"Newsom came to us and said, 'Hey, I want to do this thing called CBDs. Can you convince property owners to vote to tax themselves?'" That is how Debra Niemann, executive director of the Noe Valley Association, described the start of the neighborhood's community benefit district to The Noe Valley Voice this September. At the time, Niemann was president of Friends of Noe Valley.
Her next line was "We were like, 'What?'"
Twenty years later, the answer to Newsom's question shows up on 24th Street every day. The flower baskets are watered, the sidewalks are swept and the chairs are set out in the Town Square. This month the Town Square turns 10 and the Noe Valley Association turns 20, and the two are celebrating together. The district that almost didn't pass in 2005 now keeps the street clean and fronts the money for the plaza's free programming until city grants pay it back.
A Four-Point Margin in 2005
The people who planned the district met over dinner every other month. They worked out boundaries, figured out which property owners had to be brought in and how to win them over. According to the Voice, the group was:
- Carol Yenne, for the Noe Valley Merchants Association, and owner of Small Frys
- Robert Ramsey and David Eiland, founders of Just for Fun & Scribbledoodles
- Paul Kantus, for the East & West of Castro Street Improvement Club
- Bob Roddick of Noe Valley Law, then president of the merchants association
- Niemann herself
Getting owners to agree to an assessment was the hard part. "It was very tough going, and it took one-on-one conversations," Niemann told the Voice. The pitch was that the first year "isn't going to be more than $1,200 a year."
In San Francisco, a CBD is created by a weighted ballot of the property owners inside the proposed district. Noe Valley's proposal passed 52 to 48. The Board of Supervisors gave final approval in the summer of 2005.
The district came up for renewal in January 2020, and the margin had grown. "When we renewed it, 15 years later, they saw the value of our work and we passed it 76 to 24," Niemann said. The renewal runs through 2035.
The Noe Valley Association is one of 16 CBDs in San Francisco. Niemann says it is also the smallest by area.
What the District Maintains
Going from a 4-point win to a 52-point win took 15 years of work people could see. Some of it is paid for by the assessment and some by city grants the association has won, and most of it is small. The Voice counted it:
| What it is | Count or schedule |
|---|---|
| Hanging flower baskets on 24th Street | 21, watered every day |
| Community benches | 28 |
| Street trees planted on 24th Street | 127 |
| Sidewalk gardens | 9 |
| Public parklets | 2 |
| Planters around the district | 22 |
| Sidewalk and gutter sweeping | Seven days a week |
| High-pressure steam cleaning | Nine times a year, March through November |
| Solar-powered Bigbelly trash cans, installed 2023 | 4 |
The four Bigbelly cans are at 24th and Castro, 24th and Noe, near the Town Square, and at 24th and Church.
The baskets are the item Niemann mentions most. "Everybody loves those flower baskets," she told the Voice. "It's the smartest thing we did, because it brings so much joy and so much color to the street. They're expensive, but they're worth it."
Upkeep is also how the association raises more money. It budgets to maintain what it installs, including replacing bench slats instead of putting benches in and moving on. Niemann told the Voice the NVA has won every city grant it has applied for. Those grants have paid for benches, recycling bins, tree planting and programming at the Town Square. "You need to show that you can maintain what you put in," she said.
The Lot That Was Once Dan's Gas
The Town Square is the biggest thing the district supports, and it began as a parking lot. The parcel on 24th Street between Sanchez and Vicksburg belonged to the Noe Valley Ministry and was once the site of Dan's Gas. The Saturday Noe Valley Farmers Market set up there for years. Moira Leslie Crawford helped start that market and later the square.
When the lot went up for sale, Residents for Noe Valley Town Square started raising money to keep it as open space. By May Day 2013, the Voice reported, the group had close to $500,000 in pledges. In June 2013, San Francisco Recreation and Park bought the lot from the Ministry. The Voice gave the price as the city's $4,242,510 appraisal, minus $350,000 for remediation.
Building the plaza cost another $2.8 million. Hoodline's opening coverage lists the funders: the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, a California Natural Resources Agency urban greening grant, the city's Open Space Acquisition Fund, the District 8 supervisor's and Mayor's offices, and the residents' group.
