Cole Valley’s Ice Cream Bar, which just opened two weekends ago and is already getting plenty o’ buzz for its old-timey soda-fountain drinks, had a hell of a time navigating city bureaucracy to get permission to open. As the Bay Citizen reports today, the absurd, Brazil-like, two-year process entailed tens of thousands of dollars, not to mention rent on the empty space that owner Juliet Pries couldn’t legally operate in until the thousand and one hoops were jumped through. The joke of it all inspired this video called “Hello, City Planner,” which was actually created by the Planning Department in mockery of itself. “It’s so convoluted,” says Planning commissioner turned Supervisor Christina Olague. “It’s so difficult for these businesses to move ahead.” Isn’t there such a thing as over-planning? [Bay Citizen/NYT]