Leland Avenue Streetscape: A Labor of Love for Visitacion Valley

	"Leland Avenue's improved appearance, along with tangible evidence of public investment, will help give local residents pride and a sense of community." —Fran Martin, Visitacion Valley Neighborhood Resident and Champion

For Fran Martin, a long-time Visitacion Valley resident, neighborhood champion, and board member of numerous area and citywide organizations, the redesign of Leland Avenue is much more than a streetscape proj­ect. The project is a visible symbol that this southeast San Francisco communi­ty is finally receiving some long-overdue respect and public investment. "Visi­tacion Valley has historically been a neglected neighborhood," according to Ms. Martin, "lacking in public infrastructure taken for granted in other San Francisco neighborhoods."

The Leland Avenue business district, the commercial hub for the Visitacion Valley neighborhood, stretches about four blocks from Bayshore Boulevard to Rutland Avenue. Despite the recent opening of new businesses, in the past many felt that Leland Avenue's unattractive urban design was unappealing to pedestrians and potential merchants. During a planning workshop in 2005, community participants described Leland Avenue as improving but still "stark, drab and uninviting, with neither color nor green" and looking "rundown."

To help revitalize both Leland Avenue and the Visitacion Valley Community, an ethnically diverse, lower-income neighborhood in southeastern San Francisco, the San Francisco Planning Department and Department of Public Works (DPW) partnered with local community groups to develop the Leland Avenue streetscape design project. The project includes pedestrian lighting, new street trees, corner bulb-outs at intersections, decorative sidewalk paving, crosswalk improvements, street furniture, storm water management facilities and public art.

Public art and landscaping are key components of the Leland Avenue Streetscape Project.

Another important project benefit is better connection of the neighborhood to regional transit systems through improved pedestrian access to the nearby Caltrain and Third Street light rail stations. Agencies and stakeholders are hopeful that more com­munity residents will be encouraged to walk to local transit stations, increasing pedestrian activity along Leland Avenue's business district and also reducing automobile traffic.

Ms. Martin believes that the visual enhancement of Leland Avenue, the community's civic and commercial center, with public art, trees, new sidewalks, and street furniture will make a significant impact. Pointing out various decorative elements while walking along Leland Avenue, Ms. Martin said "Beauty elevates life… one's environment is often reflected in a person's self image. Living in a blighted area contributes to a sense of unworthiness both on the individual and community level. Leland Avenue's improved appearance, along with tangible evidence of public investment, will help give local residents pride and a sense of community."

Ms. Martin is very proud that efforts started in her neighborhood "raise the bar" for streetscape projects across San Francisco and in other cities. In particular, the Leland Avenue Streetscape project's innovative and sustainable design will serve as a model for other neighborhoods. For example, the sidewalk will be reconstructed with permeable pavers that allow stormwater to seep into the ground, recharging local groundwater and reducing runoff into the San Francisco Bay.

Ms. Martin credits the success of the Leland Avenue project to well-organized community advocacy and effective collaboration with DPW, the Planning Department, the San Francisco Public Arts Commission, and other partners. Kris Opbroek is the Leland Avenue Streetscape project manager for DPW. Sitting in her office with several Leland Avenue concept plans hanging on her walls, Ms. Opbroek agreed that the project was a community-driven effort; "Strong agency coordination and synergy [with the community stakeholders] were key to effective project planning, implementation and long-term success."

Project at a Glance

Leland Avenue is part of San Francisco's Great Streets Program that was established to improve neighborhood streets across the city by demonstrating best practices in design and the value of landscaping, lighting and pedestrian safety. These projects, headed by the DPW, are coordinated through multiple City agencies that work closely with community groups.

This $4.1 million project was funded by the following sources: a $2 million Regional Transportation for Livable Communities (TLC) grant provided through the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, a $1.7 million County TLC grant provided through the Authority and nearly $300,00 in Prop K funds, which is the half-cent sales tax for transportation administered by the Authority.

Construction began in August 2009, with completion scheduled for the Summer of 2010.

For more project information, please visit the SF Dept. of Public Works' Leland Avenue page.

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