We have some bittersweet news to share from the Sunday Streets program.
The sad news Based on current health directives and capacity constraints across the board with city, private, and nonprofit partners, Livable City is cancelling all previously planned Sunday Streets events for the 2020 calendar year.
The good news We are directing remaining resources to create a series of regularly occurring street closures in neighborhoods that need more access to open space and have historic need for economic development resources. While these street closures will be missing the pizazz and sheer volume of activities of Sunday Streets, they will provide needed breathing room and opportunities for local businesses.
Walkway Weekends on Grant Ave. between California and Washington streets.
We’ve already assisted Chinatown in launching street openings on Grant Ave every Saturday and Sunday through Sept 20. In addition, we are working with partners in SoMa, the Tenderloin, the Excelsior, and Bayview to reveal community serving street programs there soon. And we’ve also launched “What’s Open SF” to help small businesses to improve their online visibility!
Though the pandemic has upset our plans to host 11 Sunday Streets this year, we are proud to continue the work of supporting our most vulnerable communities with community building, regularly occurring access to street openings and small business support.
Please stay tuned for updates, and feel free to contact us with questions or just to say hello.
Thank you for caring about the health and vitality of our neighborhoods.
Here are our virtual happenings this week, in addition to Walkway Weekends on Grant Ave. in Chinatown. Our weekly lunchtime Facebook-Live features this week include Zoom info when available, for those outside of Facebook.
If you are on social media, our channels are updated weekly, so feel free to share in the platform of your choice (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter)
See you there!
ICYMI: Past #ThursdayThoughts videos are available here.
Thursday, August 13th 12 PM @ LivableCity Facebook page • Set Reminder Mark your calendars for our weekly series #ThursdayThoughts: a lunchtime chat with local guests every week. Join the conversation!
Not on Facebook? Join us via Zoom: Aug 13th, 2020 12 PM PDT (US/CAN) Meeting ID: 817 0196 7196 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81701967196 ☎︎ Phone dial: +1 669 900 6833 ——————————————————————
ICYMI: Past #FeatureFriday What’s Open SF videos are available here.
Friday, August 14th 12 PM @ SundayStreets Facebook page • Set Reminder Tune in to our weekly What’s Open SF and participate by commenting with your favorite small business for a chance to win a $25 gift card (sponsored by Sonic). A great way to find new favorite spots and support small businesses!
Not on Facebook? Join us via Zoom: Aug 14th, 2020 12 PM PDT (US/CAN) Meeting ID: 829 1752 0007 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82917520007 ☎︎ Phone dial: +1 669 900 6833
ICYMI: Healthy Living videos are available for later viewing here.
Saturday, August 15th 11 AM LivableCity Facebook page
Join us for Healthy Living, our virtual wellness sessions on Saturdays. Open to all levels and it does not require any equipment, except making time to take care of yourself! Let’s take care of ourselves, and stay healthy. (Available in English, and Spanish). ——————————————————————
San Francisco Chinatown Walkway Weekends Every weekend through September 20th 11 AM – 5 PM • Facebook event page
San Francisco Chinatown’s iconic Grant Avenue will be closed off to traffic and cars for a pleasant open walkway every weekend from July through September. Enjoy a historic street stroll, outdoor dining, and an Asian shopping experience. Chinatown is open for business!
We’d like to invite you to join us for lunchtime Facebook-Live features this week, including our Healthy Living series happening on Saturdays. See you there!
ICYMI: Past #ThursdayThoughts videos are available here.
Thursday, August 6th 12 PM @ LivableCity Facebook page • Set Reminder Mark your calendars for our weekly series #ThursdayThoughts: a lunchtime chat with local guests every week. Join the conversation!
Not on Facebook? Join us via Zoom: Aug 6, 2020 12:00 PM Pacific Time (US/CAN) Meeting ID: 898 1254 1586 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89812541586 ☎︎ Phone dial: +1 669 900 6833 ——————————————————————
ICYMI: Past #FeatureFriday What’s Open SF videos are available here.
