A new plan officially introduced on Friday calls for San Francisco's Embarcadero Plaza to be renamed Art Agnos Plaza in honor of the former mayor who championed the removal of the Embarcadero Freeway following the damage it sustained in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.

As the Chronicle reports, should the resolution pass the San Francisco Recreation and Park Commission's Capital Committee this upcoming Wednesday, it will then be subject to a full commission vote in the next month. If successful, the red-brick area of Embarcadero Plaza first known as Justin Herman Plaza would subsequently become Art Agnos Plaza.

In a statement shared with the Chronicle, current San Francisco mayor Daniel Lurie highlighted what his predecessor was able to achieve during his time in office.

"When the Loma Prieta earthquake struck San Francisco, it was Art Agnos who helped guide our city through one of the most challenging moments in its history — and who seized that moment to transform our iconic waterfront for generations to come,” Lurie said. “As we once again reimagine a vital part of our waterfront, it is only fitting that we honor former Mayor Agnos’s legacy.”

The new plans would also rename an adjacent green space in Sue Bierman Park as Sue Bierman Commons. Bierman, who died in 2006, was an activist and former Board of Supervisors member who played a major role in preventing the construction of a proposed freeway artery through Golden Gate Park.

Along with Art Agnos Plaza, the two parcels would subsequently be known as Embarcadero Park and cover a span of five acres. The redesign will reportedly cost $40 million, with construction set to begin before year's end and finish by early 2028.

Budgeting for the plan calls for half of the $40 million cost to be covered by the city via public sources like bond funds while the other half comes from private fundraising being overseen by the Downtown Development Corp. The San Francisco foundation Crankstart has reportedly committed $10 million towards that end with the goal of recognizing Agnos.

Additionally, Capital Committee members will also consider the creation of a donor recognition program aimed at honoring "significant contributors" to the new park as part of Wednesday's meeting.

Now 86, Agnos told the Chronicle that being recognized in this fashion for his efforts to demolish the Embarcadero Freeway is "the honor of a lifetime."

Previously, also speaking with the Chronicle, Agnos acknowledged that he suspects displeasure from Chinatown and North Beach business owners at the time over his choice to replace the Embarcadero Freeway with a surface roadway may have cost him his bid for reelection.

Efforts to transform Embarcadero Plaza have already taken one substantial step forward as SFist previously reported on the controversial removal of Vaillancourt Fountain from the site, which was completed in May after numerous delays.

Related: Revised Plans For Embarcadero Plaza Renovation Unveiled, Including Grand Lawn and Dog Park

Top image: Art Agnos and Willie Brown talk before the Willie Mays Celebration of Life Ceremony at Oracle Park on July 8, 2024 in San Francisco, California.