In 1961, a report entitled “What to Do About Market Street” stated that “Market Street is a Paradox. It is San Francisco’s most famous street. It is wide, busy, and important. But is is also congested, dirty and unattractive.” Fifty years later these sentiments still persist. Once Northern California’s center for theatre and entertainment, the district has undergone a precipitous economic decline. For half a century, Mid-Market has suffered from severe disinvestment, neglect from property owners, blight, and homelessness.
Today, the City of San Francisco, through the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development, the Planning Department, the Arts Commission, and the MTA are working in conjunction with numerous businesses, arts organizations, and non-profits like San Francisco Beautiful to address these problems and revitalize this historic boulevard.
Our efforts on Market
San Francisco Beautiful is dedicated to improving the Mid-Market Corridor, and has produced a study of possible avenues for activating the area. You can read more about our “tool kit” here.
In addition, we have awarded several community partnership grants to fund beautification projects in Mid-Market, including:
-A green, living wall at the Luggage Store on 6th and Market (pictured above).
-A new permeable sidewalk garden for the Community Housing Partnership on 650 Eddy St.
-An Art Walk curated by Urban Solutions, running along 6th St., between Howard and Market St.
-The SF Arts Market in the United Nations Plaza at Civic Center.
-The Tenderloin People’s Garden, a community garden run by the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation that provides space for recreation and nutritional education, and produces fresh produce for Tenderloin residents.
Central Market Partnership
In January 2010, OEWD launched the Central Market Partnership, a public/private initiative to renew and coordinate efforts to revitalize the Central Market neighborhood, the stretch of Market Street between 5th Street and Van Ness Avenue. The City’s goal is to restore Central Market as San Francisco’s downtown arts district while inviting in new retail, restaurants, services and employers to take advantage of the transit and downtown location and serve the adjacent Tenderloin and SOMA neighborhoods. In November 2011 Mayor Ed Lee, OEWD and community partners rolled out the Central Market Economic Strategy, an economic development strategy to stabilize and revitalize Central Market and the adjacent neighborhoods. The document, the result of a 10-month public process that began in January 2011, identifies the programs and policies that can revitalize the Central Market district while supporting the neighborhood’s current residents and communities.
To learn more, see the Central Market Partnership.
Better Market Streets Plan
The Better Market Streets Plan is currently headed by the DPW, intends to repave Market Street from Van Ness Avenue to Stuart Street, and complete major streetscape upgrade and ”re-envisioning” of Market Street in the process. Since 2010, the BMS Plan has been overseen by the 15-member BMS Citizens Advisory Committee. The project is still in the conceptual design phase and is yet to sign with a vendor.
Our Plan for Mid Market
Mid Market is currently occupied by non profit and governmental offices with a few arts and culture locations, vacant store fronts, open space sites.
-”promoting creative action” and a sense of community with cultural activation zones: farmers markets, dancing, music, craft market, theatre shows, food vendors, etc
-goals: increase pedestrian activity, fill the need for affordable creative space, and establish a themed trajectory
-performance criteria: engagement, protection against crime and violence, sensory experience, opportunities to talk and listen
-implementation strategies: funding through the government and private business owners, low cost renovations to vacant buildings