Friday, August 7th 12 PM @ SundayStreets Facebook page • Set Reminder Tune in to our weekly What’s Open SF and participate by commenting with your favorite small business for a chance to win a $25 gift card (sponsored by Sonic). A great way to find new favorite spots and support small businesses!
Not on Facebook? Join us via Zoom: Aug 6, 2020 12:00 PM Pacific Time (US/CAN) Meeting ID: 838 8998 9982 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83889989982 ☎︎ Phone dial: +1 669 900 6833 ——————————————————————
ICYMI: #SaturdaySweat Healthy Living videos are available for later viewing here.
Saturday, August 8th 11 AM @ LivableCity Facebook page #SaturdaySweat! Join us for Healthy Living, our virtual wellness sessions on Saturdays. Open to all levels and it does not require any equipment, except making time to take care of yourself! Let’s take care of ourselves, and stay healthy. (Available in English, and Spanish)
Preserving existing affordable housing and encouraging new affordable housing are two key strategies for addressing San Francisco’s housing affordability crisis and housing insecurity.
Livable City worked with District 8 Supervisor Mandelman to craft an ordinance that will both preserve existing housing and permit more affordable housing. The ordinance will be heard at the Board of Supervisors’ Land Use and Transportation Committee sometime after Labor Day.
The ordinance amends the Planning Code’s density limits to give all existing unauthorized units (aka illegal units) a path to legalization, and exempt affordable units from maximum density limits. It will also ease restrictions on residential care facilities in all residential zoning districts.
Exempting affordable units from density caps will broaden the City’s incentives for multi-unit affordable and mixed-income housing in every San Francisco neighborhood. It expands on a current provision which exempts affordable units from density limits, but only for buildings which are at least 20% affordable, not more that 25% affordable, and are outside the RH-1 and RH-2 districts which cover half the City.
Lowering the minimum density threshold will allow smaller projects to meet their required inclusionary housing obligations on-site without lowering the number of market rate units in the project, giving builders a new incentive to include affordable units in projects. Lifting the maximum number of affordable units and extending the density exception to RH-1 and RH-2 complements the City’s density bonus programs for affordable housing, which can’t be used in RH-1 and RH-2 districts.
Thousands of San Franciscans live in unauthorized dwelling units. Most of these units have existed for decades, and they are often rent-stabilized and affordable. Their unauthorized status puts residents at greater risk of losing their housing, and can prevent owners from securing building permits for necessary building upgrades.
Current law only permits one unauthorized unit per lot to be legalized, so owners wishing to legalize their units face a dilemma: keep the units in legal limbo, or legalize one and remove all the others, even if the others are structurally sound and removing them will displace residents. Allowing legalization of more than one unauthorized unit per lot will give every unauthorized unit a path to legalization. Broadening the legalization path will give tenants of these units greater housing security, and allow building owners to secure permits for improvements to safety, access, habitability, and comfort.
Residential care facilities provide short or long-term housing and care for many seniors, people recovering from illnesses, and formerly homeless people. Despite a growing need, residential care facilities are disappearing from San Francisco. Principally permitting residential care facilities in RH neighborhoods, as the Board of Supervisors approved earlier this year in other zoning districts, will expand the range of housing choices available in all San Francisco neighborhoods.
We’re grateful to Supervisor Mandelman for advancing these sensible pro-housing code changes. In December the Planning Commission unanimously recommended the ordinance in a 6-0 vote. The Commission recommended amending the ordinance to permit only non-required affordable units be exempted from density. We prefer exempting required affordable units too, to encourage developers of market rate projects to meet their affordability requirements with on-site units, and create more mixed-income buildings and mixed-income neighborhoods. The next step for the ordinance is the Board of Supervisors’ Land Use and Transportation Committee.
These reforms will further San Francisco’s values of equity, diversity, inclusion, and sustainability, by better accommodating San Franciscans of all ages, incomes, physical abilities, and household types in each San Francisco neighborhood.
The full text of the ordinance and the Planning Department’s staff report can be found here.
