by James Haas on March 6, 2023 (BeyondChron.org)
Revitalizing Civic Center
I agree with Beyond Chron’s article calling for the temporary closing of UN Plaza (“San Francisco Must Close UN Plaza,” February 27). Conditions there have become intolerable with the dramatic day and night increase of illegal vendors and drug dealers frightening away people, threating to the viability of the Farmers Market and causing large amounts of trash and debris. During the closure, the area can be stabilized, the Plaza cleaned, the landscaping redone and improvements made. The Farmers Market can be relocated to the adjacent Fulton Street while improvements are made to UN Plaza.
Significantly the Planning Department and its consultants have been working for many years on a Public Realm Plan for Civic Center including UN Plaza. The Plan has had much public engagement and review and is considered an extremely well-conceived report. It was deferred during the pandemic, but now is nearly ready to be presented to Planning Commission for endorsement and then to the Board of Supervisors for adoption as part of the City’s General Plan.
The Plan details comprehensive improvement to UN Plaza, calling for a replacement to the cavernous entrance to the BART/MUNI station with a possible kiosk and community serving structure on the surface. As part of the station access improvements program, BART/MUNI are already working of plans for this new entrance. The large Halperin fountain which has always be a problem is reimagined with plantings to make it safer and more visually attractive. Additional facilities for programing are also proposed. A dog park on the Leavenworth Street right a way has been constructed on a temporary basis and is very popular.
While improvements can be made during the temporary closing, security and social service programs can be evaluated to improve the safety and use of the area. The Farmers Market will return and under more positive conditions could operate more days of the week.
With San Francisco and particularly the Tenderloin, UN Plaza and South of Market under attack by Sinaloa drug cartels, extreme measures such as the temporary closing of UN Plaza are necessary. San Franciscans need to understand what we are up against.
James Haas is a partner in the iconic Phoenix Hotel on Eddy Street and a long- time member of the Board of Directors of the Civic Center Community Benefits District, and author of The San Francisco Civic Center: A History of the Design, Controversies, and Realization of a City Beautiful Masterpiece.
