DATE: March 7, 2018 TO: THRU: FROM: RE: Recreation and Park Commission, Capital Committee Philip A. Ginsburg, General Manager Lisa Bransten, Director of Partnerships New Park at Francisco Reservoir Park Name, Park Policies and Donor Recognition Plan Agenda Wording Discussion and possible action to 1) Name the renovated park the Francisco Park; 2) adopt policies for the park; and 3) approve a donor recognition plan for the park. Strategic Plan Reference Strategy 1 Inspire Public Space Objective 1.1 (b) Plan, design, construct and open new park(s) at Francisco Reservoir. Strategy 3 Inspire Investment Objective 3.3 Cultivate increased philanthropic support Project Background Development of new park at the Francisco Reservoir site -- located south of Bay Street between Hyde and Larkin streets in San Francisco s Russian Hill neighborhood -- represents the transformation of two little-used pieces of City property into an approximately 4-acre park that would provide a space for both active and passive recreation. Until 2014, the 3.29-acre Francisco Reservoir site was under the jurisdiction of the SF Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) but in June of that year this Commission authorized the General Manager of the Recreation and Park Department (RPD) to enter into a transfer agreement with the SFPUC for the fair market value purchase price of $9.9 million. The new park will combine the Francisco Reservoir site with an inaccessible piece of open space operated by RPD known as the Russian Hill Open Space that sits at the highest and southernmost edge of the site. Outreach RPD s acquisition of the Francisco Reservoir from the PUC was advocated for by a group of neighbors and other stakeholders who since 2011 had been actively working with then-supervisor Mark Farrell s office, RPD and the SFPUC to combine the parcels and create a new park. In December 2014 this group formally formed the non-profit Francisco Park Conservancy (FPC) to fund, administer and oversee the design and construction of the park, to provide funding for the maintenance of the new park in cooperation with the RPD, and to monitor and support the on-going maintenance and operation of the park.
In preparation for the acquisition and planning process, FPC conducted outreach with stakeholders and city-wide organizations including Galileo High School, Self Help for the Elderly, Wu Yee Children's Services, SF Beautiful, SPUR, Livable City and the Sierra Club. Since that time the FPC has spearheaded a public outreach process that asked stakeholders to weigh in on the park design, the park s name and policies the Department will abide by in operating the park. That process has included five community meetings and separate meetings with the officers from the SF Police Department s Central Station and meetings with Garfield, Sherman and Yick Wo elementary schools. No opposition to the proposed park name or the park policies was expressed at these community meetings. Naming The proposed name of this site, Francisco Park is one that both honors the site s historic importance and recognizes its transformation from a reservoir to a park. Further, the name follows the convention of many San Francisco parks of being named after one of its surrounding streets, in this case, Francisco Street, which runs from Grant Avenue to Laguna Street with a brief interruption at the park site. The name was originally suggested by the community groups advocating for the new park and was well received at three community meetings and numerous smaller focus groups. The action of naming this park consists of two parts, both removing the Russian Hill Open Space designation from the inaccessible parcel and naming the 4.5-acre site Francisco Park. Park Policies Often, people choose to live in a given neighborhood based on proximity to a park and they have a sense of the neighborhood when pick where to live. In this case the park is moving in to an existing neighborhood and park stakeholders and the surrounding community have requested certain assurances about use of the park once it is open to the public. One of the most important elements of these policies is that they are to be revisited two years after the park opens to the public. Both parties recognized that creating rules for a new site would be extremely difficult and that two years of park usage would provide sufficient data to refine policies so that the park best serves all stakeholders. These policies were envisioned in the agreement between FPC and RPD. On June 16, 2016 the Commission voted to recommend that the Board of Supervisors amend the Park Code to add the new park to the list of alcohol-free parks and to authorize the Department to both enter into the Agreement with FPC and to accept the in-kind grant of the park, valued at approximately $25 million plus future maintenance payments. In July 2016, the Board of Supervisors passed Ordinance 144-16, which adopted all three Commission recommendations. Under Section 5.1.3 (1) of the Agreement: The Park shall be available for use and enjoyment by residents of and visitors to San Francisco. Use shall be in compliance with the San Francisco Municipal Code and the general policies of the Recreation and Park Commission. Use shall also be in compliance with any additional policies specific to the Park that the Commission may approve ( Park Policies ). FPC acknowledges the authority of the City, including without limitation the
Board of Supervisors and the Commission, to adopt laws, rules, regulations, policies, and directives for City parks that may supersede those that may now or later be in effect. FPC acknowledges that the City s exercise of this authority shall not constitute a breach of this Agreement. However, RPD shall provide the FPC Board or its designated representatives with 60 days notice prior to a Recreation and Park Commission meeting in which a change to the Park Policies for the new park would be introduced for action so that FPC may advise the Commission of its position regarding the proposal. At the time the Board of Supervisors authorized the Department to enter into the agreement with the FPC, it also amended Park Code Section 4.10 to add the new park to the list of Parks where no alcohol would be allowed. This list represents about 60 parks or about a quarter of the City s parks. The remaining policies fall into two basic buckets, those that are already part of the Park Code and those based on Department practices relating to permitting activity at neighborhood parks. Rules in the Park Code These are Park Rules already in the San Francisco Municipal Code that the FPC wanted to document and be notified of any changes so that they, as park stakeholders might be allowed to express their position to the Commission at a public meeting. No Smoking Health Code Article 19I Section 1009.81 Animals Health Code Section 40 (a) and section 