San Francisco has spent years making it easier to close streets than to keep them open for the businesses and residents who actually use them. On the 400 block of Hayes Street, we are watching this play out in real time: a Shared Spaces permit already under formal administrative complaint for 71 weeks of sustained noncompliance is now being layered … Read post
A new proposal for a year-long weekly farmers market on the 400 block of Hayes Street (Gough to Octavia) is being framed as simple community activation. But the real issue is deeper. Every new “activation”, whether a market, event, or shared space extension, is being decided on the assumption that the street must remain closed. No one in City Hall … Read post
Update Following the hearing, the civil harassment petition described in our January 8 statement below was denied by the court. The petitioner was the Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association (HVNA), the permit holder for the Hayes Street closure. The court’s decision is consistent with what we stated at the time: documenting the conditions of a public street operating under a city … Read post
Listen to our newest release!
What began as a temporary COVID-era street closure is now being treated as something permanent. Recent public records show that District 5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood directly requested and drove the City’s initiation of a Public Life Study on Hayes Street, with the Planning Department leading the technical work in coordination with SFMTA, SFCTA, and the Supervisor’s own office. This is … Read post
A local park, a proposed change, and a process that left neighbors with more questions than answers. What Happened On Saturday, neighbors gathered at Koshland Park for a Recreation & Park hosted open house on the upcoming playground renewal project. What was presented as an opportunity to learn more and provide input instead left many attendees with more questions than … Read post
Over the past year, a small group centered around the Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association (HVNA) and Supervisor Bilal Mahmood quietly set the direction for the future of the 400 block of Hayes Street.A study was launched.Funding was secured.Agencies were coordinated. For the small businesses and neighbors who actually live and work here, one question stands out:How did this happen without … Read post