Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Shared Spaces topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission hears update on Shared Spaces program; staff outlines equity, safety and scaling challenges
Summary
Shared Spaces program manager Robin Abad told the Entertainment Commission the city has received roughly 1,100 applications and approved about 51%; the program aims to enable outdoor dining, retail and roadway activations during COVID-19, and staff outlined equity outreach, safety caveats (ADA, red/blue zones), enforcement via CERT, and plans for public mapping and technical assistance.
The San Francisco Entertainment Commission heard a detailed briefing on the city's Shared Spaces program and follow-up discussion about outreach, equity and operational challenges.
Robin Abad, the city's Shared Spaces program manager, said the program—launched under a mayoral emergency proclamation—seeks to allow dining, retailing, curbside pickup and limited roadway closures to move commercial activity outdoors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Abad said the program has received nearly 1,100 applications since inception and that about 51% of those applications had been approved at the time of the presentation.
Abad described the program's mechanics: an online portal with self-certification for rules compliance, a goal of a two-week review timeline for sidewalk applications, and a waiver of some administrative burdens (no permit fees; waiving certain insurance/additionally-insured requirements in some cases) to increase adoption. He stressed limitations: shared spaces cannot be placed in existing protected blue or red zones that serve ADA or sightline needs and street closures must avoid active transit corridors.
Commissioners asked about specifics: whether taxi stands and other white/blue zones are eligible (staff said MTA reviews prevent conflicts and existing designations are part of the analysis), whether a park or plaza across the street could be used (staff said adjacency is being explored and surface parking lots are a key option), and how multilingual outreach and equity supports are being targeted (materials and technical assistance available in Spanish, simplified Chinese and Filipino; staff partnering with a nonprofit and OEWD on outreach and surveys).
Public commenters and commissioners raised operational hurdles: how to handle deliveries and pickup in closed corridors, the practical burden of staffing barricades for roadway closures, encampments or concentrated homelessness affecting feasibility in some alleys, and frustration from merchants in neighborhoods that have had denials. Abad said staff are working with Fire, MTA and other agencies to identify alternative barricade designs and staffing approaches and to expand pilot learnings across neighborhoods.
Abad said the mapping tool that catalogs active sites is currently internal but a public version is in development. He also said the program will monitor economic impacts and report back later in the year on outcomes and equity metrics.
Commissioners commended staff's rapid rollout while repeatedly urging expanded outreach to communities with language or organizational barriers and more risk-taking to increase approvals for underserved areas.
The discussion closed with staff agreeing to follow up with several stakeholders (Livable City, merchant associations) and to continue work on multilingual outreach, barricade alternatives and a public site map.
