Save this week's edition:

This Week's Top Stories

housing

Empire Theater Site Proposal Nearly Triples in Size, Sparking New West Portal Battle

A 12-story, 172-unit apartment tower has been proposed for 85 West Portal Avenue — nearly triple the 64-unit plan unveiled just months ago — reigniting debate over density and neighborhood character.

A development that first surfaced in early 2026 as a modest nine-story, 64-unit project on the site of the shuttered Empire Theater at 85 West Portal Avenue has been dramatically expanded. The revised proposal, filed by DM Development on behalf of property owner Empire West Portal LLC, now calls for a 12-story mixed-use building with 172 rental apartments above ground-floor retail and a basement garage — nearly tripling the original unit count.

Read the full story: SFist →
transit

SFMTA Completes Final Beautification Phase at West Portal Station This Week

Decorative crosswalks are being painted this week at Ulloa Street and West Portal Avenue, wrapping up the multi-year safety and community space improvement project at the neighborhood's central transit hub.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency announced that crews are painting decorative crosswalks at West Portal Station beginning the week of September 2 — the final piece of a multi-phase safety and beautification project that was set in motion after a driver struck and killed a family of four at a bus stop near the…

Read the full story: SFMTA →
SFSU

GatorFest 2026 Kicks Off at SFSU With Months of Campus Events

San Francisco State University's annual welcome celebration launched this week with more than two months of activities for new and returning students, running through November 20.

San Francisco State University's GatorFest 2026 is underway, bringing new and returning students together for an extended series of events stretching from late August through Friday, November 20. The annual celebration is designed to help students find community, discover campus resources, and settle into life at SFSU and San Francisco.

Read the full story: SFSU News →

Upcoming & Ongoing in the Neighborhood

Wednesday, September 17

West Portal Wine Walk

The West Portal Merchants Association's biannual Wine Walk returns, with wine tastings at participating businesses along West Portal Avenue. Tickets include tastings and access to special discounts; pick up a commemorative glass and merchant map at check-in.

  • Location:West Portal Avenue (starting at Armstrong Carpet, 369 West Portal Ave)
  • Time:Various times
Verify details →

Tuesday, September 22

Author Event: Nina Schuyler — Open the Floodgates

Bookshop West Portal hosts local author Nina Schuyler to celebrate her new book, joined by author Lauren C. Johnson. Free RSVP encouraged; event is in-store.

  • Location:Bookshop West Portal, 80 West Portal Ave
  • Time:7:00 PM
Verify details →

Friday, September 26 – Saturday, October 4

SF Good Neighbor Week

The Greater West Portal Neighborhood Association joins the city-wide San Francisco Good Neighbor Week, a second-annual celebration started by President Jimmy Carter in 1978. The citywide kickoff event and Parade of Neighborhoods takes place September 26 at noon at Civic Center Plaza.

  • Location:West Portal neighborhood and citywide
  • Time:Various times
Verify details →

Sunday, September 27

Lake Merced Half Marathon & 4.5-Mile Run

DSE Runners hosts its annual half marathon (three loops around the 4.5-mile paved Lake Merced path) and a single-loop 4.5-mile option. Race check-in begins at 7:00 AM; held rain or shine, no refunds.

  • Location:Lake Merced Main Parking Lot, Lake Merced & Sunset Blvds, San Francisco, 94132
  • Time:8:00 AM
Verify details →

Tuesday, September 29

Author Event: Helene Wecker — Gates of Midnight

Bookshop West Portal hosts author Helene Wecker for the release of Gates of Midnight. Free RSVP encouraged; event is in-store.

  • Location:Bookshop West Portal, 80 West Portal Ave
  • Time:7:00 PM
Verify details →

Through Friday, November 20

SFSU GatorFest — Ongoing Campus Events

GatorFest 2026 continues through November 20 with weekly events including Meet the Org sessions on Malcolm X Plaza, sports club activities, wellness workshops, and social gatherings. Full schedule at the SFSU Student Activities website.