The ribbon was cut on October 27, 2016. The plaza covers 10,829 square feet. It has permeable pavers, gardens around the edges, a children's play area with a slide, a trellis, benches, a drinking fountain and lighting. CMG Landscape Architecture designed it and Bauman Landscape & Construction built it. Some of the old trees stayed and new ones were planted. Scott Constable and Ene Osteraas-Constable of Wowhaus made the bronze owls.
Who Pays for a Free Yoga Class
Ten years in, the square and the district depend on each other. The NVA is a 501(c)(3) and serves as the park's fiscal sponsor. It pays for events up front, then gets the money back through city grants. The square's event page says programs are supported by the city's Office of Economic and Workforce Development and the NVA, and that each one needs a Rec and Park permit.
Crawford is now the square's events coordinator. Niemann calls her the "creative brains" behind its holiday celebrations, dance classes, concerts, games and community dinners. Crawford pointed to a morning task most people never see. "It's because of her that we have a team from the NVA CBD who put out all the furnishings in the morning," she told the Voice.
So a free yoga class has several pieces behind it. The city grant covers the program in the end, the NVA carries the cost until the grant comes through, and the district crew sets out the chairs before anyone arrives.
One Storefront, Several Concepts
The building fronts along 24th Street work differently. The storefront at 4063 24th Street, between Noe and Castro, housed French restaurants for many years. Village Rotisserie moved in during 2021 and closed in 2023. Tacolicious co-owner Joe Hargrave then opened Todo el Día there. Tacolicious closed last October, and in March Bonita's owner announced he had taken over the space.
On July 8, Bonita Taqueria y Rotisserie opened in the space. It is the third San Francisco location of the family-owned chain, after Chestnut Street and Polk Street. Owner Jawad "JJ" Sweidan says he has long spent time at the Valley Tavern across the street. "I had my eye on the spot," he told the Voice. His sister, Jenna Salah, runs marketing and administration. Bonita serves brunch seven days a week until 3 p.m., and the dog-friendly back patio is still there.
According to Sweidan, the rotisserie chicken is already outselling his other two locations: "For whatever reason, this neighborhood clearly loves rotisserie chicken." A half chicken costs $16 and a whole one $26.
The address has changed hands several times since 2021, and the NVA's crews have kept sweeping the sidewalk outside through each changeover.
The Rest of October at the Square
The October calendar on the Town Square's event page runs through the end of the month. The page says events depend on weather and final permits.
- Sunday, October 18, 10 a.m. to noon. S.T.E.A.M. in the Square, run by SF Tikes Academy and SF S.T.E.A.M. Academy. Hands-on projects for kids ages 2 to 6, plus music and movement. There is no yoga that morning.
- Friday, October 23, 5 to 6 p.m. Noe Music in the Square presents Le Jazz Hot, with the Hot Club of San Francisco playing Manouche jazz. The Vibe Truck and Haystack Pizza will be on hand.
- Saturday, October 24, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. A disco party for the Town Square's 10th anniversary and the NVA's 20th. It is also a sendoff for Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman, who is finishing his last term as District 8 supervisor.
- Sunday, October 25, 11 a.m. to noon. Free all-levels yoga with Yoga Flow SF, the last class of the season. Classes return April 11, 2027.
- Tuesday, October 27, 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. The Noe Valley Night Market, with more than 40 booths, face painting, balloon art, a bounce house, and live music hosted by emcee Lambert Moss.
The night market lands exactly ten years after the ribbon cutting. At September's market, SFMTA's travel notice closed 24th Street between Sanchez and Vicksburg from 2 to 10 p.m. The street was closed on the same block where Dan's Gas once stood.
The Saturday farmers market still runs every week from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the plaza that grew out of its old parking lot.
At Mollie Poe + Declan Hickey, we follow how small, steady work like the NVA's shapes daily life along 24th Street. If you own on or near the corridor and want to talk through what that upkeep means for your property, we'd be glad to hear from you. Request a Confidential Consultation.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
