Committee urges development of streetscape, landscape and stairway maintenance standards

The Land Use and Transportation Committee voted 3-0 on Sept. 29 to urge the City Controller's Office (city services auditor) and the Department of Public Works to develop objective streetscape and landscape maintenance standards; the committee also adopted an amendment to include stairways in the scope of the resolution.

Sponsor Supervisor Myrna Engardio said the request grew from constituent concerns about uneven maintenance across city agencies and investments in large streetscape projects such as the nearly $90 million El Teraval improvements. "If we care enough to allocate and prioritize funding for these projects and programs, then we need to treat our landscapes and streetscapes like infrastructure assets," Engardio said, outlining the need for qualitative performance measures similar to those used by Rec and Park.

Vice Chair Jeanette Chen offered an amendment to add stairways wherever streetscape and landscape appear in the resolution; the chair and members supported the amendment. The clerk recorded three ayes on the amendment and on the resolution as amended.

Committee discussion focused on establishing performance benchmarks to clarify baseline service levels, staffing needs, inspection frequency and funding requirements so that future maintenance needs for major capital streetscape projects can be budgeted and managed. No public commenters addressed the resolution at the committee.

The resolution is an urging measure requesting interdepartmental work; it does not itself create new funding or change operations. The committee asked departments to report back on objective maintenance standards, including frequency of inspections, baseline care levels and staffing or budget implications.