NNN Brokers USA – San Francisco Commercial Real Estate Brokers: "The Scoop"

[it's hella yella via Curbed Flickr Pool/Bhautik Joshi]

· Seating options while you wait for the bus [Muni Diaries]
· Bay Area 2nd grader wins Google design contest [NBC Bay Area]
· Speed limits for Golden Gate Bridge cyclists debated [SF Appeal]
· DIY gardening happening on Grove and Octavia [We Built This City]
· See 8 Frank Lloyd Wright originals for sale [Zillow Blog]

The WSJ recently reported that San Francisco has the the least amount of kids per household in California, according to U.S. census data compiled by the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health. 37.6% of households in California have children, but San Francisco only has 17.7%. The foundation didn’t say why San Francisco has a lower percentage of homes with children, but one would suspect it’s because the cost of living’s so high here. [WSJ]

[San Francisco Symphony Hall via Curbed Flickr Pool/Todd Lappin]

· Sacramento Street corner has identity issues [Polk Sheet]
· Parklets begin sprouting up on Polk Street [Streetsblog SF]
· Photos of building BART [SF Gate]
· Pretty into this whole BYOB(us stop) look [Mission Mission]
· Check out the 2011 Film Night in the Park schedule [SFist]
· How to park illegally on Cortland [Bernalwood]

Click the image above to view the full photogallery.

Back in March we told you about this magical wonderland that’s on the Vulcan stairway in Corona Heights. The views! The gardens! Three floors! And those steps. Commenters speculated that it’d have a hard time finding a buyer because of the lack of parking and way, way too many stairs. But find a buyer it did, folks! And basically for asking. 1 Vulcan sold this week for $950,000, which is a grand more than it was originally asking. Congrats to the lucky buyer! You’re about to have thighs of steel.

· “Magical” Vulcan Stairway House [Curbed SF]

· Big Reveal: Pricing a Beautifully Inaccessible House [Curbed SF]

· 1 1A Vulcan [Redfin]

Click here to view the full photogallery.

While we at Curbed SF have a good idea how passionate our readers are about dogs vs. plovers (deeply) and bikes vs. stop signs (ambivalent), how do you feel about golf vs. reptiles and amphibians? Because a fight’s a-fixin’ over just that at Sharp Park, the public golf course where golfers and environmentalists have been heaving divots at each other over the flooding of habitat around the remains of an ancient wetlands, the Laguna Salada. The animals in question are the San Francisco Garter Snake and the California Red-Legged Frog, and while the 417-acre Sharp Park and its eponymous golf course are in San Mateo County, it’s owned and maintained by San Francisco’s Park & Rec. Lawsuits were filed earlier this year, no doubt in part to light a fire under Park & Rec’s plan to alter drainage of the course to both keep the critters from drowning and cut back on water use- at a course with a reputation for being “soggy”.

This week, Supervisor John Avalos weighed in, saying he would begin to draft legislation to transfer Sharp Park to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and citing budget constraints:

The park facilities around the city are overwhelmed by budget cuts, so trying to find savings and a broader recreational use for Sharp Park makes sense.

Of course, there’s a mayoral election coming up and one endangered species- San Francisco’s few hundred golfers- is complaining Avalos is cynically supporting the adorable amphibians and gaily-attired reptiles to woo green-conscious SF voters. Images of all three species in the gallery above.
· Sharp Park Working Group (.pdf) Red & Parks]
· Avalos Adds New Wrinkle to Sharp Park Dispute [Mercury News]
· San Francisco Garter Snake [California Herps]
· California Red-Legged Frog [California Herps]
· Worst Dressed Golfers Ever [Bleach Report]

San Francisco’s landscape provides a plethora of backdrops for romance, so The Bold Italic compiled a group photo essay of San Francisco’s most romantic spots. Alamo Square at night, strolling through Golden Gate Park, enjoying a view of the ocean, happy people at City Hall… the photos make us a tad misty-eyed. Click through to see romance in action. [The Bold Italic/photo by Laura Brunow Miner]

Day of Action to Prevent Utility Box Blight Lunch suggestion for Monday, May 23: grab a Banh Mi at Saigon Sandwich on Larkin Street, then head over to City Hall for a demonstration against the sidewalk boxes AT&T is proposing for installation around town. Although we have to caution- this being San Francisco, you’ll actually be protesting AT&T’s exemption from lots of paperwork, not the boxes themselves. Plus some U-Verse supporters may be organizing a counter-demonstration, but will be eating Burger King Filet-o-Fish. [SFBeautiful, and previously at Curbed SF]

We recently came across Mint Condition Homes, a redevelopment company buying up distressed, bank-owned properties, and turning them into adorable, affordable housing over in Oakland. Yes, all these homes fit into our Under 500k Club, but you’re getting a lovingly-rehabbed, green-designed house instead of a lot of the crazy stuff we sometimes feature, like the loft last week that required you to kick out a roommate. Yes, we often yearn for the more affordable life across the Bay, and these cute digs are having us thinking about changing to a 510.

We talked to Mila Zelkha, founder of Mint Condition, about her design and rebuild process. Of course, the hip thing to be right now is green, and they bring some cred to that game: they were recently named the “Green Building Champion” by Build It Green and have had several properties GreenPoint rated. That, and they seem to take a no-nonsense approach to renovating, salvaging and reusing where they can and avoiding “just taking a crowbar and sledgehammer to everything,” as Mila told us.

So, the houses. Most are bungalows from the 1920s or 30s, and the firm redoes them with warm colors and updates, while keeping any original period charm. The aesthetic is very vintage/etsy/”put a bird on it,” but we’re digging it. A personal favorite is this 2-bed, 1-bath house on Madera which recently sold for $365,000. We’ve only seen houses under $400,000, which, while not cheap, is affordable for city living. Mint Condition takes the most distressed properties — the houses that investors won’t even touch because they require too much work — and turns them into polished housing stock without slapping granite all over everything.

What’s not to like about this concept? Even in the midst of so many foreclosures, these properties are getting snapped up faster than most on the market. We think they’re positively adorable, especially for those moving East once baby time comes up. Tick tock.
· Loft Comes Complete with Mortgage-Paying Roommate [Curbed SF]
· 3455 Laurel [Redfin]
· Mint Condition Homes [website]
· Under 500K Club [Curbed SF archives]

Click here to view the full photogallery.

A 2-bed, 2-bath, 1,560 square foot flat in Eureka Valley just landed on the market with an asking price of $795,000. The exterior and interior is quintessential San Francisco, and would be a pleasure to come home to. Throughout the space you’ve got high ceilings, decorative and custom mouldings and hardwood floors. There are two fireplaces, one in the living room and the other in the dining room. There’s 2-car parking in the garage for a fee of $225 and monthly HOA dues of $220. And hey! You’re within walking distance of San Francisco’s favorite park.

· 347 Sanchez [Redfin]

[1st Street, SF #2 via Curbed Flickr Pool/bacalao]

· Which natural disaster is most likely to kill you? There’s a graph [oi9]
· BART ticket machines now work with Clipper [SF Appeal]
· Jello Biafra Isn’t a Fan of Valencia Street lovers [Uptown Almanac]
· This week’s Board of Supervisors power rankings [SFist]
· Recovery for new home sales: uneven, long-term [WSJ]