A new proposal calls for a block of 12th Street outside the Eagle Tavern to become a “leather-themed public plaza.” According to the Bay Area Reporter, the block — or a third of a block, really — between Harrison and Bernice could become SF’s newest parklet. The street would still be open to vehicular traffic, but the various plans for “Eagle Plaza” (or “Eaglet”) include sidewalk seating, a farmer's market, a movie night, hexagon modules for ergonomic smooching, and more.
Full disclosure: I love getting drunk at the Eagle more than anywhere else, and the Folsom Street Fair and Up Your Alley are my two favorite days of the year. With that said, yes, yes, yes — a thousand times yes to this.
Although everybody groaned in sync about the Castro’s rainbow-colored crosswalks, this is different for several reasons. First, while the Castro might be getting straighter these days, SOMA is in total demographic flux and the pace of development is much faster. Second, SOMA is about as park-starved as neighborhoods come, and any new open space is welcome. Third, the Eagle already closed down once for more than two years, during which time there was much gnashing of teeth and whispers of condo conversions. Fourth, an empty lot across the street from the Eagle, which has served as a stage for performances and as overflow space, is set to become housing soon, which is what spurred the parklet idea in the first place.
Supervisor Jane Kim is totally into Leather Plaza too — "I think it is beautiful," she told BAR. Designs will be shown at the Eagle beer bust this Sunday, Feb. 15. Apart from the risk that Scruff might implode, the biggest potential pitfall to keep in mind is the fate of Jane Warner Plaza in the Castro, which has lately become the site of proxy wars between homeless youth and the merchants' association. (The fact that sitting on 12th Street won’t make you feel like you’re going to be run over by the F-Market is definitely a plus though). However this turns out, I’m super pumped about browsing for heirloom tomatoes before the Cruising screening while simultaneously ogling a dude in aviators.
[Via the Bay Area Reporter; photo courtesy of Ojo de vidrio/Flickr]
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