Mention Bayview or Hunters Point, and many San Franciscans’ thoughts still leap, as a knee jerks under the doctor’s hammer, to smokestacks, violent crime, and Candlestick Park. But with the launch of the Third Street light rail system, the shuttering of PG&E’s main power plant, and the opening of the DA’s first satellite office, that reaction—if it was ever jus­tified—needs a serious update. Even prior to the 721-acre redevelopment of the Hunters Point Shipyard and environs that got a thumbs-up from voters in June, lots of people were already making new things happen. Well, not just people—hearty businesses and civic ventures, too.

In addition to Arts 94124, a gallery that showcases local artists’ work, quality caffeine fixes seem to have become a top priority. The first offspring of the Mission’s beloved Ritual Coffee Roasters has turned up in the spacious Flora Grubb Gardens, a stunning indoor/outdoor nursery. The California-casual styled Javalencia is nearby, as is Webspot, the brainchild of neighborhood resident FJ Cava. The café doubles as Cava’s entrepreneurial solution to Bayview’s connectivity problems; its Surf 4 Success program allows users to explore the web onsite to earn points toward computer hardware or software. The café also offers classes in basic Internet, word processing, spreadsheet, and blogging skills. Though Webspot has been open only since March, the neighbors are already pleading with Cava to extend its hours.



Down Third Street, the Martin Luther King Jr. Pool (home to both the U.S. Olympic synchronized swimming team and lap lovers of every stripe) will soon be surrounded by 340 condos and the area’s very first full-service grocery store, Fresh & Easy, in the building that once housed a Coca-Cola factory. In keeping with the healthy-eating spirit, the Quesada Gardens Initiative began a colorful public garden, spawned two more, and is now, with the help of the University of San Francisco’s BayBloom program, working to install as many as 12 backyard gardens this summer—and 50 in the next year—so residents have access to homegrown produce.

In another groundbreaking effort, Bayview will become home to San Francisco’s first off-the-grid building, potentially outgreening the rest of the city. Slated to open this winter, Literacy for Environmental Justice’s EcoCenter in Heron’s Head Park will feature environmental programs for local youth in classrooms with a living roof, housed in an edifice that runs entirely on recycled water and solar and wind power. How’s that for beating San Francisco at its own game?

Arts 94124: 3900B 3rd St., arts94124.wordpress.com; Javalencia: 3900 3rd St., 415-647-7420; Webspot: 4744 3rd St., 415-642-5494, sfwebspot.com; Martin Luther King Jr. Pool: 5701 3rd St., 415-822-2807; Fresh & Easy: 5800 3rd St.; Quesada Gardens: quesadagardens.org; Literacy for Environmental Justice EcoCenter: lejyouth.org