“Grilled oysters and Louisiana gumbo, that’s what everyone’s been asking for,” explained April Spears as she served yet another order of her famed dish at the reopening of Cafe Envy in the Bayview on June 13. “I saw that our restaurants around here already serve a lot of heavier soul food and fried food, so I designed Cafe Envy to offer lighter fare, like salmon, salads, and even vegan. All that is doing fine, but during the lockdown it was the oyster and gumbo everyone was calling about.”
Cafe Envy opened 2 years ago, and is Spears’ second restaurant. Her first, Auntie April’s Chicken, Waffles, and Soul Food opened in 2008 during the recession. She actually sold her 401k to open Auntie April’s. “My family thought I was crazy. And they’re right! I am crazy, but I’ve always gambled on myself.”
Livable City first began working with Spears during the planning phase of the 2016 Sunday Streets. “Everyone said we had to talk to her,” according to Katy Birnbaum, Livable City’s Associate Director. “In addition to being a successful Black entrepreneur, she was also a local powerhouse strengthening Black owned businesses and the whole Bayview community.”
Born and raised in the Bayview, Spears started the restaurants because she wanted “to inspire our youth to do greater and bigger things with their lives. I want them to see that, even if you are born into poverty or any situation where you feel caged, you can get out of that situation and do something.”
As if running two restaurants isn’t enough, she lives out her love of the community as Co-chair of the African American Arts and Culture District, Co-chair of the Merchants of Butchertown, and as a member of the board of Economic Development On Third Street.
When asked how she runs two restaurants and volunteers so much to enrich the Bayview, Spears notes that, “Being a black woman in SF, I’ve always had to deal with systemic racism; it’s always been an uphill battle. If it’s not uphill it’s almost too easy! The endurance for the long haul – I’ve been training for this my whole life.”
Her latest love is her baby girl Mazahri. And like many good moms, Spears joined a new mothers group. The members of the Black Mothers Collective are all business owners, but none own their own homes. “We’ve always been taught to just survive day to day. I want Black people to think bigger about economics and their future, and to learn how to acquire property and invest. It’s about preserving African American businesses, opening new businesses, and economic development for the community. We’re making really great moves, doing some great things in the community. The pandemic really opened our eyes to what needs to be done. Just stay tuned, we’re going to have some important news soon.”
As San Francisco comes out of the lockdown, Spears is concerned for the safety of her staff and customers, but is excited to be back in business. “I’m so happy to see my community and have them enjoy my food again, but it’s a whole new world trying to do this while keeping everyone safe. Fortunately, my mom has been here to help. She always has my best interest at heart and is always protecting me. We can drive each other crazy because we do things so differently … but we realized that in the end, we always arrive at the same place.”
“Livable City made a big difference too. On opening day, they helped me read through all the fine print so we were compliant with every one of the new COVID regulations, arranged the permits and brought in the chairs and tables and signs for outdoor dining, and then they showed up en masse and pitched in to get us through a day where we sold out of everything we had!”
Going forward, Spears knows that reviving Black owned businesses in the Bayview is an uphill battle. “We need help from outside of the community, from those who have the ability to help. We need them to treat us as equals to allow us access to loans and capital. For example, if I’ve owned a business for decades, and if I don’t qualify for a loan … how do I qualify? What do I need to do, and what do you need to do differently to make things happen?”
Going forward, Livable City will do what we can for minority-owned businesses in marginalized neighborhoods by providing technical support to improve online marketing as well as assistance with COVID regulations and outdoor space usage. After all, creating vital retail corridors is a core tenet of the urbanist toolkit. As we learn to center the needs of San Francisco’s Black community in our work, we will continue to evolve in what we do, how we work in community with the most vulnerable and oppressed, and effectively support the communities to achieve their goals.
Rich Hillis, Planning Director San Francisco Planning Department 1650 Mission Street, Unit 400 San Francisco, CA 94103
Jeffrey Tumlin, Director of Transportation San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency 1 South Van Ness Avenue San Francisco, CA 94103
Dear Directors Hillis and Tumlin,
On behalf of Livable City, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and Walk San Francisco, we write to share a set of principles that we have developed and are recommending that the City adopt as it formalizes its open streets program in connection to the present public health emergency and a Mobility Recovery plan.