41.12 (a) No Aircraft Park Code Section 3.09 No Overnight Camping Park Code Section 3.12 No Dangerous or disorderly conduct Park Code Section 4.01 No Fires or Cooking Park Code Section 4.01 (e) No Littering Park Code Section 4.04 Wheeled Equipment Park Code Article 11 Section 11.04 This rule was adopted from the Yerba Buena Section of the Park Code because of the danger of having larger wheeled vehicles in the park given its slope and topography Permit Policies Department Permitting staff worked with FPC to create park policies based on RPD permitting practices for neighborhood parks. FPC asked that these practices be adopted as Commission policy so they cannot be modified in the Park s first two years without Commission approval. When a new park is open, there are often significant issues around what should be permitted with different members of the community having different expectations. In general, RPD works with neighbors and community groups on how activities permitted in neighborhood parks. These rules include: Picnics to be permitted twice a day, which is standard practice at neighborhood parks. Allowing soccer practices for youth up to 10-year-old between 9am and 6:30pm. This is a common department practice for parks such as Francisco, where there is not a formal athletic field. Examples include grassy areas at Mountain Lake Park, Rossi Playground, Larsen Park and Balboa Park. Allowing weddings without seating except for special needs guests, with no glassware or amplified sound, with a 100-person limit for two hours and with a requirement to hire a
Park Ranger. These requirements are in line with wedding policies at other sites. Amplified sound is never allowed at outdoor weddings, park rangers are generally required at neighborhood parks and the size requirement is in line with size requirements at other locations, which range from as small as 25 people limits to up to 250 for large Golden Gate Park or other destination locations. The only unusual requirement is the limitation on seating, which was added due to expected difficulty of access without a vehicle and is the same for other locations with limited vehicle access. Film and photography permits are allowed at the smaller end of what is permitted in parks. Amplified Sound may not be permitted except as required to comply with the First Amendment. For other neighborhood parks, our policy is to not permit amplified sound except as part of an event sponsored by the neighborhood park group. Structures may not be permitted to be erected. Examples of structures would be tents, tables and displays. This is consistent with other neighborhood parks and important due to the lack of vehicle access to the central part of the park. Concessions are generally not permitted in neighborhood parks. This provision commits the Department to notifying the FPC and seeking Commission approval to offer a concession at the park, which the Department does as a matter of course before offering a new concession at a neighborhood park. Donor Recognition In order to secure the approximately $25 million necessary to construct the park, the FPC has engaged in an extensive fundraising campaign to secure the private funding. As part of the effort to secure the funding, the FPC wishes to create a donor recognition plan that will allow park funders at levels from $1,500 and up to be recognized in the park. The proposed donor recognition plan consists of six elements as follows: 1) Naming As allowed in the Commission Gift Policy, any donor interested in funding 50% or more of the project cost or approximately $12 million -- would be offered naming rights to the entire park, subject to Recreation and Park Commission approval of the name. This name would be limited to 50 years in line with the 50-year agreement between the Department and FPC. 2) Named Park Features - (Attachment B, page 1, map location B-2 through B-8, and pages 4-6) - Donors interested in contributing $500,000 to the Dog Play Area or more than $1 million to six other park features the Main Lawn, Children s Playground, Community Garden, Water Catchment System, Historic Education Area or Upper View Terrace will be recognized with plaques measuring approximately 12 x 24 that will as much as possible be incorporated into existing park infrastructure including fencing and retaining walls. recognition of this support would be for a term of 50 years and in each case the donation would represent 50% or more of that element s cost and the specific name would be subject to Commission approval. 3) Donor Recognition Zones (Attachment B pages 7-9) Up to 13 park zones would be named for donors who make contributions of $500,000 to $1 million in support of Park Zones including the Fitness Path, the Tea Tree Grove and Tree Alley. Like the named park elements, recognition of this support would be for a term of 50 years. 4) Primary Donor Exhibit (Attachment B, page 1 map location A-1 and pages 10-11) Donors who make contributions of $25,000 and above will be listed by giving levels on a permanent donor recognition wall. Donor names will be on panels inset on an existing
retaining wall. This Primary donor wall will also feature a narrative section acknowledging City officials and the story of the park s creation. 5) Secondary Donor Exhibit - (Attachment B, page 1 map location A-2 and pages 12-15) Donors who make contributions of $1,500 up to $24,999 will receive permanent recognition at a secondary donor recognition display. Raindrop shaped donor medallions with donor names would be arranged by giving levels and attached to an existing wall. The idea is to for the pieces to move and add an element of motion to the display. This display would be subject to RPD operations staff review and could be changed to more a more standard plaque with names if FPC and RPD determine it would be too difficult to maintain. 6) Bench and Picnic Table Plaques (Attachment B pages 16-19) Donors making donations of $250,000 and above would be given the first opportunity to sponsor a bench or a picnic table for an additional contribution of $10,000. Plaques would measure 2 x 12 and be recessed into the bench or table and would be installed for a period of 20 years. Financial Impact: None Supported by: Mayor Mark Farrell Recreation and Park Department Staff Francisco Park Conservancy Alive & Free / Omega Boys Club Sierra Club SF Beautiful Middle Polk Neighborhood Association SF Tomorrow Galileo High School Golden Gate Audubon Society Aquatic Park Neighbors Russian Hill Improvement Association Russian Hill Neighbors Telegraph Hill Dwellers Tel-Hi Neighborhood Center Coalition of San Francisco Neighborhoods SF League of Conservation Voters Self Help for the Elderly Wu Yee Children's Services Opposed by: None known at this time. Attachments: Attachment A Commission Policies for Francisco Park Attachment B Donor Recognition Plan for Francisco Park