MEDIA RELEASE

SAN FRANCISCO – The San Francisco Planning Department, along with the Castro/Upper Market Community Benefit District, Merchants of Upper Market and Castro, and the Castro/Eureka Valley Neighborhood Association invites residents, business owners and the media to attend a Castro Street Design open house on Tuesday, May 14th. The open house will unveil the final conceptual design for Castro Street and attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and provide comments on the design.

“The City’s vision for a new Castro Street is to improve the intersections and sidewalks in order to accommodate the growth of pedestrians and all modes of transportation,” said San Francisco Planning Director John Rahaim. “We are thrilled to unveil the final design concept for this project, made possible with the participation and support from Castro residents and business owners.”

The open house is scheduled for next week:

Castro Street Design Project Community Open House

Date: Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Time: 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Location: Market & Noe Center, 2278 Market Street, San Francisco

Since January 2013, the San Francisco Planning Department, Municipal Transportation Agency and Department of Public Works worked closely with Castro community residents and business owners to develop a pedestrian-friendly design for the Castro Street renovation. After a series of community workshops, the Castro community was encouraged to fill out a survey on their feedback for a conceptual design. Ninety four percent of survey respondents indicated they liked the basic design for Castro Street.

After the community open house, the design details for Castro Street will be finalized and the Department of Public Works will begin work on construction drawings. Construction on Castro Street is anticipated to begin in January 2014, led by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and the Department of Public Works.

The Castro Street Design Project is a collaborative effort of the San Francisco Planning Department, Municipal Transportation Agency, Department of Public Works, Supervisor Scott Wiener and builds on previous planning efforts lead by the Castro/Upper Market Community Benefit District and local merchants. The project focuses on the busiest part of the Castro Street, the two blocks between Market and 19th Streets, which is also a major transit hub for the Castro Muni Metro subway station, the F-Line historic streetcar turnaround, in addition to a number of transit lines. Funding for the planning and construction of this project was allocated from the 2011 Road Repaving and Streets Safety Bond.

For more information about the Castro Street Design, visit http://castrostreetdesign.sfplanning.org.



Media Contact: Joanna Linsangan
415.575.9119 | joanna.linsangan@sfgov.org