Open streets and car-free spaces can be an effective tool to address a range of challenges currently facing San Francisco, including providing appropriate space and distance for essential trips, encouraging biking, walking and transit as restrictions to the shelter in place order are lifted, and addressing the ongoing public health threat of traffic violence. To fully realize the potential benefits and avoid unintended downsides, open streets must be planned and – implemented equitably and by engaging and empowering local communities.
It is our intent that the attached set of principles serve as a guide in developing and formalizing the City’s open streets strategy in order to optimize their use for public benefit and minimize any negative outcomes. We welcome feedback from you and your respective teams and are ready to partner in the development and deployment of a comprehensive, citywide strategy.
Sincerely,
Tom Radulovich Executive Director Livable City
Brian Wiedenmeier Executive Director San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
Jodie Medeiros Executive Director Walk San Francisco
Five Principles for Open Streets in San Francisco
Accommodate physical distancing: abide by Public Health orders and CDC guidelines
Prioritize street segments where compliance to the Physical Distancing orders is already difficult given the existing configuration of the street, for example narrow sidewalks
Achieve equity in terms of safe movement for Essential Activities and access to transit: acknowledge that the current public health crisis exacerbates pre-existing, structural, and historical disparities in access to basic needs, services, and transportation:
Focus institutional support where needs are greatest
Design solutions should first consider the most vulnerable users and those who are most negatively impacted (those with disabilities, pedestrians, cyclists, children, seniors)
Maintain local and emergency vehicular access, especially to places of essential business and services
Promote all aspects of wellbeing: physical, psychological and social. Deepen neighborhood resiliency by encouraging connectedness between neighbors
Allow for physical exercise – and other outdoor wellbeing activities – closer-to-home; relieving crowding at destinations such as parks and beaches
Allow for families and neighbors to use their local street for flexible purposes while adhering to physical distancing
Recognize that success requires community partnership and that all communities have the knowledge and capacity to lead and make change with urgency given proper institutional support.
Align open streets with small business recovery, including outdoor space for restaurants and cafes, and expand loading zones for curbside pickup and delivery to reduce conflicts with walking, cycling, and transit.
Promote local neighborhood ownership by allowing neighbours to opt-in
Conduct thorough but quick outreach and engagement
Embrace experimentation: acknowledge that Open Streets comprise one set of many critical strategies for gradually re-opening public life and economies
Identify a range of open streets solutions that are appropriate and effective for different phases of reopening and recovery
Establish sensible regulatory and programmatic framework that does not rely solely on law enforcement for success
Monitor operations and iterate regulations over time. Establish effective platforms for communicating changing expectations and operating parameters
Leverage open streets experiments to help establish norms of behaviour for safe public life
We are saddened to announce the cancellation of Sunday Streets Golden Gate Park on June 7th, Dogpatch/Mission Bay on June 21st, and Mission July 19th. Due to the Bay Area’s shelter in place order and restrictions on large scale gatherings in response to COVID-19, we remain uncertain if hosting Sunday Streets later in the season will be feasible. We will assess and make further announcements in July regarding Fall 2020.
This decision has not been easy. But for now, one-day activations that draw tens of thousands of people to one destination like Sunday Streets pose an unacceptable risk to public health and to the health of our staff, volunteers, programming partners and attendees.
Here at Livable City, we miss the music and dance, we miss children’s laughter, we miss the food and fun, and most of all we miss being in community with you – our neighbors – from all walks of life leisurely enjoying one another in the safety and freedom of miles of car-free streets. We can’t wait to be with everyone in that beautiful open streets state of being again.
Some GOOD NEWS – we will be releasing a program to help residents and commercial corridors create smaller-scale car-free spaces for us all to enjoy safely on a regular basis throughout 2020 and beyond.
If you’re interested in organizing regular car-free time on your block or have ideas on how car-free streets can help your business community, drop us a line! We will need your ideas and passion to envision a new 2020 open streets plan to meet the evolving needs of communities across San Francisco.
