Buchanan Street Mall is a pedestrian walkway and city park that runs through a five-block section of the Western Addition, from Eddy Street to Grove Street. Its renovation, planned with neighbors and local community organizations, will transform the park into a safe, vibrant hub for recreation, arts, culture, and intergenerational connection.
Background
The Buchanan Street Mall was built by the then-San Francisco Redevelopment Agency, opened to the public in 1975, and transferred to the Recreation and Park Department in 1976. The park underwent major renovations in the late 1980s and early 1990s and received repairs in the early 2000s.
After years of underuse, the Buchanan Street Mall came alive again in 2015 after the San Francisco Recreation and Park department, project partners, and community members celebrated the first activation: installation of temporary gardens, benches, archways, historical photos, lighting, and two "audio-domes" providing stories from the neighborhood.
In 2017, after extensive outreach and input from the community, the Buchanan Street Mall Vision Plan was complete. This plan has helped guide Rec and Park and key partners Citizen Film, Green Streets, and Trust for Public Land, to create a conceptual design for the entire five blocks of the park. The concept plan was developed by the Office of Cheryl Barton, with support from Studio MLA, and was approved by the Recreation and Parks Commission in April 2020. The concept plan provided an essential story on why funding was vital while also helping to guide future capital investment for the community.
With the support of key partners and city, state, and federal funding, Rec and Park has secured over $25 million for this project. We are now able to move forward and renovate all five blocks of Buchanan Mall! And planning continues for a Memory Walk and three micro-enterprise kiosks (construction of these key components of the project vision is dependent on securing additional funding).
Key Project Goals
- Safety, lighting, and beautification
- Connect all blocks and unify the community
- Tell the story of the community and the neighborhood
- Social interaction and multi-generational recreation
- Skills training and jobs creation
- Urban greening and stormwater management
Park Improvement Equity Action Initiative
Rec and Park launched a Park Improvement Equity Action Initiative, after hearing directly from the Fillmore Community and key partner organizations on the importance of public investments translating to a park project that is meaningful to the community. That means we are focusing on strengthening the neighborhood, creating equitable economic opportunity, and improving health and wellness for everyone in the Western Addition.
This PIEA Initiative will ensure that the Buchanan Street Mall Renovation Project is a community driven process that centers the rich culture, legacy, and identity of the neighborhood. Thank you to Senator Scott Wiener for securing State funding that will go towards transforming the park while uplifting the community.
Ongoing Work
- Studio-MLA is in contract to complete the conceptual design for the Memory Walk.
- We are partnering with SF Public Utilities Commission to improve aging sewer and water infrastructure, and to deliver green infrastructure that will better manage stormwater in the area and beautify the intersections along Buchanan Mall.
- SF Public Works is contracted for design and construction administration services.
- Rec and Park and our partners are leading extensive engagement winter – summer 2023, with a focus on community building, Memory Walk design, and equity action initiatives.
Project Schedule
Planning
January 2015
Design
April 2020 (Turk – Golden Gate)
September 2021 (Eddy – Turk and McAllister – Fulton)
May 2022 (Memory Walk)
November 2022 (Golden Gate – McAllister and McAllister – Fulton )
Note: Design for park renovations has proceeded block by block, as funding became available.
Construction
May 2024
Open to the Public
June 2025
Funding
The Buchanan Street Mall conceptual design was funded by The Trust for Public Land and its donors.
Main sources of project funding include:
- 2012 Neighborhood Parks Bond Let’sPlaySF! program
- 2020 Health and Recovery Bond
- Development impact fees
- San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
- State Budget allocation from Senator Wiener
- Prop 68 Statewide Parks Grant
- Outdoor Recreational Legacy Partnership grant through the National Park Service
- And other public funds
Resources
#BuchananChange
Project Partners
- The Trust for Public Land - A national nonprofit founded in San Francisco in 1972 to create parks and protect land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come. TPL funded the conceptual design contract and is supporting community outreach and engagement and the development of the Memory Walk through administering a Prop 68 Statewide Parks project grant.
- Citizen Film - A nationally recognized nonprofit that uses documentary storytelling, including film, oral histories, and other media, as a tool to foster dialogue about solutions to local problems. Citizen Film has partnered with Green Streets to engage neighbors, tell stories of community empowerment, facilitate park activation, and develop artwork and interpretive elements along the Memory Walk.
- Green Streets - The staff of this small local business were key community organizers and members of the Design Task Force, which developed the Activation design and continue to connect the community to the project and cultivate new opportunity for local entrepreneurs. Green Streets is a social enterprise providing environmental services and beautification through recycling, composting, and community education programs.
- The Exploratorium - Exploratorium Studio for Public Spaces works in the public realm to create exhibits and environments that encourage play, exploration, creativity, and social connection. The Exploratorium Studio designed the initial activation project and facilitated a unique community design-build process. The studio continues to advise on the project.
- Success Centers - As part of the Park Improvement Equity Action Initiative, Rec and Park is collaborating with local nonprofit Success Centers to create hyperlocal jobs and skills trainings through park renovations construction contract, workforce development, and entrepreneur cultivation. Success Centers has 40 years of experience breaking down barriers to empower communities and build new pathways to success.
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