Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Pioneer Park Kiosk Greenwich Vacation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee advances Greenwich Street vacation for Pioneer Park kiosk with reversion amendment
Summary
The committee moved item 1 as amended to the full Board, approving a summary vacation of a small paper portion of Greenwich Street to permit a removable 9x12-foot refreshment kiosk near Coit Tower. Supervisor Peskin's amendment creates an easement mechanism to revert the right‑of‑way to Public Works if the kiosk is abandoned.
The Land Use and Transportation Committee voted to send to the full Board an ordinance to vacate a small portion of Greenwich Street and transfer the parcel from Public Works to the Recreation and Park Department to allow installation of a temporary 9‑by‑12‑foot refreshment kiosk adjacent to Coit Tower in Pioneer Park.
Cassandra Costello of the Recreation and Park Department told the committee the legislation would vacate approximately 206 square feet of a paper street that has never functioned as a public right of way and is currently maintained as part of Pioneer Park. She described the kiosk as "tastefully" sited to serve an annual visitor population the department estimated at about a half‑million people and said the Recreation and Park Commission had already supported the measure.
Supervisor Aaron Peskin proposed and distributed amendment language to underscore the kiosk's temporary nature and to provide a mechanism by which the right‑of‑way could revert to the Department of Public Works if the kiosk were abandoned or the department or lessee terminated the agreement. Peskin said the amendment was intended as a "belt and suspenders" safeguard to allow DPW to remove the kiosk if it fell into disrepair.
Supervisor Scott Wiener asked why the amendment would revert the land to DPW rather than vacating and transferring fee title directly to Rec & Park; Wiener said he generally favors vacating paper streets that run through parks but wanted to understand the rationale. Peskin said the easement/reversion language was to ensure the kiosk remained removable and to give DPW an enforcement path if necessary.
Public comment included neighborhood supporters who described long‑term investment in Pioneer Park and said they expected the kiosk to be temporary and removable if abandoned. With the amendment accepted, the committee moved the item as amended to the full Board with a recommendation; the motion passed without objection.
The full Board will consider the ordinance and the amendment. The committee's action does not itself vacate property; it forwards the ordinance and amendment for final Board action.
