neighborhood Parks Council to create an Open Space Framework for the City of San Francisco."

Upcoming Community Workshops

MISSION
Thursday, February 19, 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Brava Theater: 2781 24th Street

POTRERO HILL
Tuesday, February 24, 7pm - 9pm
Potrero Hill Neighborhood House
953 De Haro Street at Southern Heights

PACIFIC HEIGHTS
Thursday, February 26, 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Calvary Presbyterian Church Educational Center
2515 Fillmore St.

VISITACION VALLEY
Saturday, February 28, 10am - Noon
Visitacion Valley Community Center
50 Raymond Avenue

For more information, click here

CitiScape Property Makes Front Page News!

It appears that San Francisco Planning Director John Rahaim and I share similar appreciations. Please note this front page story from yesterday’s San Francisco Chronicle…

John Rahaim values texture in a building, the tactile qualities that reward close inspection and make a structure come alive.

And he's been studying San Francisco buildings intensely in the 13 months since leaving a high-level post in Seattle to become this city's planning director.

Prior directors have used the post to shape the skyline and protect residential neighborhoods in ways that still are debated. Rahaim so far has kept a low profile - steering several long-delayed plans to final approval and now wrestling with the budget realities of a department where income from fees has fallen 25 percent in the past year.

But a low profile doesn't mean a lack of attention. As Rahaim settles into his job, he's showing an increased confidence in mapping out where the department's resources should be aimed: toward plans focused on individual streets or small districts rather than sprawling swaths of the map, for instance.

"We're entering an interesting phase in San Francisco's history," Rahaim says. "The challenge in the next round of growth is, how can we allow the city to grow with grace and texture?"

To illustrate how new buildings can enrich the civic landscape, Rahaim took a Chronicle writer on a tour last week of recent changes that, in his eyes, offer examples that others might follow, including...

Fulton Grove (Daniel Solomon, 1992)
Rahaim came upon this collection of 22 wood-shingled, three-story townhouses by chance: He almost signed a lease for one. And while he didn't close the deal, he left with an appreciation for the compact allure of the complex and, in particular, the narrow through-block "alley" with its cobbled pavement and tall eucalyptus trees that manage to make a terrain lined with garage doors feel urbane.

"The auto court is more than just a driveway because of the paving and the trees ... it's a semipublic space" offering a visual landmark and a pedestrian path, Rahaim explains. "This is a great model for South of Market."

Read more about it here

Thanks,
Jack (Proud Property Manager of Fulton Grove)

Alameda's Fresh Start Cafe

If you live in the East Bay, you're in luck (and I'm jealous). Why? Because Fresh Start Cafe in Alameda is now open!

"The cafe operates under the county's New Beginnings initiative to support at-risk youth and is part of a chain. The first Fresh Start Cafe opened last year at the Juvenile Justice Center in San Leandro. The cafes serve county staff and the public. The menu includes everything from a quick cup of coffee to fresh fruit and sandwiches. The program is an innovative public-private partnership through Alameda County and Aramark, which provides food service for the sheriff and probation departments. It is geared to help give youths from the foster care system a leg up as they search for job opportunities and transition into adulthood."

Now that's a worthy and local cause. Fresh Start Cafe is located inside the Alameda County Clerk-Recorder's Office at 1106 Madison St. and operates weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Read more about Fresh Start Cafe here.

Plans for Valentine's Day?

Plans for Valentine's Day? Consider giving back by giving blood! Click here to find a local blood center near you.

One City, Many SAFE Neighborhoods - March 12

San Francisco SAFE, Inc. celebrates One City, Many SAFE Neighborhoods
Celebrating diverse partnerships and SAFE Neighborhoods!

Thursday, March 12, 2009, 5:30 PM
At the Green Room
San Francisco War Memorial & Performing Arts Center
401 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco

SAFE invites you to join us in recognizing the importance of crime prevention education and safety awareness for all neighborhoods in San Francisco. Approximately 200 guests will enjoy SAFE's Annual Event to recognize our diverse partnerships and honor law enforcement and active Neighborhood Watch groups who have contributed to safer communities. It will also be a fun opportunity to highlight SAFE's diverse services with our "Safety First" Runway show.

$50 per person
RSVP by March 5, 2009
Space is limited
(415) 553-1984 or SAFEcity09@sfsafe.org