SF's Embarcadero Plaza to get $35 million facelift funded by private-public partnership

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The Embarcadero Plaza along San Francisco's waterfront is set to undergo a $35 million facelift.

On Thursday night, a community meeting kicked off to get input from residents for the redesign of the plaza.

Supporters say the project will pump new energy into a space that badly needs it. They say now is the time to transform the Embarcadero Plaza into a world-class hub that connects the Ferry Building to downtown San Francisco and brings visitors back to the city's core.

But others question the cost and the timing.

The Embarcadero Plaza, at the foot of Market Street by the Ferry Building, has seen much better days.

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"It's dilapidated. It has sunken brick. It has a fountain that hasn't worked in a decade," said San Francisco Supervisor Danny Sauter.

"The fountain used to be on. It used to be a lot more lively out here," said Michalea Manuel, a Bay Area resident.

"It's in such poor condition. We can't do much out there," said Phil Ginsburg, the general manager of San Francisco Recreation and Parks.

And that's why there's a big push by city leaders to renovate the plaza.

"So, it's not a welcoming space right now. But this project is going to change that," Sauter said.

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San Francisco supervisors unanimously voted Tuesday to green light a $35 million plan to renovate the downtown park.

"It's going to have beautiful new green space. It's going to have kiosks for retail. It's going to have a new stage for musicians. It's going to have public art," Sauter said.

While some people would love to see a new and improved park...

"I would spend the money to make the fountain run again," said Karen Calbert of San Francisco.

Some people wonder if that's the best use of funds right now.

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City museums like the de Young and the Legion of Honor have to scale back their hours because of the city budget deficit. National parks are cutting staff and services.

"I like to see them to use the money to clean up the city before I see the money going to a new park or any new fountains or anything," said Bay Area resident Manuel.

Sauter explained where the money for the project is coming from.

"Ten-million dollars from private donors, $15-to-20 million from public sources, and most of this money will be coming from a public bond: Proposition B. It's a bond voters passed in the fall. There's money in the bond specifically for parks and plazas," he said.

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It'll be a public-private partnership, with funds donated by real estate developer BXP and others.

The Downtown SF Partnership and BXP also plan to raise millions of dollars.

Phil Ginsburg, the general manager of SF's Recreation and Parks, emphasizes that the money won't come from city funds.

"This project has the benefit of at least $15 million in philanthropy. That's why it's such a good opportunity for us, because we get to leverage the public money we are investing and make it go so much further, because we are in difficult times," Ginsburg said, adding that this is a cost-effective, win-win approach for renovating a public space.