(a) Establishment. There is hereby created a Plaza Program for the City and County of San Francisco. The Plaza Program shall be a joint effort of the Office of Economic and Workforce Development ("OEWD"), RED, DPW, and any successor agency(ies) or department(s).
(b) Functions. The Plaza Program shall:
(1) Coordinate principles and practices in Plazas designated under the Plaza Program with other public agencies operating similar public realm initiatives and projects in the City.
(2) Be responsible for development and administration of program implementation, polices, and strategies.
(3) Sustain strategic partnerships with community organizations, nonprofit organizations, and businesses that have a stake in approved Plazas and, more broadly, in supporting and enhancing these Plazas City-wide.
(4) Establish financial sustainability opportunities to support the Plaza Program through the adoption of administrative fees.
(5) Explore efforts to cross-subsidize approved program Plazas by leveraging revenue generated in Plazas that exceeds the cost of managing and operating that Plaza and directing a portion of these excess funds to support other Plazas that have a demonstrated funding need.
(6) Seek Stewards for Plazas through a Steward identification process that utilizes existing City partnership efforts where possible and builds strong relationships with Stewards.
(7) Network communication and coordinate efforts of the various Stewards within the Plaza Program.
(8) Identify opportunities to streamline permitting for active uses of Plazas so that barriers to event permitting can be minimized.
(9) Encourage Plaza Stewards and permittees to maximize events and activities that are free to the public.
(10) Place jurisdiction of Plazas in either DPW or RED and consider recommendations of the Director of DPW and/or RED for Plaza inclusion in the Plaza Program under the respective jurisdiction of each department.
(11) Present proposed Plazas, with DPW or RED Director recommendation concerning the proper jurisdictional department for the Plaza, to the Board of Supervisors for approval along with any necessary permits and authorizations including, but not limited to, Street Encroachment Permits, Street Vacation Ordinances, or licenses.
(12) Collect Plaza participation data and user feedback, and use established criteria to evaluate Steward performance outcomes in various areas, including economic, activation, and community engagement.
(13) Support development of long-term maintenance and activation partnerships as successful Plazas emerge through various City and private efforts. Some Plazas also may have parallel capital improvement processes which should be planned collaboratively with the Plaza Program. However, the affected City Departments should implement these capital funding efforts independently or in association with the Steward or permittee.
(14) Strive to ensure that Plazas remain accessible to the public, to the maximum extent feasible, with a recognition that some small number of restricted access events may be helpful in supporting Plaza operations.
(15) Support the City goal of continuing to be a national and international leader in public realm innovation.
(c) Report. The Plaza Program will prepare an impact analysis report after the first two years of Plaza Program establishment and every five years thereafter. Said report(s) shall be submitted to the Board of Supervisors and available to the general public.
(Added by Ord. 79-14, File No. 140061, App. 6/13/2014, Eff. 7/13/2014)