[ad_1]
Before there was food trucks, there were lunch carts, a late 19th century restaurant trend that would evolve into what we now call late night diners. One of these has been preserved in Polk Gulch’s Grubtake Diner, although the lunchtime railcar component is now only built into the facade of the building that has served as a restaurant since 1919.
It’s been six years since the building’s new owners (Jimmy Cosnos and Mayes Oyster House owners Nick Pigott) proposed demolition and replacement with a seven-story condominium project that would rebuild the restaurant and raise 28 units. This project was scaled down the following year, but expanded again this year with a government density bonus. And the new version received planning commission approval on Thursday for an 83-foot, eight-story mixed-use building with 21 residential units.
The above rendering by the Kerman Morris design studio shows what the new 1525 Pine Street project would look like after completion with the “Grubstake 2.0” on the ground floor. And the Grubtake Diner component brought an unexpected voice to the planning committee meeting.
“This is Juanita MORE !, Empress of the Imperial Council of San Francisco,” said the well-known drag queen and aspiring tenderloin restaurant character during a public comment on the matter. “I’m 30 years old too [District 3] Resident and 30 year old customer of the Grubtake. I agree to this current buildout. I’ve spoken to the owners, I’ve seen the plans. I am very happy with it. When the Austin went up, I found it to be an eyesore. There are parts of the grubtake that I believe will be built into the new building, which I’m very excited about. It’s been part of the LGBTQ + community for a long time. “
If MORE! refers to the Austin, she means a neighboring residential complex whose residents are not too happy that the new building is extinguishing their sunlight.
“Why would you ruin the living quality of 20 units in the Austin lightwell for six units in the new building?” Commented commentator Patricia Rose, referring to the affected units.
The blocked sunlight was the main source of resistance from the planning commission, although the project uses artificial light to compensate for the neighbors’ lost sunlight. “A 50 percent reduction in light has a negative impact on health,” said Commissioner Kathrin Moore (no reference to Juanita MORE!). “Even though it’s a well-designed building, it’s still not designed in context.”
But Moore and Commissioner Sue Diamond were the only opponents of the project in the Commission’s 4-2 approval.
Everyone who spoke up was in favor of the Grubtake Diner being completely rebuilt and restored. The restaurant has a significant historical connection with the LGBTQ + community from a time when Polk Gulch was the epicenter of the city’s gay culture. But the addition of bigger, taller apartments at market price might lead some who remember that time to say, “There goes the gay world.”
[ad_2]
