Commission approves relocation of two Path of Gold light standards at Harvey Milk Plaza amid broad community support
November 16, 2022 | San Francisco City, San Francisco County, California
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The San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission on Nov. 16 approved a certificate of appropriateness to relocate two historic "Path of Gold" light standards within Harvey Milk Plaza, a move staff said is part of a broader redesign that includes accessibility upgrades to Castro Muni Station and memorial elements honoring Supervisor Harvey Milk.
Rebecca Salgado, planning staff, told the commission the project would relocate the two standards short distances, install them on new below-grade structural footings and preserve their individual components in temporary, protected storage during the work. "Staff's preliminary recommendation for this project is for approval with conditions," Salgado said, adding that staff recommended one condition requiring documentation of removal, wrapping and secure storage for review and approval by planning staff.
Public comment was strongly in favor of the relocation. Brian Springfield, executive director of Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza, said the current plaza "doesn't represent who Harvey was" and urged the commission to approve the minor relocation so the larger redesign can create a more fitting memorial. Andrea Aiello, volunteer co-president of Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza, and multiple neighborhood groups also spoke in support. Trey Allen, a former city employee who co-chaired the LGBTQ Cultural Heritage Strategy, called the relocation "smart" and urged approval so the broader project can move forward.
A smaller set of commenters urged preservation of the existing station features and argued for landmarking the Castro Muni Station. John Goldsmith, a Castro resident and renter, asked that the station be landmarked and that the certificate be denied; he noted a 1,800-signature petition calling for preservation. Planning staff responded that the Path of Gold standards currently in the plaza were installed in the early 1980s and that the plaza redesign had been evaluated under CEQA with historic resource evaluation responses prepared.
After discussion, the commission voted to approve the certificate of appropriateness with the staff-recommended condition to document removal, wrapping and storage of the standards; the motion passed unanimously among voting commissioners.
Rebecca Salgado, planning staff, told the commission the project would relocate the two standards short distances, install them on new below-grade structural footings and preserve their individual components in temporary, protected storage during the work. "Staff's preliminary recommendation for this project is for approval with conditions," Salgado said, adding that staff recommended one condition requiring documentation of removal, wrapping and secure storage for review and approval by planning staff.
Public comment was strongly in favor of the relocation. Brian Springfield, executive director of Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza, said the current plaza "doesn't represent who Harvey was" and urged the commission to approve the minor relocation so the larger redesign can create a more fitting memorial. Andrea Aiello, volunteer co-president of Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza, and multiple neighborhood groups also spoke in support. Trey Allen, a former city employee who co-chaired the LGBTQ Cultural Heritage Strategy, called the relocation "smart" and urged approval so the broader project can move forward.
A smaller set of commenters urged preservation of the existing station features and argued for landmarking the Castro Muni Station. John Goldsmith, a Castro resident and renter, asked that the station be landmarked and that the certificate be denied; he noted a 1,800-signature petition calling for preservation. Planning staff responded that the Path of Gold standards currently in the plaza were installed in the early 1980s and that the plaza redesign had been evaluated under CEQA with historic resource evaluation responses prepared.
After discussion, the commission voted to approve the certificate of appropriateness with the staff-recommended condition to document removal, wrapping and storage of the standards; the motion passed unanimously among voting commissioners.
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