Amoeba Music among those considering legal action against Haight tent village

As Hoodline reports, the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco is planning to utilise a car park for the first 'safe sleeping site' in the district.

Dean Preston, the District Five supervisor of city's Board of Supervisors, announced last week that a former McDonald's car park would be used as a tent village for unhoused people during the COVID-19 pandemic. The site is intended to become a housing development in the future, with construction expected to start in 2022.

The site intents to adhere to social distancing measures, with people spaced six feet apart, and with an approximate total of 50 residents at one time. The site will also provide water and basic hygeine facilities.

Haight's tent village is considered as a response to the current coronavirus pandemic, and aims to help reduce the spread of coronavirus. However, many of the neighbours that have properties backing onto the car park have expressed their disagreement with the district's decision, including the Amoeba Music managing partner Joe Goldmark, who is apparently leading the efforts to try and oppose the tent village, and is working with a legal team. Paul Geffner of Escape From New York Pizza (which is only a few doors down) also shares Goldmark's views.

San Francisco's Amoeba Music store is still currently closed due to the ongoing pandemic, but Goldmark says, "We're contemplating our legal alternatives."

Hoodline notes that one of the opposition groups, The Cole Valley Improvement Association (CVIA) wrote in their letter that they're concerned about "the risk of COVID-19 outbreak and spread in the community, [with] this location being in a high-foot-traffic area that residents depend on."

Although neighbours are concerned about the presence of the tent village and the movement of the people staying there, site administrators Larkin Street Youth Services and the Homeless Youth Alliance have said they will monitor the car park, and disperse groups in or around it. Meals will also be provided at the site, so residents won't have to leave for food.

Apparently work on the tent village site is currently underway, and will be set up in a matter of days, according to Preston's office.