Tenderloin ‘green oasis’ project including bikeway and play areas receives funding

San Francisco is setting aside $1.1 million to fund a“green oasis”of open public space in the Tenderloin one of the city’s densest neighborhoods.

On Tuesday, the San Francisco County Transportation Authority board approved two five-year prioritization programs related to traffic signs and signals upgrades, and pedestrian and safety street improvements, including as the Golden Gate Greenway Project. The project will convert Golden Gate Avenue between Jones and Leavenworth from two lanes of traffic to one, adding green spaces, sitting areas and play areas for families on both sides of the roadway.

The $1.1 million for the project will come from the city’s Proposition L local transportation sales tax.

At the SFCTA meeting Tuesday morning, Supervisor Dean Preston, who represents the Tenderloin, said:

“This is a community-created oasis in the heart of the Tenderloin and it needs major improvements and activation of sitting areas, family play areas green space on the Golden Gate Greenway.”

Documents from the SFCTA show that there are other improvements slated for the project, including a bikeway, traffic calming measures and pedestrian safety improvements, though details of exact designs for those improvements are still pending upon further discussions with the Fire Department. There was no date of completion for those improvements or when the traffic lane conversion would take place.

Preston’s office said the Golden Gate Greenway was temporarily implemented during the early part of the Covid-19 pandemic as many service providers on the block had to move their operations outdoors.

Since then, St. Anthony’s Foundation, located on the block of the project, has been advocating along with other community organizations, for more open space in the densely populated neighborhood.

Earlier in February, the foundation announced that there was $200,000 in city funds for what was called the first phase of the project. The funds were to help build three parklets with the anticipation of completing by the end of 2024.

Nils Behnke, CEO of St. Anthony’s Foundation, said in a press release by Preston’ s office:

“Safe, open green spaces like the Golden Gate Greenway are occurring in other parts of the city. With more than 3,000 children living in the Tenderloin, a path forward for the completion of this Greenway is overdue, and the project continues to receive overwhelmingly positive community support.”

Preston said there has been support throughout the community for the project:

“We have heard from hundreds of people, every organization, nonprofit, the businesses — there’s such strong support for this amazing project and really excited to see the funding of over a million dollars to make this happen as part of this plan.”