{"id":28637,"date":"2023-09-20T12:24:45","date_gmt":"2023-09-20T19:24:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=28637"},"modified":"2023-09-20T12:24:46","modified_gmt":"2023-09-20T19:24:46","slug":"when-a-movie-house-becomes-homes-alexandria-theater-unveils-new-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2023\/09\/20\/when-a-movie-house-becomes-homes-alexandria-theater-unveils-new-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"When a movie house becomes homes: Alexandria Theater unveils new plan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/users\/profile\/James%20Salazar\">By James Salazar | Examiner staff writer |<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sep 19, 2023\u00a0Updated\u00a016 hrs ago (SFExaminer.com)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-74.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-28643\" srcset=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-74.png 640w, https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-74-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-74-150x100.png 150w, https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-74-225x150.png 225w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"4\" height=\"3\" src=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-69.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-28638\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Supervisor Connie Chan (right) and Yorke Lee (left), owner of the Alexandria Theater, announced on Tuesday a plan to convert the long-vacant Alexandria Theater into 76 housing units.&nbsp;Craig Lee\/The Examiner<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The Inner Richmond\u2019s dilapidated Alexandria Theater could soon become housing as part of yet another revitalization plan for the long-vacant space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/news\/education\/city-college-faculty-board-welcome-supes-probe-of-finances\/article_26a3d1b4-53f8-11ee-96bf-43ca9644d118.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan<\/a>&nbsp;and TimeSpace Alexandria LLC jointly announced Tuesday that The City and the building owner are exploring a development agreement to convert the aging movie theater into 76 housing units, with an unspecified amount being dedicated to on-site affordable housing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chan said that she would collaborate with the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/news\/transit\/sf-city-attorney-asks-for-revote-on-cruise-waymo-expansion\/article_46a171d2-5273-11ee-8710-eff3b8df766b.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">city attorney<\/a>&nbsp;and the planning department, with additional input from the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/news\/business\/why-17-sf-small-businesses-bet-big-on-downtown-turnaround\/article_2452978e-42b8-11ee-9c02-3fdaf5a5f11f.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Office of Economic Workforce and Development<\/a>, to ensure that the plan materializes. She introduced legislation&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/sfrichmondreview.com\/2023\/03\/08\/press-release-chan-seeks-to-landmark-alexandria-theatres-resources\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">in March<\/a>&nbsp;to designate the theater as a landmark and preserve its marquee and blade sign, the latter of which was removed after it was damaged in a series of January storms. The legislation would also preserve the theater\u2019s grand chandelier and art deco mural.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSan Franciscans want to see the history preserved, but we also want to move forward,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s time.&nbsp;I\u2019m just so pleased that we are finally able to turn a new page for this historic site.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Amid an ongoing housing shortage and homelessness crisis, The City must&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/news\/housing\/at-current-permit-pace-sf-needs-263-years-to-meet-housing-element\/article_46c99b4e-51a6-11ee-a426-8fb22f94f967.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">build 81,000 new homes by 2031<\/a>&nbsp;in order to meet its state-mandated housing goals. San Francisco officials have sought to speed up the process of converting unused commercial spaces into housing, including&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/news\/housing\/how-sf-leaders-want-to-convert-vacant-downtown-office-space\/article_23a3b8b6-0c5f-11ee-be24-975d67091f43.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">vacant offices downtown<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chan said she would ask the Historic Preservation Commission to delay considering the theater a landmark so that The City could work on its development agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since the Alexandria closed in 2004, none of the plans to transform the space on Geary Street have come to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-75.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-28644\" srcset=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-75.png 300w, https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-75-150x100.png 150w, https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-75-225x150.png 225w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"4\" height=\"3\" src=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-73.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-28642\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Local business owners have suggested that beautification projects could be done on the building&#8217;s exterior while work is done on the development agreement.Craig Lee\/The Examiner<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/archives\/after-years-of-delay-swimming-pool-set-to-open-inside-richmond-district-s-alexandria-theater\/article_0d089a82-cae3-5494-9241-9c9647007a77.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">last plan for the theater<\/a>, located along one of San Francisco\u2019s major commercial corridors, would\u2019ve converted it into a multi-story mixed-use space with offices and two swimming pools. The planning department approved the project, but the COVID-19 pandemic and financial constraints shuttered those plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI want to use our full strengths to speed up this process, hopefully to be a successful project, to be a win-win situation for everybody.\u201d Yorke Lee, TimeSpace\u2019s founder, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sean Kim, co-owner of the nearby Joe\u2019s Ice Cream shop, said that he was optimistic about the housing project as it offered a solution to a source of blight in the neighborhood. While The City explores Chan\u2019s conversion plan, he suggested that beautification projects \u2014 like painting murals on the walls facing 18th Avenue \u2014 could be done to the building\u2019s exterior in the meantime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The City and developers will seek community once the plan\u2019s details are finalized. Chan said it was important to preserve a piece of the neighborhood\u2019s past while creating \u201ca flexibility for housing and development because that\u2019s what we need.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cPeople said, \u2018That\u2019s not possible. You can only have one or the other.\u2019 \u2026 We\u2019re going to work this together and work it out because we can do this,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Inner Richmond\u2019s dilapidated Alexandria Theater could soon become housing as part of yet another revitalization plan for the long-vacant space. San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan&nbsp;and TimeSpace Alexandria LLC jointly announced Tuesday that The City and the building owner are exploring a development agreement to convert the aging movie theater&#8230; <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2023\/09\/20\/when-a-movie-house-becomes-homes-alexandria-theater-unveils-new-plan\/\"> Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr; <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1103],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28637"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28637"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28637\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28645,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28637\/revisions\/28645"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28637"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}