MEDIA RELEASE

SAN FRANCISCO – The Board of Supervisors gave final approval for an updated Recreation and Open Space Element (ROSE) yesterday, officially updating the document for the first time since 1986. 

The ROSE is a component of the City’s General Plan that determines overall direction and policies for long-term planning, conservation, and use of open space and recreational facilities in San Francisco. The 2014 ROSE strives to better utilize and preserve existing resources, expand accessibility to underserved areas, and emphasize environmental sustainability to enhance local biodiversity and pursue sustainable design efforts.

Specific updates to the 2014 ROSE include:

• updating priority acquisition and renovation areas of open space;
• identifying new types of open spaces as supplements to the open space system, such as Privately Owned Public Open Spaces (POPOS), Living Alleys and Parklets;
• preserving and enhancing both native and non-native species;
• elevating the need for community engagement in the design and development of their local open spaces and recreational programs; and
• emphasizing sustainable design practices in capital improvements.

“The ROSE is the City’s guide to creating, maintaining and stewarding all of our open space,” said John Rahaim, director of the San Francisco Planning Department. “It speaks to the social and environmental well-being of the City; providing recreational opportunities, passive locations away from the bustle of the city, and opportunities for social engagement for all San Franciscans.”

The approval is recognition of the role open space plays in the lives of all San Franciscans. “We are thrilled that the ROSE has finally passed. This update to the City's General Plan underscores the vital importance of active recreation and open space in our City," said Phil Ginsburg, General Manager of San Francisco's Recreation and Park Department. “The ROSE is a celebration of San Francisco's natural heritage and our City's ecological, economic, and cultural diversity.”

The policy updates in the ROSE reflect a seven year, comprehensive community engagement process involving hundreds of stakeholders. In 2007, then-Mayor Newsom launched an 80 member Open Space Task Force of landscape architects, open space advocates and City residents. After an extensive community outreach effort including hundreds of stakeholders the Planning Department released the first draft in May 2009. The final draft was released in November 2013 and adopted by the Planning Commission in April 2014.

San Francisco is among the top five cities in the country in terms of parkland per resident, with over 3,400 acres of recreation and open space owned and managed by the Recreation and Park Department, over 250 acres of open space owned and managed by the State of California, and another 1,600 acres of federally owned open space, adding up to almost 20% of the City’s total land area. San Francisco is currently ranked #3 on The Trust for Public Land’s ParkScore® index, based equally on three factors: access, size, and per capita park spending.

The policy updates in the 2014 ROSE become effective immediately upon the Mayor’s signature.

ROSE Timeline

November 2007: Community Outreach Process Began

May 2009: Draft Recreation and Open Space Element released

July 2010: Funding for the environmental review secured

June 2011: Revised Draft of the Recreation and Open Space Element released

November: 2013 Final Draft of the Recreation and Open Space Element Released

April 2014: Final Draft adopted by the Planning Commission

July 2014: Final Draft approved by the Board of Supervisors

Media Contact: Gina Simi
(415) 575-9119 | gina.simi@sfgov.org

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