San Francisco city leaders celebrate UN Plaza reopening
SAN FRANCISCO – Mayor London Breed along with officials from the city's Recreation and Parks Department and other community members gathered at the United Nations Plaza on Wednesday to celebrate its reopening in hopes of boosting economic activity in the area.
The event sought to highlight the revitalization of the expanse, which aligns with goals laid out in the mayor's "Roadmap to San Francisco's Future," which included enhancing the downtown area and specifically the UN Plaza under one of the plan's several strategies. The mayor has been very vocal about "open air" drug markets that had spanned the plaza.
The new look included outdoor cafe seating, more trees and designated areas for physical activities.
In an effort to entice families, the plaza will be holding events regularly, such as drop-in soccer games and Zumba classes and hosts a brand new skate park, in hopes of invigorating the much-maligned neighborhood.
"Similar activations in Paris, Barcelona, Copenhagen, and Philadelphia lent inspiration to design the project, which broke ground Sept. 6," Breed's office said in a press release Wednesday.
The renovation of the plaza cost $2 million and was overseen by the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department. It is part of a larger effort by city, state and federal partners, nonprofit organizations, the Civic Center Community Benefit District and law enforcement to transform the Civic Center area into a "clean, safe, and vibrant public space for everyone."
But not everyone viewed the changes to the area as positive.
Vendors from the Heart of the City Farmer's Market, who had been stationed at the plaza for years, were forced to relocate as part of the transformation. Over the summer, leaders involved with the market cited concerns about decreased food access for the communities they serve.
"This will reduce the amount of produce the market can move into the surrounding extremely low-income and food insecure neighborhoods," reads a statement from the farmers' market released Aug. 17.
Market officials also said the new location on Fulton Street is farther from the Civic Center BART station, which makes it more difficult for people with limited mobility to access the market.
The "roadmap" to boost the downtown area's image was outlined by Breed in February of this year and focused on efforts to have what the mayor called a safe and clean environment throughout the city as well as world class transportation.
"Great cities have great public spaces," said San Francisco Recreation and Park General Manager Phil Ginsburg. "The new programming and features at UN Plaza offer something for everyone and that's by design. Vibrant spaces are made up of all different kinds of people pursuing all kinds of healthy fun."