  • Location:San Francisco State University campus, 1600 Holloway Ave
  • Time:Various times
Verify details →

More from the Neighborhood

Parkmerced

Yellowstone Real Estate Seizes Parkmerced Development Parcels Through Foreclosure

In a transaction completed in late July 2026, New York-based Yellowstone Real Estate Investments took control of four land parcels at Parkmerced through foreclosure. The parcels, which make up the first four subphases of a long-delayed redevelopment plan, are entitled for nearly 1,700 new apartments and also contain 52 existing…

Read the full story: SF Standard →
West Portal

Hardware Coffee Co. Opens in Former Papenhausen Hardware Space on West Portal

Hardware Coffee Co. opened its West Portal location in May 2026 at 32 West Portal Ave, taking over the site of the beloved Papenhausen Hardware store. The all-day café serves coffee, beer and wine, and includes a full-service florist and light retail, as well as space for private events.

Read the full story: Hardware Coffee Co. →
Stonestown

Stonestown Galleria Redevelopment: Phase 1 Infrastructure Work Set to Begin

The $2 billion Brookfield Properties redevelopment of Stonestown Galleria, approved by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in July 2024, is in its pre-construction permit phase, with infrastructure work for Phase 1 anticipated to begin in 2026 per the approved development timeline.

Read the full story: SF Planning Department →

Neighborhood Directory

Know of a listing that's wrong or a business that's closed? Report a correction →

Sources & Editorial Notes

Stories in My Town News are compiled from public sources, and with assistance from AI. Please verify important details at the cited source. All named individuals appear only in their publicly documented roles. Directory listings reflect publicly available contact information and are updated periodically.
1

The Latest Fight Over a Large, Upzoned Housing Development Comes to West Portal

 ·  https://sfist.com/2026/08/31/the-latest-fight-over-a-large-upzoned-housing-development-comes-to-west-portal/

2

Exclusive: Proposed S.F. apartment tower more than doubles in size, sparking fears of backlash

 ·  https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/west-portal-housing-project-san-francisco-22406791.php

3
4

Increased Plans For 85 West Portal Avenue, San Francisco

 ·  https://sfyimby.com/2026/09/increased-plans-for-85-west-portal-avenue-san-francisco.html

5
6

West Portal Station Safety and Community Space Improvements

 ·  https://www.sfmta.com/projects/west-portal-station-safety-and-community-space-improvements

7

After a family was killed at a West Portal bus stop, the street was redesigned. Did it work?

 ·  https://missionlocal.org/2026/07/san-francisco-sfmta-west-portal-safety-project/

8

GatorFest 2026 welcomes students with months of events, activities and fun

 ·  https://news.sfsu.edu/news/gatorfest-2026-welcomes-students-months-events-activities-and-fun

9

GatorFest 2026 Schedule

 ·  https://activities.sfsu.edu/gatorfest2026

10

Yellowstone takes over Parkmerced development site in foreclosure

 ·  https://sfstandard.com/2026/07/22/yellowstone-parkmerced-foreclosure-redevelopment/

11

Yellowstone seizes Parkmerced redevelopment sites through foreclosure

 ·  https://therealdeal.com/san-francisco/2026/07/22/parkmerced-redevelopment-sites-seized-in-foreclosure/

12

West Portal Wine Walk — Sept. 17, 2026

 ·  https://www.gwpna.org/west-portal-wine-walk-sept-17-2026/

13

SF Good Neighbor Week: Sept. 26 – Oct. 4, 2026

 ·  https://www.gwpna.org/

14
15

Bookshop West Portal Upcoming Events

 ·  https://bookshopwestportal.com/

16

Tur, a Thai breakfast and lunch restaurant, opens in West Portal

 ·  https://sfstandard.com/2026/05/27/khao-tiew-tur-west-portal-brunch/

17

Hardware Coffee Co. West Portal

 ·  https://hardwarecoffee.co/pages/west-portal

18

How West Portal got its restaurant groove on

 ·  https://sfstandard.com/2026/06/03/west-portal-dining-desination/

19

Stonestown Development Project

 ·  https://sfplanning.org/project/stonestown

20

City Gives Final Approval to Massive Stonestown Redevelopment Project, With 3,500 Housing Units

 ·  https://sfist.com/2024/07/17/sf-board-of-supervisors-gives-final-approval-to-massive-stonestown-redevelopment-project-with/