The Revolving Door of SoMa

The loft is 2100 sq. feet with large windows and bamboo color wood floors. The look of his furniture is minimal, sleek and impeccably pristine. Just like a typical bachelor’s pad the smell of leather and cologne exudes independence and wealth.

Kreisler Ng, 28, a business consultant lives in the new lofts on 5^th Street and Folsom Street and commutes to San Jose for work.

“ I’ve lived in the Sunset and San Jose and I just wanted to live in SoMa because it’s much more lively.”

He admits that living behind 1015 Nightclub can become a nuisance when club goers roam around the streets inebriated but says for the most part the noise doesn’t bother him.

“ I feel very fortunate to live here and to be able to afford to live here” Ng said.

Ng is a representation of the new face of SoMa and what could become the majority.The young, the rich, and the educated.

South of Market over the decades served as a transient neighborhood that housed many people from all walks of life.

The ever evolving neighborhood was once home to struggling artists, punk musicians and immigrants from Mexico and the Philippines.

In 1990, Filipinos comprised 30 percent of the population and became the largest ethnic group in South of Market. Today they are currently 5 percent of the population living in SoMa whom most are working in the district in hotels, restaurants, and commercial businesses.

MC Canlas, 50, lived in South of Market for 8 years said that everyone has credited Daly City as the center of the Filipino community but SoMa has always been the true stomping grounds.

As Canlas sits in his office at the Bayanihan Community Center, on Mission and 6^th Street, he said “ SoMa is where we struggled, so it just makes sense that the driving center is here.”

The struggle Canlas is referring to occurred in 1977 when 50 Filipino and Chinese immigrants received eviction notices to move out of their one bedroom home at the International Hotel which unofficially was considered “Manilatown”. Many of those who were evicted were in their 70’s and 60’s relocated to SoMa.

Gentrification is nothing new to San Francisco let alone in SoMa. Every year in SoMa a new apartment complex springs up and affordable housing becomes one of many challenges plaguing this neighborhood.

Jim Meko, chairman of The Western Task Force primary goal is to “ preserve and enchance” SoMa.

Meko has lived in South of Market for 32 years and can recall what it was like during the 1970’s.

“There was a series of murders the first year I was here and quite a few muggings. It was scary but there was an incredible sense of freedom and community too” Meko said.

The amount of good stories Meko shared out numbered the bad. Which explains why he still lives in the “Seedy” district and also explains why he is running for a seat on the board of supervisor for District 6 this upcoming election.

Meko’s fondest memory his past were Friday afternoons at the Ambush.

“ The Ambush was a neighborhood bar that was a real focal point for the community. A real "Cheers" kind of bar with a beloved cast of regulars” said Meko.

He adds, “I found an apartment that was practically next door. Started a business there a few years later. As independent entrepreneurs, we chose to close at noon every Friday so we could meet a couple friends at the Ambush and play pinball all afternoon. The bar is gone and the friends have moved on but we still close at noon on Fridays.”

Change is inevitable. Bars and businesses have come and gone throughout the years. Churches and schools are also not exempt for foreclosure especially in tough economic times.

More recently this past June, Catholic Charities CYO which runs the Children’s Village Child Development Center, announced they will be closing it’s location on 10^th Street between Howard and Folsom “due to re-structuring of the agency” said Gabrielle Slanina, communications cfficer of Catholic Charities CYO.

The prekindergarten school will close June of 2010, leaving parents and students with no alternate location for child care.

Slanina said “ We are working with parents to help with the transition.”

The closure of the school affects the parents who now have to find other locations outside of SoMa. But more importantly in the long term, the closure will affect the district’s demographic as a whole.

Currently, the neighborhood isn’t ideal for families and without institutions for child care or service catering to their everyday needs, SoMa will continue to shape into a domain for singles.

While Ng who lives a mere walking distance from bars and night clubs occasionally enjoy a night out every week with friends and co-workers.

Ng said, “ I don’t really have any idea of what I want SoMa to be because I don’t plan to settle here. It’s just fine for me for right now.”