Who Is Making the Decisions About Hayes Street?

The first two articles in this series looked at two different ways Hayes Street has been shaped. The Market & Octavia Area Plan established a long-term planning framework through years of public participation, environmental review, and coordinated decision-making. What followed years later was very different. Beginning with the pandemic, temporary programs, permits, renewals, events, and other initiatives gradually accumulated on Hayes Street. No single decision produced the street we see today. That raises another question: Who has been making those …

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What Happened After the Plan: The Evolution of Hayes Street

The Market & Octavia Area Plan established a long-term planning framework for Hayes Valley. As discussed in the first article in this series, Hayes Street was envisioned as an active neighborhood-serving commercial corridor within a broader strategy balancing transportation, public space, housing, and economic activity. More than a decade later, an entirely different circumstance began reshaping the street. An emergency changes Hayes Street In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted San Francisco to introduce emergency programs allowing businesses and communities to …

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Before the Closure: The Market & Octavia Area Plan

For many discussions about the future of Hayes Street, it can seem as though today’s debates began with the Shared Spaces program or more recent proposals. In reality, Hayes Street has long been part of a broader planning framework adopted by the City. Before considering new concepts or permanent changes, it is worth revisiting the planning framework that already exists. The Market & Octavia Area Plan, adopted by the City in 2008 after years of public planning and environmental review, …

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