San Francisco Beautiful Recognizes Newly Pedestrian and Bike-Friendly Jefferson Street with Beautification Award

September 18, 2013, San Francisco, CA — San Francisco Beautiful, a group dedicated to creating and maintaining the beauty of the City, honored The Fisherman’s Wharf Public Realm Plan with the top award for beautification in the category of “Access” at the 42nd annual award ceremony. 

The first phase of the revamped pedestrian and bike -friendly Jefferson Street, the principal tourist thoroughfare in the center of Fisherman’s Wharf, was completed in June of 2013. The partners of this public realm project included the Fisherman’s Wharf Community Benefit District, the San Francisco Department of Public Works, the Port of San Francisco, The San Francisco Planning Department, and the San Francisco Municipal Transport Agency (SFMTA). Other beautification award winners included #cleanstreets, the Green Hairstreak Project, and Emerald Park.

The award comes after six years of planning, design, and construction of the new section of Jefferson Street spanning from Hyde Street to Jones Street. The improvements to the highly-trafficked road include a sidewalk that is two-times wider than its predecessor, pedestrian-friendly cross walks, improved lighting, a custom banded concrete roadway, and most notably, two-way traffic to reduce congestion and increase bike access. 

The street was completed just in time for the busy summer and fall seasons with increased tourist traffic for America’s Cup and an inaugural festival, Wharf Fest, a two day celebration which will take place on October 26 and 27. 

The street was officially opened at a ribbon cutting ceremony on June 20, 2013, where San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee highlighted the success and speed of the project and publicly rallied City partners to support the second phase of the Jefferson Street improvements. 

“We are honored to receive this recognition for all the hard work and planning that went into the first phase of the Jefferson Street plan. The district hopes that the success and economic impact of this street will encourage funders to support the second phase of the project,” said Lou Cuneo, Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Fisherman’s Wharf Community Benefit District. 

The second phase of the Jefferson Street redesign will see the continuation of the striped concrete roadway for three blocks, from Jones Street east to Powell Street.  The design will also create a wood deck in front of the Sport Fishing Fleet, additional trees, better lighting, pedestrian and bicycle improvements and safety measures as well as expanded sidewalks in some areas. 

ABOUT THE FISHERMAN’S WHARF COMMUNITY BENEFIT DISTRICT

The Fisherman’s Wharf Community Benefit District (fwcbd.com) was founded in November of 2005 by the business and property owners of the San Francisco neighbourhood. The district is funded through an annual assessment for 15 years from the property owners.

The purpose of the Fisherman’s Wharf Community Benefit District is to preserve and enhance its vast San Francisco waterfront landscape and multi-cultural heritage, while integrating modern efficiencies to enrich the experience of visitors from both near and far through: Market Research; Brand and Destination Marketing; Sidewalk Operations, Beautification and Order; Traffic and Urban Planning; and Emergency Preparedness. 

For more information about the Jefferson Street public realm project visit www.newjeffersonstreet.com.

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Media Contacts:

Troy Campbell 

Fisherman’s Wharf Community Benefit District

Executive Director 

(415) 673-3530 

troy@visitfishermanswharf.com

Neil Hrushowy 

Planning Department, City and County of San Francisco

Acting Manager 

415-558-6471 

neil.hrushowy@sfgov.org

Joanna Linsangan

Planning Department, City and County of San Francisco

Communications Manager

415-575-9119

joanna.linsangan@sfgov.org