Commission OKs six-month MOAs for Mission Bay parks; Recreation & Parks and Port to assume management on July 1

The Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure commission on Tuesday approved two six-month memoranda of agreement that will move day-to-day management of parts of the Mission Bay open-space system to the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department and to the Port of San Francisco, effective July 1, 2023.

The agreements—authorized in separate votes—allow Recreation and Parks to manage certain Mission Bay parcels with a six-month budget not to exceed $950,000 and the Port to manage waterfront parcels with up to $510,000 in short-term funding. The commission voted 4–0 with one absence on both items.

The short-term MOAs are intended to bridge the transition while a larger transfer is finalized, said Mark Slutskin, project manager for Mission Bay. OCII will remain the administrator of Community Facilities District No. 5 (CFD 5) and return later with a larger memorandum of understanding and the permanent lease-transfer package that will include the long-term funding split between agencies and any required street-vacation approvals before the Board of Supervisors.

“We believe the fund balance will cover shortfalls through 2029,” Slutskin said, referring to CFD assessments that currently support Mission Bay maintenance. He added that full build‑out (41.5 acres planned; about 24 acres open today) will change the district’s fiscal profile and that the temporary MOAs keep the transfer process moving without triggering multiple Board of Supervisors submittals.

Phil Ginsberg, general manager of the Recreation and Park Department, told commissioners his agency is prepared to take stewardship of the parks and highlighted workforce and equity efforts tied to park operations. “We are going to love these children as much as we love our own,” Ginsberg said, describing apprenticeship and outreach programs aimed at hiring and training local residents.

Community voices at the meeting supported the transition but urged continued attention to maintenance and local hiring. Sarah Davis, chair of the Mission Bay Citizen Advisory Committee, said the CAC unanimously supported the approach but asked that Rec & Park and the Port maintain current service levels and keep community engagement ongoing. Oscar James, a longtime Bayview resident, urged robust training programs so local residents can access construction and maintenance jobs tied to Mission Bay projects.

The MOAs are time-limited: each memorandum runs for six months and will expire either when the long-form transfer is completed or at a maximum two-year term stated in the related resolutions. Slutskin said any future extension beyond the short budgets would require further approvals and likely Board of Supervisors review for amounts above local thresholds.

Next steps include staff negotiations on the full lease transfer, a return to the commission later this year with the larger agreement and an eventual Board of Supervisors review for required street vacations and the lease transfer itself.

Action taken: the commission approved Item 5b (Rec & Park MOA) and Item 5c (Port MOA), both by roll-call votes of 4 ayes, 1 absent.