When we met up with Tim Hickey in Alamo Square, he gently teased us about the choice of location. His North of Panhandle Neighborhood Association (NOPNA) turf is just a few blocks away, so he joked that we should have, could have asked him to meet somewhere along Divisadero or in the Panhandle to take a picture.
Hickey, who works for the SF Department of Building Inspections by day, followed in JJ Stahle’s footsteps as the president of NOPNA, an association that covers the blocks from Divisadero to Masonic and from Fell to Turk. You might catch him buzzing around the Panhandle on his Dutch-style family bike. He and his wife moved to the neighborhood in 2010, and immediately became engaged with the community. Five years and one young son later, he's more passionate than ever about a multitude of topics that affect the area.
What motivated you to become NOPNA’s president?
"When my wife and I first moved here, I wanted to get more involved in the community, so I started going to neighborhood meetings regularly and showing that I cared. NOPNA was (and is) an inviting and engaged group.
I had lived in SoMa for two years previously, and wasn’t aware of the neighborhood associations there. Prior to that, I spent my life in San Jose and Santa Clara and most groups there stood against this or that but didn’t stand for anything. NOPNA was inclusive, non-NIMBY, and positive in their approach—a true SF kind of group."
What’s the biggest part of your job?
"I spend 20 to 30 hours per month on NOPNA issues: writing articles and letters; corresponding with residents, the board, elected officials and staff, and department reps; doing research; planning or holding meetings; and other miscellaneous activities. My day job is working for the SF Department of Building Inspections; I recently left the city of Santa Clara after 17 years for a shorter commute.
Each person who serves as president has their own initiative and own goals. My strength and my background is in urban and transportation planning, so pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure is a big focus of mine."
What’s one thing you want to accomplish in your time as president?
"I want to help make significant improvements to the Oak and Fell bike lanes from Baker to Stanyan, which is an easy fix. Right now, I’m trying to get all of the stars aligned to make it happen. One thing I need to do to accomplish that is getting a survey out to show that there is a lot of support. That would add strength."
How much do you work with other neighborhood associations?
"At NOPNA, we really focus on being neighborhood-centric. Neighborhood associations like HANC in the Haight do a lot in their neighborhood, but also focus on national-level policy and state-level policy, which is impressive—having that energy as a volunteer group.
We try not to encroach on other neighborhoods, but we do try to work with other neighborhoods where we see that it can and will impact us. For example, we recently signed on for 20 percent affordability."
Say more about affordability.
"Right now, the finances of development here allow funding for lower-income families, and then there’s market-rate housing, but there’s no affordable rate for middle-income housing. That’s what’s really missing. I think neighborhood associations can be effective when it comes to pushing affordability. I would love to see as much affordability as can be managed. As a group, though, we’ve agreed on pushing for 20 percent. San Francisco should be a place that's affordable for everyone, not just the extremes."
Tell us about your most recent meeting.
"We had Dean Preston of the Tenants' Rights Union speak about recent progress at the local level. Supervisor London Breed talked about what she's working on, addressing huge obstacles in getting financing through Housing and Urban Development, which is a big issue right now. And that’s what we’re trying to regain here: that middle class that we are losing."
Why did you want to be NOPNA's president?
"I’m pretty environmentally- and future-oriented, especially now with a child. I think a lot about what kind of world I’m creating for him, and I want to make a better world than the world I naively helped create by not knowing what I was doing. I moved many times in my youth, but my wife, Leah, and I are staying here and want to make this a better place for our son and future generations."
Anything else you want to add?
"The neighborhood is only as good as what you put into it. I encourage people to get involved with their neighborhood organization or other groups. Just do something."
