Up until a decade ago Hayes Valley was under the central freeway, dark and dingy. But after urban renewal efforts the area has become vibrant and growing. There’s a mix of new condo buildings (8 Octavia, 400 Grove, 300 Ivy, the Hayes) mixed in with Victorian flats, the occasional single family house along the small alleys that dot the area. Many big structures will have garage and parking in the rear along those alleys. The boundaries are porous between Civic Center and Alamo Square and the large swaths of Western Addition housing projects.