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Ferry Plaza activation plan prompts debate over weekday parking and public space
Summary
Equity Office Partners proposed an 18-month Ferry Plaza activation pilot with programming and 64 managed parking spaces to underwrite improvements; supporters praised activation while Livable City and others criticized converting plaza space to weekday parking over water and urged permanent open-space solutions.
Equity Office Partners (EOP) presented an 18-month discovery-phase proposal to activate Ferry Plaza on March 26 that would test programming (movie nights, markets, music), small infrastructure improvements and a managed 64-space parking program to fund the work.
"The Ferry Plaza is visited by 25,000 shoppers on Saturdays," Jane Connors, senior property manager for the Ferry Building (Equity Office Partners), told commissioners as part of a broader activation proposal. Connors said the plan would prototype user-driven improvements such as movable chairs, improved lighting and Wi-Fi, and use parking revenue when the plaza is not programmed to underwrite initial costs.
Operators of the Saturday farmers market and other supporters said additional activation would benefit vendors and increase weekday engagement. Dave Stockdale, executive director of Quasa, said better lighting and Wi-Fi would help vendors accept cards and encourage visitors to linger.
Critics focused on the parking proposal. Tom Radulovich of Livable City argued that weekday parking over water contradicts city and waterfront policies and that converting the plaza into a default parking lot most weekdays would be a step backward. "This is a step backwards," Radulovich said, urging the commission to pursue a permanent public open space rather than creating parking as the default use.
Commissioners expressed interest in activation but asked staff to return with legal and policy analysis about parking-over-water provisions, lease constraints, and BCDC (Bay Conservation and Development Commission) permit implications. The item was informational; staff will bring further details and policy context back to the commission for future action.
Next steps: staff to analyze legal constraints, policy obligations and community feedback and return with a recommendation and permitting path for any pilot.
