More details have emerged on what the much-anticipated (and much-delayed) Ikea mall coming to San Francisco’s mid-market will look like after the first European site of its city concept opened Wednesday.

The Swedish ready-to-assemble furniture juggernaut opened its new foray into malls in London this week, and it looks nothing like the vast, mazy floor plans we’re used to finding on a trip to Ikea.

The company’s urban vision, named the Livat, meaning “lively gathering” in Swedish, will instead feature pop-ups, non-meatball food options, meeting spaces and no cars.

The mall in London, developed by holding company Ingka Centres, is anchored around the Ikea store, but also features other clothing and grocery outlets and a curiously named “Library of Things,” due to open later in April. The London store is cash free, but it is unclear if this will also be true of the San Francisco site. Footage of the London launch and a look inside the store, complete with staff greeting shoppers by waving Swedish flags, was shared on Reddit Thursday.

“The important thing is to create places which are of their community and where everyone is welcome,” Ingka Centres’ managing director Cindy Andersen told Forbes at the launch in London before reportedly traveling to San Francisco to check on the Market Street project. “Meeting places are more important than ever, we have to get away from this idea of ​​either/or for online and physical space. We completely believe in building places where people will create memories together. Livat is designed to be both of the community and a destination.”

945 Market Street, San Francisco.

Andrew Chamings/SFGATE

The mid-market store has been a long time coming. The vacant shopping center at 945 Market hasn’t seen a customer in over six years. After a series of false starts, the trials of the pandemic and floundering retail plans from various holding companies, in 2020 it was announced that Ingka would develop the 250,000-square-foot space into the the Livat urban concept, with an Ikea store occupying 70,000 feet of the space.

A fall 2021 opening date was targeted — and missed. A new opening date was not stated by Ingka, but the San Francisco Business Times reported it would “likely be pushed back a year.”

945 Market Street, San Francisco.

Andrew Chamings/SFGATE

Construction is now underway at 945 Market. The street windows are currently covered in Ikea decals reading, “A new Swede on the block,” and “Hej! We are creating your new meeting place, and extra space to be yourself!”

Ingka Centers did not share an opening date with SFGATE, but said they are “in the process of making significant improvements to the building, to create a welcoming and comfortable environment for visitors and the local community,” adding, “We look forward to sharing more details about this development in the near future.”

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In a letter sent to residents by property manager Hines and reviewed by SFGATE, the company apologized to tenants for the upheaval before detailing what went wrong and when the building may be safe again.

“The cause of the flooding was a main water failure on the 35th floor, which serviced the fire sprinkler system,” the letter, sent on Friday, read. “In the very brief time it took to identify and turn off the water source, an estimated 20,000 gallons of water, which is equivalent to an entire swimming pool, cascaded down through the building into elevator shafts, residential units, electrical rooms, and many other penetrations. This was simply catastrophic.”

The San Francisco Department of Building Inspection is currently investigating the tower, and released an inspection report that categorized the building as “unsafe.” The report states that 95 of the 403 rental units have water damage.

That damage can be seen in a video shared on social media last week, showing water flooding stairwells and elevators.

Hines came under fire from frustrated tenants after the flood, with residents accusing the company of leaving evacuees in the dark. After evacuation orders came via loudspeaker on the afternoon of June 3, the displaced tenants were moved to two downtown hotels with a moment’s notice. Two days later, residents who spoke with SFGATE said they were told to check out of the Hilton Union Square with no clear understanding of where they would be sent next.

“They’re treating us like dogs,” displaced resident Tyler Patterson told SFGATE. “We need reliable housing and notice to relocate.”

“We understand that the lack of information and communication challenges only added stress and frustration,” Hines acknowledged in their letter Friday.

Hines said that due to the extent of the damage, residents will not be able to return to the building until at least July 1. In the meantime they are being provided with hotel accommodations or a $300-a-day stipend.

“We know this news is extremely upsetting and will further complicate an already difficult situation,” the letter read.

Opened in 2018 as part of the Transbay development that includes the Salesforce Tower, the 35-story residence offers co-working spaces, a game room, a spa-equipped, high-end gym and even an optional butler service called Hello Alfred that can take your clothes to the dry cleaner, take the dog for a walk or order takeout food.

Market-rate one and two-bedroom apartments in the building rent for anything from $3,500 to $16,000 a month. The building also houses 54 below market rate units.

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SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – San Francisco police on Wednesday released additional details – including a body-worn camera video – relating to a fatal police shooting in the South of Market neighborhood last week.

