San Francisco curbs at daylit intersections could soon get a spruce-up as part of a two-year pilot program in which murals or planters are placed in those empty spaces.
Last week, directors on the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency board voted to approve the Community Corners Program, which provides neighborhood organizations, such as nonprofits or community benefit districts, a pathway to beautify daylighted spaces or painted safety zones.
Under state law, the SFMTA has been daylighting intersections, providing 20 feet of space at crosswalks to improve sightlines for drivers and pedestrians. The SFMTA’s program manager, Monica Munowitch, said more could be done within the spaces.
“Upgrading daylight zones can better reflect the character, identity, and creativity of a community,” Munowitch said.
Organizations would need to pay a $50 registration fee to participate in the pilot program and meet insurance requirements if installing planters in the spaces. Munowitch said it will be up to participants to maintain the spaces. Proposals for murals would need approval from the Arts Commission. Affixed infrastructure, such as benches, is not allowed under the program.
Eligible locations for murals or planters would be spaces that have already been daylighted. Munowitch said the program would allow staff to take a look at proposed locations on a case-by-case basis. The SFMTA ideally is looking at spaces that are stop-controlled in low-volume intersections and that are not blocking bus stops, adjacent to loading zones, or any utilities.
The program also allows an additional pathway for organizations to hire and pay their own contractor to install a painted safety zone for beautification.
The SFMTA is also looking to upgrade some of the spaces with existing tools, including painted safety zones with soft hit posts, installing bike corrals in the spaces or adding concrete islands.
Several organizations spoke in favor of the program at the board meeting, but many in smaller organizations raised concerns about having the insurance as part of the program if installing planters in the spaces.
SFMTA’s Streets Director Viktoria Wise said while she understands smaller organizations would not be able to get insurance, she added that it was possible for larger organizations with insurance to partner with smaller ones that can deliver the beautification elements for the spaces.
Still, several organizations said they were excited for the program to start, including Rachel Johnson, who serves as a board member of the Lowe Nob Hill Neighborhood Alliance.
“The community corridors are not simply decorative improvements, they are an opportunity to improve public safety while creating small improvements in the public realm and a neighborhood where opportunities for new open space are extremely limited,” Johnson said.
Munowitch said the SFMTA plans to launch the registration portal for the program sometime this summer.