Until then, please take care of yourself, your loved ones, and everyone around you so we can all celebrate in car-free streets again soon!
Thank you for your support, your joy in sharing the streets, and your courage and love through this difficult time.
Sincerely, Katy Birnbaum and The Livable City Team
San Francisco – Based on updated health information and recommendations to reduce the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), nonprofit Livable City is cancelling the upcoming Sunday Streets dates:
Sunday Streets Excelsior on March 29
Sunday Streets Tenderloin on April 19
Sunday Streets Bayview on May 3
In partnership with SFMTA,
SFDPH, community partners and sponsors, Livable City is currently drafting a
revised season schedule of 11 events to take place between June and November
2020, to be released at the end of March.
“This was a difficult decision to make,” said Sunday Streets Director Katy Birnbaum. “After a lot of consideration, we determined this is the best way to ensure we have time to plan successful events and serve our most vulnerable communities.”
Sunday Streets is a public
health program with a mission to serve vulnerable populations and neighborhoods
most lacking in open space and recreational opportunities. As such, Sunday
Streets attendees, staff, partners and volunteers are part of the vulnerable
groups endangered by COVID-19, as well as key to the success of the program.
Each Sunday Streets event
takes extensive planning, meetings and partnerships. This decision was made to
ensure that all Sunday Streets events take place with the stakeholder
partnerships and involvement that make up the program, as well as ensure that
enough time and work is put into the planning necessary to create a mile-plus
community celebration.
In alignment with the
program’s mission, and in consideration of those we serve, Livable City will
not move forward with planning or hosting Sunday Streets events during this
period.
Livable City’s first priority is the health and wellness of our community and we look forward to bringing a season of open street events later this year. In the meantime, stay safe and be well.
About Sunday Streets
Sunday Streets is a program of the nonprofit Livable City,
presented in partnership with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
and the San Francisco Department of Public Health and the Shape Up SF
Coalition. Additional City support comes from the Department of Public Works,
Recreation & Parks Department, SF Police Department, SF County
Transportation Authority, San Francisco Mayor London Breed and her offices and
the SF Board of Supervisors.
On Friday March 6th at
4:30pm, Mayor London N. Breed, the San Francisco Department of Public Health
and the Department of Emergency Management announced new recommendations for
San Francisco to reduce the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the community.
These recommendations include
cancelling or postponing non-essential large gatherings and community events.
Per the recommendations,
Livable City is officially cancelling Sunday Streets Mission on March 8, 2020.
Livable City
does not currently have information about the ability or timeline for
rescheduling the event. We are not able to issue refunds at this time.
Keep up to date at www.sfdph.org, by calling 311, and by signing
up for the City’s new alert service for official updates: text COVID19SF to
888-777.
At the time of this release, the San
Francisco Department of Public Health is not generally recommending the
rescheduling of public events in San Francisco and as such, Sunday Streets SF
Mission on March 8th, 2020 will be taking place as scheduled.
Per CDC and SFDPH recommendations, the
following COVID-19 protocols are in place for the event:
All Livable City staff and volunteers are advised to cancel
their attendance if they are experiencing any of the most common symptoms of COVID-19
infection, which are fever, coughing, and/or shortness of breath, and call
their doctor immediately.
Partners and
exhibitors are advised to release the same advisory to their onsite staff
scheduled for Sunday Streets. Please notify us immediately of cancellation due
to sickness and no later than 8:00am on event-day to help us plan for
equipment. No show and late cancellation fees have been waived, but we are
unable to issue refunds for cancellations at this time.
We have a designated quarantine site and medical response
protocol with our emergency medical provider, Special Medical Aid, in the event
that someone reports COVID-19 symptoms to Livable City or medical staff while
onsite.
Additional handwashing stations will be placed by the
portable toilets with instructions on handwashing best practices for COVID-19
infection.
Information sheets about COVID-19 Infection and hand
sanitizer will be available at the information booth.
Please
support our most vulnerable populations during this time by staying informed of
the latest COVID-19 infection advisories from San Francisco Department of
Public Health and the CDC at https://www.sfdph.org/dph/alerts/coronavirus.asp
