Hayes Closure

Agency Correspondence-Vendor Activity and Permit Enforcement in Hayes Valley

In June 2024, HVS began raising concerns with City agencies regarding ongoing vendor activity operating within the Hayes Street closure area without visible permits or compliance with Shared Spaces requirements. Subsequent correspondence was sent throughout 2024, again in January 2025, August 2025, September 2025, January 2026, March 2026, June 2026, and August 2026 documenting continued vendor activity, recurring permit compliance concerns, and the absence of visible enforcement. Over that period, the activity evolved from a recurring clothing tent operating within …

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Taxpayers Footing Over $100,000 a Year for Hayes Street Closure Noncompliance

While SFMTA faces a $307- 322 million budget deficit, the agency continues to subsidize a street closure that delivers minimal public benefit and clear fiscal harm. Direct Costs to SFMTA and Taxpayers Combined direct cost: Well over $100,000 per year borne by SFMTA and San Francisco taxpayers — for a program riddled with noncompliance. These figures also do not include the Hayes Street Public Life Study, which public documents suggest will cost nearly half a million dollars and includes evaluating …

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When the Rules Stop Mattering

For almost two years now, we’ve been telling City agencies about the same problem on the closed block of Hayes Street: vendors setting up shop without following the rules. It started back in June 2024. What began as one clothing vendor with a tent has turned into a regular scene: a big branded truck, sidewalk displays, and more vendors showing up. This isn’t a one-off anymore. It’s become part of the closure. The permit that closes the street says the …

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