Supervisors demand Rec & Park explain UN Plaza activation after Heart of the City farmers market moved

San Francisco supervisors on Sept. 21 pressed the Recreation and Park Department to justify a pilot activation of United Nations Plaza that relocated the long‑running Heart of the City farmers market to Fulton Plaza, and voted to send a resolution to the full Board demanding transparency and mitigation.

Supervisor Dean Preston, who authored the resolution, told the Government Audit & Oversight Committee that Rec & Park had refused repeated requests to convene community meetings before moving the market. "This would never happen in any other neighborhood," Preston said, arguing the Tenderloin community was not given a meaningful opportunity to weigh in on a plan that market leaders say threatens vendors’ livelihoods.

Market director Steve Pulliam described the relocation’s operational consequences: vendors have lost proximity to their trucks, hot‑food vendors reported steep sales declines, some booths were spread into City Hall Plaza, and Fulton Plaza’s dark asphalt raises spoilage concerns during long market days. Pulliam said the market currently operates on a two‑month temporary permit and asked for a stable permit, benchmarks to measure pilot success, surface‑cooling work on Fulton Plaza and support for vendor equipment storage.

Public comment was robust: farmers, Tenderloin residents, food‑equity groups (including GLIDE and TNDC), and dozens of customers urged a pause to construction, stronger community outreach in multiple languages, a six‑month right‑of‑return if vendor sales decline, and written commitments from Rec & Park on budget and mitigation. Speakers warned that moving the market threatens food access for low‑income residents who use CalFresh benefits at the market (the market operates a large EBT program).

Rec & Park absent: Committee members and several speakers criticized Rec & Park for not sending an authorized representative to the hearing; Preston said the department’s absence was "unacceptable" and raised the possibility the committee could subpoena Rec & Park and the Civic Center Community Benefit District to secure attendance at future hearings.

Vote and next steps: The committee voted unanimously to forward the resolution with a positive recommendation to the full Board and Supervisor Connie Chan was added as a co‑sponsor. The resolution asks Rec & Park to provide the pilot’s duration, itemized costs and funding sources, detailed plans and the metrics Rec & Park will use to evaluate both the pilot and the market’s success in the new location.

Ending: The committee described the resolution as a first step; members urged Rec & Park to return promptly with written plans, budget details and measurable benchmarks to ensure the farmers market and food access in the Tenderloin are not unduly harmed.