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Committee backs amended resolution urging plan for permanent shared spaces program
Summary
The committee unanimously amended and forwarded a resolution urging city departments to develop a proposal for a permanent shared spaces program, adding language to address equity, maintenance, design, fees and dispute resolution and setting a deadline tied to the program's current expiration (06/30/2021) or any COVID extension.
The Land Use and Transportation Committee on March 1 voted to forward an amended resolution urging city departments to develop a proposal for a permanent shared spaces program that would continue streamlined permitting while prioritizing equity and accessibility.
Sponsor Supervisor Matt Haney said the shared spaces program has been "a lifeline to small businesses" during the pandemic and noted extensions of permits and fee waivers enacted by the Board. Sharkey Laguana, president of the Small Business Commission, presented survey results indicating broad business support: the program received more than 2,300 applications with nearly 2,000 approved and survey responses showing a large majority of businesses want the program to continue post‑pandemic.
Supervisor Aaron Peskin offered a friendly amendment to the resolution requiring departments and stakeholders to address operational and equity challenges as the program transitions from emergency lifeline to longer‑term use of public space. Peskin’s language asks departments to plan for maintenance responsibility, design standards that promote safety and accessibility, dispute mediation, equitable geographic participation, fee structures that preserve free public access, and clear interdepartmental coordination. He also proposed replacing "early 2021" with a concrete deadline tied to the program’s current expiration (06/30/2021) or any authorized extension under the COVID emergency; the amendment was accepted and adopted by the committee.
Public commenters representing neighborhood groups, small business associations and merchants largely supported making shared spaces permanent while urging attention to equity, sidewalk furniture protocols, and impacts on non‑restaurant businesses. The committee voted to send the amended resolution to the full Board with a positive recommendation (Peskin, Preston and Melgar voted "aye").
The amendment directs OEWD, Planning, MTA, Public Works, Fire and Recreation and Park to develop a permanent shared spaces proposal and to consider equity, accessibility and interdepartmental permitting and enforcement arrangements before the program’s expiration or extension deadline.
