This Week's Top Stories

development

Developer Files Permits for 40-Story Apartment Tower on Mid-Market Parking Lot

A Chicago-based firm has filed initial permits for a 433-foot, 288-unit skyscraper at 38 8th Street that would replace a surface parking lot steps from Civic Center.

Initial permits have been filed for a potential 40-story mixed-use skyscraper at 38 8th Street in San Francisco's Mid-Market District. The high-rise proposal, reported this week by SF YIMBY and Bisnow, would replace a surface parking lot at the corner of 8th Street and Stevenson with nearly 300 apartments directly across from the Civic Center neighborhood. Manna Capital is the project developer, filing on behalf of property owner Aslanian 2006 Revocable Trust of Napa County.

music

SFJAZZ Launches 'Forward Motion' Season With Over 300 Shows; Christian McBride Opens September 10

The nonprofit jazz presenter's 2026–27 season, led by new Executive Artistic Director Terence Blanchard, opens this fall at 201 Franklin Street with jazz legends and rising stars.

SFJAZZ has launched its 2026–27 season, titled Forward Motion, marking a new chapter under Executive Artistic Director Terence Blanchard and CEO Gabrielle Armand. Across nine months and over 300 shows, programming at the SFJAZZ Center — on the corner of Franklin and Fell Streets, a block from Civic Center — spans jazz royalty to today's most innovative voices. The season features centennial celebrations of Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Antonio Carlos Jobim, and Ray Brown, alongside performances by Ron Carter, Dianne Reeves, and Branford Marsalis.

opera

San Francisco Opera Opens 104th Season With Verdi's 'Simon Boccanegra' at September 12 Gala

Opera Ball returns to City Hall and the War Memorial Opera House, with Music Director Eun Sun Kim and baritone Amartuvshin Enkhbat headlining the 2026–27 season opener.

San Francisco Opera and San Francisco Opera Guild will open the Company's 104th season on Saturday, September 12, 2026, with Opera Ball — one of the city's grandest annual cultural evenings. The night begins with a cocktail reception and dinner beneath the City Hall rotunda, then moves across Van Ness Avenue to the War Memorial Opera House for the 8 p.m. opening performance of Giuseppe Verdi's Simon Boccanegra. Music Director Eun Sun Kim conducts the San Francisco Opera Orchestra, Chorus, and a cast of top international artists.

Upcoming Events

Through September 7

Asian Art Museum: 'A Sound Work by Lala Rukh: Subh-e-Umeed'

📍 Asian Art Museum, 200 Larkin St, Civic Center · 10:00 AM–5:00 PM

Through October 2026

Civic Center Soundtrack Free Concert Series

📍 Fulton Plaza, between SF Main Library and Asian Art Museum, Civic Center · 12:00 PM–3:00 PM

Ongoing

Open Roller Skating at Fulton Plaza

📍 Fulton Plaza, Civic Center · Various times

Ongoing

Wednesday Used Book Sale at SF Main Library

📍 Larkin Street Steps, SF Main Library, 100 Larkin St, Civic Center · Various times

Thursday, September 10

SFJAZZ: Christian McBride

📍 Miner Auditorium, SFJAZZ Center, 201 Franklin St · 7:30 PM

More from the Neighborhood

Tenderloin Museum Carrying Two Fundraisers as Flood-Related Closure Stretches On

The Tenderloin Museum's summer closure — caused by water damage originating from the adjacent Cadillac Hotel in late June — is expected to last longer than initially hoped, with organizers now seeking…

Larkin Street Revival Showing Early Gains, but Drug Activity Remains a Threat to Progress

The $5 million Larkin Street Revival Project — funded by Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen and managed by the Tenderloin Community Benefit District — has already improved conditions along the Larkin corridor between…

Phoenix Hotel Survives Closure Scare, Now Operating Under New Ownership

The iconic Phoenix Hotel at 601 Eddy Street — which had announced it would close January 1, 2026, following a farewell New Year's Eve party — never actually shuttered.

40-Story Mid-Market Tower Sparks Debate Over Density, Affordability, and Parking

The filing of permits for a 433-foot residential tower at 38 8th Street has prompted debate among urban observers.