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Panel backs amendment to Parkwide bike-rental lease after merchant concerns and budget analyst changes
Summary
Supervisors approved an amended lease to expand Parkwide bicycle rentals to Albert Lake and Ocean Beach with a one-year trial period and amendments requested by the budget analyst; public comment included both merchant opposition and neighborhood support.
The Budget & Finance Subcommittee on May 1 approved amendments to the Recreation & Park Department’s master lease with Parkwide Activities LLC that add seasonal and new locations in Golden Gate Park and Ocean Beach, and modify hours and outreach conditions.
Nick Kinsey of the Recreation & Park Department described a pilot at Alvord/Alber t (Albert Lake) and steady growth at existing locations. The amendment proposed adding a seasonal Ocean Beach location (June–September weekends 10 a.m.–4 p.m.), an Albert Lake location (10 a.m.–4 p.m., five days per week), and minor hour changes at existing sites. Kinsey said the department conducted outreach beginning with the 2009 RFP and that the amendment yields modest department revenue ($27,000 year 1 to $31,000 year 5) but substantial park activation benefits.
Supervisor Eric Marr and other supervisors emphasized outreach and mitigation for small, longstanding local businesses on the park edge. Budget and Legislative Analyst Harvey Rose recommended changes to terminology and Board oversight: replace the wording "evaluation period" with a one-year "trial period" and amend resolution language so that future expansions for new park bicycle-rental locations would require Board approval rather than unilateral approval by the RPD general manager.
Public comment was mixed. Barbara Hobie, owner of Golden Gate Park Bike & Skate, said her family business — operating since 1977 with a Board license since 1978 — had not been effectively notified of the city's actions and characterized the city's approach as "bullying private businesses." Several merchants, neighborhood groups and cyclists (including the Haight Ashbury Merchants Association and Friends of Albert Lake) said they supported a negotiated compromise, praised outreach efforts and said additional rentals would help activate underused park areas and enhance safety.
Supervisor Marr asked Rec & Park to confirm outreach to nearby independent shops; Kinsey said staff would research whether specific businesses had been reached and follow up. After weighing the analyst’s amendments and public testimony, the committee approved the lease amendment as amended and moved the item forward to the full Board without recorded opposition.
