Survey finds high public approval for two park projects; committee votes to continue satisfaction surveys focused on housing bonds

The San Francisco City bond oversight committee heard results from an intercept survey of users at Bartlett Street plaza and Kimball Playground and voted to continue public satisfaction surveying, with a new focus on upcoming housing bonds.

Peg Stevenson, director of the performance section in the city controller’s office, introduced the study and said staff hired a contractor to measure user perceptions so the committee can better oversee bond programs. Consultant John Canapray of Corey Canapary and Galanos told commissioners his team completed roughly 800 short surveys at each site and about 40 follow-up interviews per location.

Canapray said 77% of respondents rated the Bartlett Street plaza update “excellent” or “good,” and about 60% supported the use of roughly $1.7 million in park bond money for the project when told the cost. For Kimball Playground, Canapray reported 94% rated the improvements “excellent” or “good,” and about 83% supported the stated $3.3 million expenditure. “That support remained very high even after we had told them the amount of money that had been spent,” Canapray said.

Members questioned methodology: a new member asked how soon after construction the surveys were conducted; Canapray said the data collection spanned roughly four months and that the team deliberately surveyed users in different seasons and times of day to capture a range of experience. He said the survey was conducted in multiple languages including Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese and included age and income categories, though it did not directly ask whether respondents had children.

Committee members urged caution interpreting intercept surveys as representative of citywide voter sentiment. “If you ask people who are at a playground whether they like it, they’re there because they like it,” a commissioner said. Staff and the consultant agreed a citywide voter survey would require a different design and sampling approach.

The committee voted to continue the satisfaction-survey effort and to ask staff to conduct another survey and analysis focused on housing bonds; Chair Chu made the motion and it was seconded. The clerk took a roll call and the chair declared the motion passed.

The committee directed staff to return with a plan for future surveys, including scope, target projects and procurement steps if the work is done by external contractors. Stevenson said the controller’s office will add at least one more satisfaction survey to the FY2019–20 work plan and will coordinate on project selection with commissioners.