Chief Bill Scott and other department officials held a virtual town hall on Wednesday, the death of 41-year-old Ajmal Amani, Friday November 19.

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“Without rushing to judge the appropriateness of the violence used in this particular incident, on behalf of all of us in our department, I can express our condolences to Mr. Amani’s family, friends and loved ones for the loss suffered. “Said Scott in town hall.

According to Commander Paul Yep, officers were called to a residential hotel on the 900 block of Folsom Street shortly after 8 a.m. on Friday because a man was holding a knife. The caller said she couldn’t stay on the phone because the man “put a knife in my face”.

When two officers arrived, they found the caller and another victim who said they had also been threatened with a knife. Both victims are said to be employees of the hotel.

Yep said the officers then went to Amani’s room and found a man who matched Amani’s appearance at the end of the hall, who yelled and pointed at the officers before moving back out of sight.

The video shows the officers then going back to the victims and standing in the hallway saying they wanted to speak to Amani.

Yep said at the time that one officer had drawn his department-issued pistol while the second officer was armed with something called a “beanbag weapon.” The first officer then requested additional resources, including a nearby ambulance, as well as a tactical shield that the commander said was compatible with SFPD training.

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About a minute later, Yep said that Amani then stepped back into the hallway, screaming and brandishing a knife. Then he charged the officers with the knife.

Yep said when Amani got closer, both police officers fired their guns and hit Amani who fell to the ground. Amani was shot four times by the officer with the pistol and three times by the officer with the beanbag bullets.

Videos show officers asking Amani to speak to them, but they continued to keep their distance. Minutes later, more officers with a tactical shield approached Amani and secured the knife. Officers and medical personnel then provided assistance.

Yep said Amani was taken to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The officer who fired his department-issued firearm was identified at City Hall as Officer John Quinlan, while the officer who fired the beanbag gun was identified as Officer Danny De Leon Garcia.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Amani was a former Afghan interpreter for the US special forces and had to contend with the post-traumatic stress regime. In 2019, Amani was charged with assault and fatality for allegedly slitting a city park ranger with a box cutter.

The newspaper reported that Amani was ordered to undergo a mental diversion, which he completed that year and lived in a hotel room rented by the city.

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The fatal shootout by an officer is still under investigation.

The post Particulars, Video Emerge In San Francisco Police Deadly Capturing Of Ajmal Amani In SoMa Residential Lodge – CBS San Francisco appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

Tiffany Carter grew up on foods grown in her grandmother’s garden. Plums, lemons, and apples fell from branches and practically landed on her plate. Crispy kale, harvested from the same garden, was a staple food.

But Carter’s childhood is not the norm in the Bayview neighborhood of San Francisco, where she grew up. Today, most residents don’t even have access to a well-stocked grocery store, let alone a backyard garden.

“It definitely has an impact on your psyche,” she said of the lack of food. “San Francisco is known as the Food City. People literally come from all over the world to eat here, but they don’t come to Bayview. “

Eating desert

The United States Department of Agriculture defines a “food wasteland” as a “low-income census district in which a significant proportion of the population does not have easy access to a supermarket or large grocery store.”

By that definition, the vast majority of zip code 94124 – which includes Bayview-Hunters Point – is qualified.

There are only two major grocery stores in the Bayview neighborhood – Grocery Outlet and Foods Co. – but none of these stores meet the needs of the community, especially when it comes to fresh produce and a range of ingredient options.

Local residents have gathered for a permanent solution for years, but many of the more upscale brands have poked fun at the idea of ​​invading the neighborhood. Others have come and gone. Fresh and Easy was closed in 2013. Duc Loi’s Pantry was closed in 2019.

“We were a food wasteland and people outside of Bayview were okay with that,” said supervisor Shamann Walton, who represents the neighborhood. “Things are changing, but only because we focus on creating more food security.”

The result is widespread food insecurity, or uncertainty about how to get enough nutrition to maintain a healthy diet. Instead, people turn to mom and pop stores and gas stations, where the shelves are lined with processed produce, or they eschew eating enough altogether.

“Anyone who thinks (food security) is an abstract concept is privileged to have these things already,” said LySlynn Lacoste, executive director of the community organization BMAGIC. “I think what families fight for is just the bare essentials, the bare minimum, so that they can have what others take for granted.”

Carter, who tries to combine her grandmother’s cuisine with fresh produce at her Boug Cali pop-up restaurant, hopes to change people’s perception of what is possible for the Bayview and the people who live there.

