Following legislation signed by Mayor Daniel Lurie, the city accepted $14.5 million in private funding from SF’s Downtown Development Corporation to push forward the long overdue revitalization of the Powell Street corridor.
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie approved a measure Wednesday allowing the city to accept private donations for the long-delayed Powell Street Promenade refresh project, supported by a $14.5 million commitment from the San Francisco Downtown Development Corporation, as KTVU reports. Construction is expected to break ground this fall, with most work completed by 2027.
As SFist reported last year, the redesign focuses on the three-block stretch between Market and Geary streets, with plans for wider sidewalks, new landscaping, along with a series of decorative lighting features, including programmable lanterns inspired by the area’s historic architecture. A large, suspended, spherical LED installation near the Cable Car Turnaround, which will change colors with the seasons — rainbow for Pride, green and red for Christmas, etc. — anchors the design.
Designers from Field Operations, the firm behind Presidio Tunnel Tops and New York’s High Line, partnered with Sitelab Urban Studio on the winning proposal after a competitive design process, as the Chronicle reports.
The project also reportedly includes upgraded cable car boarding areas and improved connections between the Powell Street turnaround and Union Square. Muni will also be replacing its aging cable car mechanical and electrical systems underground.
“San Francisco will have 24 million visitors this year, surpassing 2019 levels,” Lurie said Wednesday during a press conference. Per the Chronicle, Lurie referred to Powell Street as one of the first places tourists encounter in the city and called it “a corridor that reflects the optimism of our city.”
Lurie's office said in a statement that the contribution from the SF Downtown Development Corporation adds to $26 million already approved through the 2024 Healthy, Safe and Vibrant San Francisco Bond and transportation funding sources.
City leaders and project backers say the investment is part of a broader effort to strengthen downtown’s recovery and build a more active mixed-use district.
Per the Chronicle, Downtown Development Corporation CEO Shola Olatoye said additional announcements involving new businesses and jobs are expected this summer, while the city and local stakeholders are also working on a new long-range vision for downtown — the first comprehensive plan of its kind in roughly 40 years.
Previously: Design Approved For Sparkly Revamp of Powell Street
Image: Rendering by Field Operations via Union Square Alliance
