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Planning commission reviews Market Octavia 'living alleys' toolkit and $2 million impact-fee fund
Summary
Planning staff presented a living-alleys toolkit and two prototypes for Market Octavia, backed by $2 million in impact fees and a community challenge grant to be rolled out in April 2015. Staff emphasized long permitting timelines and community-led implementation; residents urged deeper neighborhood analysis and security measures.
The San Francisco Planning Commission on Thursday received an informational briefing on the Market Octavia Living Alley Network, a new toolkit and pilot program designed to convert alleys into walkable public spaces, Planning Department staff said.
"It's my pleasure to be here today to provide an overview of the Market Octavia Living Alley Program," Planning Department staffer David Winslow told commissioners, describing a toolkit of roughly 20 design and implementation tools and two prototype projects in the 200 blocks of Ivy and Lily. Winslow said a dedicated $2,000,000 in Market Octavia impact fees is available for alley improvements and will be distributed through a community challenge grant rolling out in April 2015, with large projects capped at about $250,000.
The toolkit identifies four goals for living alleys—that they be green, shared, vibrant and clean and safe—and outlines technical parameters site sponsors must consider, including hydraulic/drainage constraints, underground utilities, emergency access, universal accessibility, parking and traffic impacts. Winslow warned the permitting and multiagency coordination will likely exceed 18 months and that maintenance and liability are currently incumbent on community sponsors unless the city elects to accept responsibility after a demonstrated cost-benefit case.
Neighborhood groups at the hearing urged the department to make the toolkit more than a set of design prototypes. "Unless there is already a broader, comprehensive neighborhood building plan in place, it is only a piecemeal set of physical improvements that don't address all priorities," said Alice Light, director of community planning at TODCO, calling for a longer analysis phase and stronger attention to safety measures such as lighting, bollards and security officers.
Tom Radulovich of Livable City praised the shared-street concept and urged the commission to adopt clear city standards to reduce repeated design iterations and unpredictable reviews. Commissioners pressed staff on which alleys were selected (Winslow identified the 200 blocks of Ivy and Lily), how traffic use would be evaluated and how maintenance obligations could be sustained over time.
Winslow said the program is explicitly intended to enable both community-led and developer-led projects. He added that the toolkit includes sample permitting paths, cost estimates and suggested partnerships with Public Works and MTA, but cautioned that long-term maintenance costs can equal or exceed initial construction costs and will require creative funding or city acceptance of nonstandard street designs.
The department will proceed with the community challenge grant and additional interagency work to streamline permitting and consider city standards for shared streets, Winslow said. No formal commission action was required for the informational presentation.
