Richmond Recreation Center — Local services in San Francisco

The other review, which talks about "things stuffed to the ceilings", has nothing to do with the Richmond Rec Center, at 251 18th Ave in San Francisco, which is a relatively new facility which includes a number of activities, including an indoor basketball court, and off-street parking. It was built on property once called the Sutro Annex, owned by Park & Rec, and then transferred to the SF Unified School District, which used it for temporary school structures.

After sitting closed and abandoned for years, the SFUSD sold it to developers who planned to build an over-sized multi-unit condo complex on the site. When the local neighbors learned of the project around 1986, and also discovered the rule-bending that had allowed the project to proceed, they formed a group called the Sutro Annex Neighborhood Group, with a membership of over 400.

After over two years of battles at City Hall, fund-raising (including a huge neighborhood garage sale that raised over $3,000 for legal fees), the S.A.N.G. prevailed, stopping the condo project in favor of building the Richmond Recreation Center, with both a unanimous decision in their favor by the SF Board of Supervisors and a simultaneous executive order from then-Mayor Feinstein. The effect was to re-zone the location to prevent the condos, and to allow the building of...

Center leaves me with mixed feelings. I went to play at the "Drop-in" pickle ball court and the director was very nice, as I had never played pickle ball before and he directed me to the beginners' court. The players were nice, but a few minutes into the game a coordinator came by and told me that I couldn't play there, and that I had to go learn the game somewhere else before playing at the center. I was shocked and bewildered as this is a "Drop-in" activity and not a reserved or private court activity. Anyway, I'm not likely to return where I was...

Lovely gym still on the newish side. There are cooking classes that are in great demand. Never was able to get in one though. The Chinese elder community love to play ping pong there, or hang out and watch others play. They look pretty good, too. There are dancing classes, kung fu, basketball. I am sure there are way more things I don't even know about. Nice little parking lot, with beautiful landscaping and an art installation just outside the...