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Hope for the Harding Theater

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Multiple attempts have been made over the last 10 years to replace the Harding Theater and its stage with market-rate condominiums, but the Harding’s status as a historic community resource under state law has successfully protected it from demolition.  Just last week, after another demolition proposal from Summer/Fall 2012 was met with roadblocks at the Planning Department, Divisadero Hayes LLC placed the Harding Theater back on the market for $4.2 million — a $600K increase from the Harding’s list price in 2012 (when Neighbors Developing Divisadero developed its original fundraising strategy to purchase it) and a  whopping $2.5 million increase from the amount Divisadero Hayes LLC payed for the property in 2003.  But no matter how valuable Divisadero real estate becomes, it seems unlikely that a profit-driven enterprise will emerge with a willingness to invest $4.2 million for site control and an additional $2-$5 million in renovations (especially with the legal restrictions for future development that were recently upheld by the Planning Department).
Now that the Harding Theater is back on the market, Neighbors Developing Divisadero hopes that Michael Klestoff and the other members of Divisadero Hayes LLC will keep their minds, hearts, and business-sense open to viable offers that benefit the community while providing a reasonable return on their ongoing financial investment. As the founder and Executive Director of Neighbors Developing Divisadero, I am once again having conversations with neighbors, investors, community groups, local merchants, and city government officials in order to support a community-minded, collaborative, and financially sustainable plan to revitalize the Harding Theater.

Despite the frustration that Michael Klestoff has experienced with both the Planning Department and supporters of the Harding Theater over the past decade, Michael has proven himself to be a community-minded individual via his substantial and ongoing support of the Russian Community Center.  The Russian Community Center is a beautiful historic building just up the road from the Harding Theater at Sutter and Divisadero, with a 550+ seat ballroom/theater, a full gymnasium, dance studio, office, restaurant space, and meeting rooms (russiancentersf.com).  Just as Michael Klestoff loves and supports what he values in his community, thousands upon thousands of Divisadero neighbors and neighborhood supporters would love to see the Harding Theater live up to the original promise of its developer Samuel H. Levin, who built the Harding Theater to be the “center of its community recreational life, enhancing the enjoyment of its people as the building of the theater increased the material value of surrounding property”.
I encourage readers to check out the original Harding Hive vision and contact info@nddivis.org with further questions and/or interest in getting involved.
In community,
Amy Farah Weiss
Founder/Board President of Neighbors Developing Divisadero

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