SF launches new downtown revitalization push at Embarcadero to bring people back to city

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A new initiative officially kicked off in San Francisco on Wednesday.

The so-called "Bricks at Embarcadero Plaza" is set to run through October with events happening every Wednesday through Saturday.

Its goal, a familiar one, is to bring people back into the struggling city center.

"When we talked to people, what they said was just doing an event or big concert once is not really going to revitalize downtown. What we need is something happening every day," said Chris Keen, the Bricks at Embarcadero Plaza founder.

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Wednesday's event was a business mixer, but organizers say they're planning everything from trivia to family fun days.

Katy Birnbaum is the CEO of Into the Streets, one of the participants in the Bricks program.

She says the initiative is about more than just combating the "doom loop" narrative.

It's also a way to help transform downtown into an entirely new neighborhood -- different to the one it was pre-pandemic.

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"You need all of those elements to be coming together around the same time for people to then think about a neighborhood as a destination they want to go," Birnbaum said.

Over the past couple of months, the city has launched several of these initiatives trying to revitalize San Francisco's downtown core. And we wanted to know if everyday people think it's working.

Just outside the event we talked with Theresa Noriega-Lum who has worked in the area for years.

She says while she thinks these events work, but that there's still more work to do.

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"I think we're still less than halfway there. You know, I think people have gotten accustomed to working from home and that flexibility is now something people are expecting from their employer," said Noriega-Lum.

Steps away at Whack Donuts, owner Vandor Hill told us a similar story.

Vandor, who spoke with ABC7 News several months ago, said he recently signed a two-year lease at the Embarcadero Center thanks to the city's Vacant to Vibrant program.

He says he's recently noticed an uptick in foot traffic in the area and hopes his business helps that trend.

"To be part of getting folks to come back downtown speaks a lot, and I take pride in that as well," Hill said.