Why does San Francisco have an Open Space Fund? Let's spend it on open space

Only a few of San Francisco's natural areas remain in private hands, but as time passes they become increasingly precious, both as rare remnants of our city's ecological history - and in monetary cost for the city to purchase. Unfortunately the city's haphazard approach to allocating its Open Space Fund raises the real danger that these lands will be developed rather than preserved.

For example, at the Aqua Vista site on the flank of Twin Peaks, the chert soils support some of the most intact dune-scrub habitat in all of San Francisco, including habitat for the endangered mission-blue butterfly. As long as the site is in private hands, the threat of development will remain. In theory this site has been targeted for acquisition by the Recreation and Park Commission, but plans are currently "on hold" due to "lack of funds".

The Bayview-Hunters Point district, underserved by the city in so many ways, including lack of public open space, contains two remarkable natural areas that should be priorities for protection.

The KOIT radio tower sits on private property within the existing Bayview Hill natural area. Bayview Hill's diverse flora and fauna includes the city's most spectacular display of spring wildflowers, and habitat for many insects and birds. In a first for San Francisco, the pileated woodpecker (near look-alike of the more famous ivory-bill) was recently documented on the top of the hill. Incredibly, the city has no current plans to safeguard this site from purchase by a private developer.
Palou Phelps, a steep hill rising east and south of the playground on Palou Street, contains large spreads of purple needlegrass, California's state grass. The city has acquired some of the lots, but further acquisition is again "on hold" due to lack of funds, raising the real possibility that the remaining lots could be developed into single-family housing.

Residents of Bayview-Hunters Point deserve access to nature. Environmental justice combines with intrinsic ecological value to make preservation of these two sites especially important.

In 1974 San Francisco became one of the first cities in the nation to authorize the creation of an Open Space Fund to acquire and preserve open space within the city's boundaries. Voters have reauthorized it twice, most recently in 2000, both times by a wide margin.

Unfortunately, over the years the Fund has become a general purpose "slush fund" to pay for things that should be covered by the regular operating and capital budgets of the Recreation and Park Department. For instance, the Recreation and Park Commission recently "borrowed" millions of dollars from the Fund to finance cost overruns for the renovation of Harding Golf Course for the PGA tournament - monies that more than likely will never be reimbursed. As things stand now, a mere 5% of the Fund's annual income (around $1.5 million) is earmarked for acquisitions, with most of the rest serving to cover operating costs, along with non-core activities such as after-school programs. The money is spent arbitrarily, depending which way the political winds blow.

WhatYouCanDo

Contact Yomi Agunbiade, general manager of the Recreation and Park Department at:

501 Stanyan St.
San Francisco, CA 94117
(415)831-2700
fax: (415)221-8034
yomi.agunbiade -at- sfgov.org

Tell him that the department needs to put into place a consistent long-term strategy for acquiring the last remaining parcels of open space, especially those of high ecological significance and in underserved parts of the city. In particular it should prioritize the Aqua Vista, Bayview Hill, and Palou Phelps properties.

Contact Mayor Gavin Newsom at:

City Hall, #200
One Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415)554-6141
fax: (415)554-6160
gavin.newsom -at- sfgov.org

Tell him that if he is serious about his image as a "green" mayor, he has to do more to establish a clear and consistent policy of open-space acquisitions. In addition to reform of the Open Space Fund, the city needs to coordinate the efforts of all city agencies to ensure that, as the city grows, the acquisition and preservation of open space remains an essential part of the city's overall planning goals.

Steven Chapman