The following are excerpts from:

The Registry

October 2008

RETAIL SPARKS SIXTH STREET TRANSFORMATION

By Michelle Savage

The San Francisco Redevelopment Agency and Urban Solutions overhaul Sixth Street

... the redevelopment agency has funded numerous street improvements and is in the process of spending millions of dollars to expand the sidewalks, help renovate buildings and install vintage light poles and trees along the Sixth Street corridor - all with the intention of attracting new business and making the streets more pedestrian friendly.

... Sixth Street is considered by many as the gateway to San Francisco, because it is a popular route through the city from the freeway, says Mike Grisso, the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency's project manager for the South of Market neighborhood. Since 2003, the redevelopment agency has worked with Urban Solutions, a non-profit agency in San Francisco, to attract businesses to the area and help them succeed. In 2003, Urban Solutions launched Sixth Street Economic Revitalization Program and has since managed the completion of 61 facade and tenant improvement projects. It has another 35 in the works.

... This summer's new openings include Miss Saigon Restaurant, a Vietnamese restaurant located at the corner of Sixth and Mission Streets. Mi Tierra Market, a 5,000 square foot market with very affordable produce stands outside, opened in July at Howard and Sixth Streets. ... Developer Steve Barton and partner Frank Andre are building the Passion Cafe, a cafe and bistro with a rooftop garden, on Sixth and Stevenson Streets. According to Barton, the building will feature solar panels and a rooftop garden.

... Approximately 1,000 new and renovated residential units have been built on Sixth Street and nearby streets since 1990, and several more have been proposed recently. AGI Capital has proposed a few hundred units at Fifth and Folsom Streets, and Ridge Housing plans to develop 55 units at Sixth and Natoma streets.

... The current and proposed changes to Sixth Street have inspired a new sense of hope and excitement in the neighborhood.