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Relocation News
Status: February 2008
In recent months, great activity has generated around our center's
relocation. We have been particularly excited about the prospective site
at 710 Van Ness (at Turk); excited with both speculation and with
eagerness.
Through our most recent community meetings and discussions,
we determined that Eva Wong's evaluation of the location and space was a
significant and necessary next step. We therefore invited her to San
Francisco this past weekend, February 23-24.
Please view or listen to her walk-through using one of these links:
Tuesday, March 4 Walk-Through with Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche
710 Walkthrough Video [QuickTime format]
Saturday, February 23 Afternoon Walk-Through with Eva Wong
710 Walkthrough Video [QuickTime format]
710 Walkthrough Audio [iTunes format]
Saturday, February 23 Evening Talk by Eva Wong
Saturday Evening Talk [QuickTime format]
Saturday Evening Talk [MP3]
Saturday Evening Talk: Q/A [MP3]
Saturday Evening Talk: Topographic Map [MP3]
Group Walk-Through Early February
710 Walkthrough Video [YouTube]
Please note that the first two minutes of the Eva Wong's Saturday Evening Talk QuickTime clip are silent.
If you need QuickTime or iTunes, both are installed for free from the QuickTime installer found here:
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/
Status: September 2007
The Board of Directors of the San Francisco Shambhala Center has been working diligently
for more than two years on strategies to find a new home for the Center. (The goal
of this move and the requirements for the new physical space have been widely discussed;
please see our website for an overview of the plan as well as complete minutes of all
Board meetings: http://sfshambhala.org/community.php)
Until last spring, the Board believed that an outright purchase of a building would be the
best option for the Center. To that end, the Board undertook a two-pronged strategy:
adoption of a business plan designed to increase the Center's income in its new larger
space as well as a partnership with a real estate investment trust that specializes in helping
non-profit organizations purchase their own facilities. With this dual strategy we felt confident
that we could raise enough money for a down payment and generate enough income
to support a mortgage and other increased expenses.
We have been gratified by the tremendous financial support of this project by the San
Francisco Shambhala community. To date, we have received $90,000 in cash donations,
plus more than $100,000 in pledges. And with continued, aggressive fund-raising efforts it
may be possible to reach our $500,000 goal. Except the goal has moved.
In the two years since our plan was developed, the price of commercial real estate in San
Francisco has increased by about 50%. To continue our purchase scenarios in this environment
would necessitate a major increase in our fund-raising efforts, which the Board
feels cannot be achieved with our current limited member base.
The Board is therefore pursuing an interim plan; namely, to move the Center to a larger,
more centrally located leased facility capable of supporting many of the income-producing
strategies expressed in the original business plan. With the income that can be generated
from more programs as well as rentals to other groups, the Center can afford two to three
times more space than it currently occupies. Equally important, the Board feels that a
high visibility location for the Center will make it easier for people to "find" Shambhala
thereby helping to grow our membership base. [ more ]
Relocation Top Ten FAQs
1. Why do we need to move?
Size: Our current center provides room for only one event at a time. Hosting a Shambhala Training Level and Open House at the same time is not possible. Many people want to use the space for practice, workshops, and visiting teachers.
Our single shrine room has a capacity of about 60 people; many visiting teachers can draw 100 or more participants to a dharma talk or weekend retreat. A larger shrine room will enable us to host these teachers. It is also less than ideally arranged for Shambhala Training, where three or more separate private meditation instruction spaces are often required.
Location: Our center is located away from the major activity hubs of the city. Travelling to the center on public transportation is time-consuming, typically taking 1-1.5 hrs from many other neighborhoods. Moving the center to a more centrally located neighborhood, will allow members to more easily get to the center and increase the center's visibility in the city.
Access: Our current center is not handicapped accessible. [ more ]
For more information regarding the relocation project
or to get more involved, please email seth@sfshambhala.org.
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