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Board committee backs forwarding Noe Valley Town Square purchase to full Board after robust public support
Summary
The committee accepted budget analyst technical amendments and voted to forward two Rec & Park items to the full board with a positive recommendation: acquisition of 3861-20 Fourth Street for $4,242,510 to create Noe Valley Town Square and a parks code amendment to allow farmers markets on park property more than once a week.
The Budget & Finance Committee voted on May 22 to forward two Recreation & Park items to the full Board of Supervisors with a positive recommendation: authorization to acquire a surface parking lot at 3861‑20 Fourth Street for park purposes (purchase price $4,242,510) to create the Noe Valley Town Square, and an amendment to the parks code permitting farmers markets on Rec & Park property more than once a week.
Supervisor Scott Wiener (presenting the items) described the initiative as a grassroots effort: "This is an incredible project that truly started in the grassroots of the community in Noe Valley," he said, and noted that neighborhood fundraising has produced approximately $500,000 in pledges to help develop the park.
Holly Pearson of Recreation & Park’s Capital and Planning Division told the committee the site is about a quarter acre in the core of the Fourth Street commercial corridor, hosts the long‑running Noe Valley Farmers Market (since 2003) and meets the department’s acquisition policy goals (distribution deficiency for playgrounds and identified external funding). She also said Rec & Park submitted a Prop 84 Urban Greening grant application for $720,000 to help fund development.
The budget analyst reported technical refinements: the open space acquisition fund balance was about $11.2 million at the time of the report and is expected to receive roughly $2 million in the upcoming fiscal year; acquiring the property at the proposed price would leave a projected balance of about $7 million (rising to approximately $9 million after the anticipated deposit). Estimated development costs range from $1.6 to $2.3 million, and first‑year maintenance is estimated at $67,543.
Dozens of public speakers — residents, market vendors, urban‑agriculture advocates and nonprofit partners — urged approval, citing the farmers market’s role in family food access, neighborhood gathering space, local business support and youth opportunities. Several speakers pledged additional fundraising support and emphasized the project’s potential as a citywide model for community‑driven open space acquisitions.
Supervisors raised equity and maintenance questions: some members noted the open space acquisition policy rewards projects that can leverage outside funding and asked staff to consider strategies for supporting neighborhoods with less fundraising capacity. Rec & Park staff and community representatives said they would continue to pursue grants and philanthropic support and that the community has committed to raising funds so that the city would not be asked to use general fund dollars for development if grants do not materialize.
Committee members accepted the budget analyst’s two recommended technical amendments and then forwarded the items to the full board for the June 4/June 18 schedule with a positive recommendation.
