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Plaza program draws praise and warnings: commission delays related code vote for more outreach
Summary
OEWD and planning staff presented a citywide SF Plaza Program to coordinate and steward small urban plazas; nonprofits applauded stewardship goals while neighborhood groups warned of privatization and formula retail. The commission agreed to delay related planning‑code changes to allow more neighborhood outreach and analysis, continuing related code items to May 1, 2014.
City officials on March 13 outlined a proposed San Francisco Plaza Program intended to coordinate long‑term management, activation, and stewardship for small city plazas that fall outside Recreation & Park jurisdiction.
Ken Rich of the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development described the program as a framework to give neighborhood partners and vetted stewards a formal role in programming and maintaining plazas while retaining public ownership and oversight. Robin Havens (OEWD) said the program would cover plazas generally larger than 2,000 square feet and proposed two models — street plazas under the Department of Public Works and city plazas on non‑right‑of‑way land managed via licensing agreements — with each steward vetted and approved by the Board of Supervisors.
Supporters including the San Francisco Parks Alliance, People in Plazas and community organizers praised simplified permitting and the opportunity to activate underutilized public spaces. But neighborhood groups and open‑space advocates repeatedly warned the commission that the package could enable privatization of public space, permit “formula retail” in plazas near commercial districts, and allow too many private events or closures without robust safeguards.
Commissioners asked staff for clearer mapping of candidate sites, stronger limits on commercial activity where neighborhoods object, and a tighter statement excluding Recreation & Park lands. Given the volume of public concern and a request for broader outreach from neighborhood associations, the commission agreed to continue the related planning‑code amendments and associated admin/public‑works/police code changes so staff can return with a refined package and further public outreach; the continuance of the associated code item was set for May 1, 2014.
Why it matters: The proposal would create a single home for stewardship agreements and rules governing activation and revenue reuse; supporters say it will preserve underused public space and reduce permitting friction, while opponents say it risks commercializing public plazas without sufficient neighborhood control.
Next steps: staff will refine code language, provide a candidate‑map of potential plazas, and broaden outreach to neighborhood groups before further action by the Planning Commission or the Board of Supervisors.
