Mayor unveils pedestrian-friendly plaza in Castro
By: Brent Begin
May 14, 2009
 |
| Sit and relax: Charles Sands and Diane Nutting sit along the new “Pavement to Parks” plaza at the intersection of Castro and 17th streets Wednesday. (Cindy Chew/The Examiner) |
SAN FRANCISCO — Residents of the Mission, Excelsior and Potrero Hill neighborhoods are the next in line to enjoy the conversion of a stretch of pavement into a pedestrian-friendly plaza.
Mayor Gavin Newsom unveiled a new public square on 17th Street in the Castro on Monday, and announced that three more locations are in the planning stage.
The “Pavement to Parks” program, which is modeled after a New York City effort, transforms portions of city streets into car-free pedestrian plazas with cafe chairs and tables, granite slabs and copper colored paint.
The next locations will be at 8th and 16th streets in an industrial area next to a diner, Naples Street in a residential area between Geneva Avenue and Rolph Street, and Guerrero Street and San Jose Avenue near St. Luke’s Hospital, an area that has long been targeted by neighborhood advocates for street upgrades.
At least a dozen areas are “in the pocket,” according to Newsom’s Greening Director Astrid Hayarti, who was hired in 2008 to make San Francisco streets more foot friendly.
The plazas cost between $20,000 and $25,000, according to Ed Reiskin, director of the Department of Public Works.
While the spaces are expected to encourage public gathering, some are worried that they will become gathering places for the homeless. There were also concerns in the Castro that residents would have less vehicle access to their homes.
Newsom hopes to avoid controversy by making the public squares temporary, with planters on wheels that can roll out of the way for emergency vehicles. Most of the tables and chairs will also be removed at night to discourage loitering.
“If we’re successful here ... if the community all agrees that this works ... if the transit riders and the activists all agree that this works, then we look forward to bringing this to other parts of The City,” Newsom said.
Instant plaza
- The next “Pavement to Parks” plazas are planned for:
- 8th and 16th streets in Lower Potrero, near Wolfe’s Lunch
- Naples Green in the Excelsior, at Naples Street between Geneva Avenue and Rolph Street
- San Jose Avenue and Guerrero Street in the Mission, near St. Luke’s Hospital
Source: Mayor’s Office
