This Week's Top Stories

Cole Valley

Cole Valley Is Having a Moment — New Shops and Restaurants Are Reshaping the Strip

An SF Standard feature published September 3 documents the wave of new businesses quietly transforming the neighborhood's compact commercial corridor.

A deep look at Cole Valley published September 3 by the SF Standard finds the neighborhood's tiny commercial corridor — running about one and a half blocks along Cole Street between Parnassus and Carl — in the middle of a notable revival. The strip already packs nearly a dozen eateries, two coffee shops, a hardware store, an upscale grocer, a gym, and an urgent care center into a remarkably small footprint. What has changed is a rash of new arrivals filling spaces that sat vacant for years.

Golden Gate Park

'Forever Grateful, Golden Gate Park' Opens Saturday With the Furthur Bus on Public Display for the First Time

The Haight Street Art Center's immersive Grateful Dead exhibition opens September 5 at the County Fair Building in Golden Gate Park, anchored by Ken Kesey's legendary bus making its first-ever public appearance.

One of the most anticipated cultural openings of the fall arrives Saturday, September 5, just down the hill from Haight-Ashbury: the Haight Street Art Center's 'Forever Grateful, Golden Gate Park,' an immersive exhibition running through October 25 at the County Fair Building in Golden Gate Park. The show is the second and culminating chapter of a two-part tribute to the Grateful Dead.

Haight-Ashbury

Upzoning Is Now Law on Haight and Carl Streets — HANC Turns to a Historic District as a Counterweight

With the Family Zoning Plan passed in December 2025 allowing buildings up to six stories on Haight and Carl, the Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council is pushing for a broader historic district — and its September meeting will bring a Doolan-Larson House update.

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed the Family Zoning Plan 7–4 in December 2025, meeting a state mandate and clearing the way for buildings up to six stories on neighborhood commercial corridors — including Haight Street and Carl Street, which previously maxed out at four stories. The rezoning also allows up to 16 stories on Market Street.

Upcoming Events

Sunday, September 20

47th Annual Haight-Ashbury Street Fair

📍 Haight Street (Masonic Ave. to Stanyan St.), San Francisco · 11:00 AM–5:30 PM

Sunday, September 20

45th Annual Comedy Day in the Park

📍 Robin Williams Meadow (Sharon Meadow), Golden Gate Park · 12:00 PM–5:00 PM

Sunday, September 27

Cole Valley Fair

📍 Cole St. between Frederick & Grattan and Parnassus Ave. between Shrader & Belvedere · 10:00 AM–5:00 PM

Through September 20

Flower Piano 2026 at SF Botanical Garden

📍 San Francisco Botanical Garden, 1199 9th Ave., Golden Gate Park · 10:00 AM–6:00 PM

Through October 25

Forever Grateful, Golden Gate Park — Immersive Exhibition

📍 County Fair Building, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco · Various times

More from the Neighborhood

PG&E Outage Darkens Haight-Ashbury and Western Addition in Year's Sixth Major Blackout

An unplanned PG&E power outage struck Haight-Ashbury, the Western Addition, and surrounding neighborhoods on August 29, 2026 — the sixth significant citywide outage of the year, according to Hoodline.

Doolan-Larson House Partner Selection Still Pending After June Proposal Deadline

San Francisco Heritage received final proposals from three development teams on June 12, 2026 for the future of the landmark Doolan-Larson House and Storefronts at the corner of Haight and Ashbury streets.…