In early 2023, the state of California recommended to the National Park Service that the Buchanan Street Mall Renovations project receive additional federal funding. We just found out that an additional $8.1 million is being awarded to SF Rec and Park through the ORLP round 6B grant! This funding was anticipated and is needed to realize the community’s full vision for capital improvements.
The Buchanan Street Mall Renovations project is close to completing design and—thanks to the ORLP 6B funding—is scheduled to advertise for public bid this spring. Our team is working through final design refinements, particularly related to utility coordination, as the legacy of Redevelopment and street vacation left a web of utilities underneath The Mall, and several utility relocations are required to accommodate the park design.
In advance of advertising, we are also confirming construction requirements for protection of an old brick sewer that runs underneath the northern three blocks, finalizing our contract specifications—including provisions for minority- and women-owned business participation and workforce development, and waiting for review comments from SF DBI permitting. We are also carefully coordinating schedule with a separate SFPUC project that is relocating an old water main outside of The Mall in advance of site demolition.*
There are still many moving pieces, but we are currently on track to begin construction before the end of 2024, a few months behind on our original planned schedule.
Rec and Park and our partners are also refining equity action initiatives in association with the capital project, and are shaping plans for community involvement in developing artwork and storytelling along the Memory Walk. We anticipate having more to share on both these fronts before summer.
* An existing SFPUC water main currently runs under the full length of Buchanan Street Mall, and provides water to the California Pacific Medical Center Pacific Heights Campus and many other users. Early on in project development, the SFPUC determined that this 12inch-diameter ductile iron water main was deemed potentially unable to withstand the impact of project demolition and construction activities. SFRPD and SFPUC have been coordinating on the relocation of this water main for the past three years. A contract for the work has been awarded via SFPUC; work will begin soon; and water is on track to be flowing in the new pipe under Webster Street by fall 2024.