Supervisors grill Rec and Park over UN Plaza activation and farmers market move; item continued

Supervisor Dean Preston, chair of the Government Audit and Oversight Committee, opened a 10/19/2023 hearing seeking clarity on the UN Plaza activation pilot and the relocation of the Heart of the City Farmers Market, saying the public and market vendors deserved transparent timelines, mitigation measures and clear leadership.

The Recreation and Park Department’s Sarah Madeline told the committee the activation builds on the Civic Center public‑realm plan and aims to address growing public‑safety and public‑health problems at UN Plaza. Madeline described new installations — exercise equipment, permanent ping‑pong and chess tables, skate elements, and a vegetation fountain — and said the work is informed by outreach and coordination with multiple city agencies and community partners. She said construction was “nearing completion” with an anticipated mid‑November opening and that the project budget is “a little over $2,000,000” funded from the department’s general fund capital budget.

Helene Sotu, project director for the Civic Center Community Benefit District, said the CBD helped the market relocate operations to Fulton Plaza and presented initial manager‑provided data for September 2023 showing higher per‑market stall fees (cited at about an 11% increase compared with September 2022), a 112% increase in total EBT dollars processed and a 77.6% increase in EBT transactions. Sotu said the figures were raw data from the market manager and not conclusive but noted indications the market was able to operate in the new location.

Several supervisors and public speakers disputed that early metrics tell the whole story. Preston repeatedly pressed Rec and Park on what he described as shifting accounts about the pilot’s expected duration; he said community members had been told earlier the plan was a short, six‑month pilot and that a later assertion of a two‑year implementation window alarmed vendors and advocates. Madeline responded the department’s expectation was a two‑year evaluation period, with ongoing monitoring and adjustments during that time.

Members of the public — including market vendors, Tenderloin community advocates and civic‑engagement groups — told the committee they had not been adequately consulted, raised practical concerns about restroom access and produce damage from newly paved asphalt on hot days, and warned that vendors operating on month‑to‑month permits felt pressured by the relocation. David Elliott Lewis, co‑chair of the Tenderloin People’s Congress, said market board members had approved the move based on representations that it would be a six‑month pilot and stated, “They were misinformed. They were lied to.”

Rec and Park and CBD officials said they would continue collecting attendance and sales data (including anonymized Placer AI visitor metrics, in‑person observations and SFPD incident tracking) and pledged to work with the market on permit issues and site improvements such as signage, parking accommodations and staffing support. Officials acknowledged some mitigations remain under discussion, including restroom access and possible surface treatments or shade to address heat concerns.

After more than an hour of presentations and public comment, Chair Preston moved to continue Item 1 to the call of the chair to permit further analysis and negotiation; the motion passed on a roll call with Supervisors Connie Chan, Rafael Mandelman and Dean Preston voting aye. The committee directed departments and the CBD to continue data collection, to pursue near‑term mitigations for vendor needs and to return with clearer commitments and timelines.