Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Shared Spaces topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board renews Hayes Promenade permit for Fridays and Saturdays; staff, supervisor to study longer‑term options
Summary
After weeks of public testimony both for and against, the SFMTA board approved staff’s recommendation to renew the Hayes Promenade shared‑spaces permit for Fridays and Saturdays only; supervisors and planning staff will pursue a public‑life study to quantify transportation and business impacts.
The SFMTA Board on Nov. 28 approved staff’s recommendation to renew the Hayes Promenade (400 block Hayes Street) roadway shared‑space permit for Fridays and Saturdays, declining the applicant’s full request to extend the closure to Sundays as well.
Background: the Hayes Promenade — a recurring block closure between Gough and Octavia that grew out of pandemic‑era activations — has hosted extensive programming including the doggy farmers market, line dancing and concerts. Shared Spaces staff reviewed operational data and programming from the last year (staff identified roughly 70 permitted days with 45 days of recorded programming across the period) and noted improved compliance and activation but also persistent operational challenges (delivery vehicles, scooter/moped incursions, staffing of barricades) and bus reroute impacts. Staff reported available sales tax data for nearby census blocks showing 2023 receipts higher than 2019 for the corridor at face value but noted that economic analysis was not the core of the permit review.
Public comment split strongly: hundreds of residents, volunteers and merchants argued the promenade has become a vital public‑life asset that brings foot traffic and cultural programming to Hayes Valley; other residents and some merchants raised concerns about predictability, emergency access, enforcement, trash and mixed merchant sentiment. Supervisor Mahmood’s office described plans to fund a planning/public‑life study (led by Planning, funded through transportation sources) to evaluate transportation, pedestrian volumes, bus routing and business impacts; staff said the study is expected to begin after funding is finalized and aim for results by mid‑next year.
Board action: ISSCOT recommended a compromise (Fridays 4–10 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m.–10 p.m.) and staff recommended continuing the existing Friday and Saturday schedule to allow the study and additional outreach. The board voted to approve the staff recommendation. Directors encouraged the study, asked staff to explore less‑burdensome permit renewal pathways, and requested better mechanisms for long‑term stability if the community and city seek a permanent or longer closure.
Next steps: staff and Supervisor Mahmood’s office will proceed with a public‑life study and additional stakeholder coordination; staff noted it is legally possible for the board to permit longer multi‑year closures in the future but that would require a separate agenda process.
