FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

June 20, 2013 

Contact: Rachel Gordon, DPW 415-554-6045

New Streetscape Design and Upgrades Enhance Fisherman’s Wharf Corridor 

Major facelift of popular Jefferson Street aims to improve visitor experience, boost business

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – A more beautiful and pedestrian-friendly Jefferson Street in the heart of the City’s Fisherman’s Wharf neighborhood made its public debut at a civic celebration today to kick off the busy summer tourism season.

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, Board of Supervisors President David Chiu, City department representatives and neighborhood business and community leaders with the Fisherman’s Wharf Community Benefits District joined together to inaugurate the project.

The improved streetscape, designed and constructed to last for a generation or more, now has nearly twice as much sidewalk space, new lighting, crosswalk bulb-outs for shorter crossings, a two-way traffic configuration to accommodate bicyclists and ease traffic congestion, beautiful new sidewalks, and a decorative, distinctive concrete-banded roadway. New signage will direct drivers to underutilized parking options nearby.

The revamped two-block stretch of Jefferson, which stretches from Hyde Street to Jones Street, draws 60,000 visitors a day. With more than 500 businesses in the area, the corridor is one of the most important commerce and sightseeing areas in the City.

The makeover, spearheaded by the community, comes as the City prepares to host the America’s Cup races and accompanying festivities that will bring even more people to Fisherman’s Wharf and the San Francisco waterfront.

“Improvements like the ones we see today on Jefferson Street in historic Fisherman’s Wharf are helping to keep pedestrians safe, boosting our local economy and keeping San Francisco a world-class destination,” said Mayor Ed Lee.

Construction of the $5 million project, which was mostly funded through the City’s General Fund, took less than six months.

“These beautiful improvements along Jefferson Street show what is possible when the community and the City work together to re-imagine a corridor and turn a vision into reality,” said Board of Supervisors President David Chiu, who is the district representative for Fisherman’s Wharf. “I am proud of our Fisherman’s Wharf merchants and community members who value collaborative planning for economic development projects like this whose benefits will last for years to come.”

The Jefferson Street streetscape project emphasizes making public spaces in this busy area safer for everyone to navigate.

“This has been a pedestrian-prioritized design implemented to help the thousands of visitors each day safely and efficiently move around the Wharf,” said Department of Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru, which managed the multi-agency project that involved the San Francisco Planning Department, Port and Municipal Transportation Agency. “This project exemplifies the kind of streetscape improvements happening all over San Francisco.”

Fisherman’s Wharf merchants, restaurateurs and other business and community leaders have driven the plan to redesign Jefferson Street. They envisioned creating a more vibrant, welcoming public realm that eases congestion for the droves of visitors and shoppers that crowd the sidewalks each day. Organizers formed the Fisherman’s Wharf Community Benefits District in 2005, a crucial step to set the ideas in motion and institute a mechanism to help fund the project. Funding and the design were finalized in 2012 and construction began in January 2013.

The Jefferson Street design, which was the result of a three-year planning and community participation effort led by the Planning Department, sets a new standard for pedestrian quality, comfort and safety in San Francisco.

“The new Jefferson Street is a model of how to create a great public space that is inviting and accessible to both residents and visitors,” said San Francisco Planning Director John Rahaim. “We are proud to have worked so closely with members of the community to develop such a creative design to create a much more enjoyable experience at Fisherman’s Wharf.”

Added Port of San Francisco Executive Director Monique Moyer, “The Jefferson Street project in this historic and iconic port neighborhood is one more excellent example of how San Francisco is upgrading our investment in the infrastructure along our waterfront. With improved public spaces and thoughtfully designed pedestrian and traffic thoroughfares, we are ready for the summer season and for the upcoming America’s Cup races.”

The Fisherman’s Wharf Community Benefits District has spent more than $300,000 to date on the project, supporting the planning with informational workshops, construction drawings and traffic studies. The organization has committed to additional financial support for Phase II of the Jefferson Street re-design from Jones to Powell Street, a project for which it is actively working with the City to identify funding opportunities.

“We are ecstatic that the vision of the Fisherman’s Wharf community is well on its way to being implemented with this exceptional new street that meets the needs of our one-of-a-kind corridor,” said David Berbey, president of the Board of Directors of the Fisherman’s Wharf Community Benefits District. “This is something that is good for the neighborhood, good for San Francisco and good for our visitors from all over the world.”

More information about the project, as well as information on the new traffic configuration at Fisherman’s Wharf, can be found at newjeffersonstreet.com.