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Commission authorizes Moscone expansion access and permanent Children's Garden improvements at Yerba Buena Gardens
Summary
The Commission on Community Investment and Infrastructure voted unanimously July 7 to authorize a permit allowing city and contractor access for Moscone Center expansion work that will add a new tot lot, redesigned learning garden and paseo connection through Yerba Buena Gardens, and adopted CEQA findings. Staff said construction access began earlier under a short-term permit and the permanent improvements are scheduled to start this August with completion expected in 2018.
The Commission on Community Investment and Infrastructure on July 7 approved a permit to enter that will allow construction related to the Moscone Center expansion to make permanent improvements to the Children’s Garden at Yerba Buena Gardens.
OCII staff said the Children's Garden — a roughly 100,000-square-foot area that includes a learning garden, amphitheater, play stream and playground equipment — will receive a new tot lot with a child‑safe rubber surface and fenced gate, a larger learning garden with specialized planting areas, a sloped lawn amphitheater with integrated seating, and a new paseo connecting Third Street between Howard and Folsom to the garden. Restrooms and a community room were relocated in the latest design to the ground floor of the new Moscone building; staff told the commission the design adds a stroller‑friendly path so families retain easy access to those facilities.
Director Tiffany Bohe and Denise Zermani, OCII’s senior development specialist, said the expansion team — representing the city, Department of Public Works, San Francisco Travel and Webcor Construction — began construction on the larger Moscone expansion in late 2014. Because of an aggressive schedule, the expansion team required access to the Children’s Garden in April 2015; OCII’s owners’ representative MJM Management issued a short‑term permit to enter to accommodate that need. The requested permanent permit duration runs until the property transfers to the city under OCII’s Long Range Property Management Plan or until Dec. 31, 2018, whichever comes first.
Staff noted the city completed environmental review as part of the Moscone expansion EIR, which the Planning Commission certified in August 2014, and recommended that OCII adopt environmental findings under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to treat the Children’s Garden permit as an implementing action of the project.
During questions, commissioners asked about program usage; a Public Works project manager said “thousands every month” use the garden and that daily drop‑in access is common. One member of the public, Ace Washington, raised concerns about community outreach and local enforcement practices. Commissioners directed staff to provide more precise usage numbers on request.
Commissioner Bustos moved approval, Commissioner Mondejar seconded and a roll call vote recorded Mondejar, Singh, Bustos and Chair Rosales voting yes. The commission recorded four ayes and adopted the motion to authorize the permit and adopt the CEQA findings.
The permit allows the expansion team to continue construction with the understanding that oversight board review and Department of Finance review remain part of the transfer and approval process.