“We didn’t know anything about farmers’ markets and other options,” she said of much of her childhood. “I had to leave my church and see other things in different neighborhoods. We want whole foods here. “

There’s a straight line between the health risks Bayview residents face and the lack of healthy food nearby.

According to the 2019 Community Needs Assessment, a triennial report issued by the San Francisco Department of Health, inadequate diet and lack of physical activity contribute to nine of the top 15 causes of premature death in San Francisco: heart failure, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, prostate cancer , Colon cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, breast cancer and lung cancer.

The zip code 94124 has consistently had some of the worst health indicators compared to other citywide. Residents here are more likely to have cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and the area has one of the highest rates of avoidable emergency rooms and obesity in San Francisco.

“People have said it was genetics and poverty, which means it was the blacks’ fault,” said Michelle Pierce, executive director of Bayview-Hunters Point Community Advocates, a local nonprofit. “However, we still have the same health results. That said, it’s not a genetic thing. There are environmental pressures that need to be addressed. “

Lawyers, community leaders and elected officials point out a number of measures to improve access to food in Bayview and, consequently, improve the health of residents.

Helping each other

Bayview-Hunters Point was devastated by the pandemic. On November 11, it had by far the highest case rate of any neighborhood in The City: 1,377 confirmed positive cases per 10,000 residents, according to DPH data. The closest is the tenderloin with 970 cases per 10,000 inhabitants.

The neighborhood demonstrated the power of mutual aid among parishioners. Almost immediately, pop-up grocery banks and senior home delivery services sprang up, and community institutions like the Bayview Opera House and the YMCA stepped up service delivery and support.

They provided all kinds of help, but these groups had one thing in common: the power of established relationships.

Brittney Doyle was already running WISE Health, a public health organization providing advice and projects in underserved communities, when the pandemic broke out. She was able to start home delivery of groceries the same day the on-site lodging issue came into effect, an achievement she attributes to existing trust and knowledge of how to deliver groceries that the People actually eat.

“I know the participants and their families, and I have an insight into what the community really needs,” she said. “With this established relationship, I was able to redirect my business very quickly and identify needs.”

The city has provided funding and other support to grassroots food security groups. However, a December 2020 report from the COVID-19 Command Center, which led much of the emergency response in San Francisco, found that coordination between local government, existing organizations that can deliver large-scale food, and these grassroots groups should be improved .

“While this coordination is on an ad hoc basis, it is necessary to develop a sustainable strategy for coordinating these partnerships to ensure that fear or suspicion is not a barrier for individuals in need of access to food aid programs,” it says.

“Market to strengthen food”

Grocery banks and other delivery models are essential for now, but the ultimate goal of many community members is that Bayview residents have the right to choose their own food.

“The chalkboard is your Whole Foods. The blackboard is your safeway, ”said Frommer. “It is wonderful that it is available, but there is no choice.”

Enter the Food Empowerment Market, a place where people can pick up the food they want either at a discounted price or for free. Buyers could choose their own ingredients, and they would also have access to a communal kitchen or delivery service for the elderly and people with reduced mobility.

The idea grew out of a law introduced by District 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safai, which is allocating $ 1.5 million from the Human Services Agency to the project. It would be run by a local non-profit and take the physical space of the now-shattered Duc Loi’s Pantry on Third Street.

Walton endorses the idea, saying it would provide residents with unprecedented healthy choices, and he hopes the city will stand behind any deal that is struck between the current owners of the empty space and the Human Services Agency.

Focus on seniors and families

Food insecurity is twice as likely to affect Latinos and black seniors in San Francisco, according to the city’s COVID-19 Command Center report. Many of them live in Bayview-Hunters Point and have historically had low enrollment rates for distribution and grocery delivery programs, making them difficult to reach.

Families experience the risks of living in a food desert early and intensely.

Nearly 27% of pregnant Latina mothers and 20% of black mothers in San Francisco don’t know where their next healthy meal is coming from. Children from the same families are also most likely to consume fast food than their white peers.

“We see children come to the centers hungry,” said Gina Frommer, CEO of the San Francisco Children’s Council. “Children who are hungry don’t learn. Children who are hungry are angry. “

All efforts to address food insecurity should focus on seniors and families, two groups particularly vulnerable to food insecurity, say proponents and officials. Not only does this contribute to healthier communities, it also begins on the path to ensuring equal opportunities and access for all residents.

“That wouldn’t happen to white kids in San Francisco,” Frommer said.

cgraf@sfexaminer.com

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