Supervisors advance leases to build SoMa West skate park and dog run on Caltrans parcels

Supervisor Jane Kim told the Budget and Finance Subcommittee that the items before the panel are the result of more than a decade of community planning to transform Caltrans parcels under the Central Freeway into two public recreation sites. “Today is really a culmination of over 13 years of organizing work,” she said, urging approval of lease resolutions and a park-code amendment to allow Recreation and Parks to manage the sites.

John Updike, director of the Department of Real Estate, described the lease terms: one 20‑year airspace lease for a skate park with an initial rent of $10,000 per month that increases annually (final year shown at $14,859 per month), and a second 20‑year capitalized lease for the dog park paid upfront ($2,335,343) with a 10‑year renewal option at fair‑market rent. He said the dog‑park parcel will include secure parking to serve mainly city fleet vehicles and to offset operations costs.

Tamsyn (Anna) Drew of the Office of Economic and Workforce Development said the sites were prioritized through a community process that included 16 meetings from 2007 to 2013 and the Transportation Authority’s Central Freeway Citizens Advisory Committee. She described design features: synthetic turf piloting in the dog run, separate areas for large and small dogs, a living green wall with jasmine, and skate elements that fill a citywide design gap by offering low, street‑style skating opportunities.

The budget analyst briefed the committee on costs: the estimated construction cost for the skate park is $1,700,000 and for the dog park and related parking approximately $1,100,000, for a combined construction estimate of $2,800,000. The monthly lease payment for the skate park would begin at $10,000 (about $120,000 in the first full fiscal year) and escalate 2% annually over 20 years; the capitalized dog‑park lease is a one‑time payment of $2,335,343.

Committee members pressed Rec and Park officials on operations and safety. Supervisor London Breed said she was concerned that the department’s already‑stretched Park Patrol and maintenance resources could be further diluted. “I just think it’s really irresponsible to continue to take on additional property without the capacity to manage it,” Breed said, asking for long‑term planning on park patrol staffing and maintenance funding.

OEWD and Real Estate responded that the Octavia Boulevard Fund—proceeds from prior Central Freeway parcel sales—provides ongoing capital and maintenance funding. The interdepartmental MOU identifies roughly $66,000 per year for Rec and Park maintenance out of estimated annual maintenance needs of about $85,000, leaving a modest shortfall.

Supervisor Kim introduced two technical cleanup amendments to the resolution (a clarifying sentence about applying the park code to the dog park during the lease term and a section renumbering). The committee moved the amendments and ultimately moved the items forward without opposition.

Next steps: the leases and the park‑code amendment will be forwarded to the full Board of Supervisors for consideration.