New Option for Underground Garage Added to Mix

By T.J. Wait

The Golden Gate Concourse Authority used its March 12 Community Workshop to introduce a fourth construction plan for an underground Golden Gate Park garage - the only scheme out of four proposals that would leave the music and museum concourses undisturbed.

According to Michael Ellzey, chief operating officer of the GGCA, the plan would be very costly because it would require architects to drill under existing roadways to avoid damaging the walkways. At the time of the meeting, few details of the fourth proposal were available. Costs and other information have not yet been determined.

Residents seemed unfazed by the introduction of the new plan. Most were still upset that the first three proposals involve the removal of three historic tunnel walkways into the concourse areas.

Of the 70 or so residents who attended the workshop, the overwhelming majority felt that City voters were duped into approving Proposition J, the measure that allows for the construction of the garage. They pointed to "propaganda" distributed by proponents of Prop J, San Franciscans for Better Parks, which explicitly states that the construction of the underground garage would not disturb or destroy the existing concourses.

Most workshop attendees believed that the park, and more specifically the walkways, should be protected from major City projects.

"I'm continually amazed at how stupid people can be and the ideas they come up with," said Katherine Roberts, a resident who lives near the park.

Janice Rothstein, a member of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, had a similar opinion.

"In New York City they figured out how to make Central Park car-free all weekend. It's supposed to be a park, not a parking lot," she said.

Ellzey says he has not decided which of the four garage construction plans he favors.

"I don't favor any particular proposal and actually what we have here is a range of alternatives. Basically, I gave direction to our architect to look at the proposition language and to take a look at the physical characteristics of the concourse area and to figure out a cost estimate within our budget, which is within the $35 to $40 million area," he said.

Ellzey added that "while the three of the four plans will disrupt or destroy the concourse, the walkways will be rebuilt and revitalized after construction is completed."

As for the fourth plan, he admitted that drilling under the roads around the music and museum concourses would be very expensive.

Additional cost-related concerns were voiced by several residents during the meeting. As advertised by San Franciscans for Better Parks, funding for the garage was supposed to come from private sources; no public money was to be used.

Now, that is in question.

According to Ellzey, no public money will be spent to finance the actual building of the garage, but tax dollars will cover other costs associated with the project. For example, $200,000 has already been budgeted by the SF Recreation and Park Department to keep interested parties informed of any new developments related to plan.

Ellzey says he expects construction of the park parking garage to begin in summer 2002 and estimates that the project will take at least two years to complete.

Skepticism Looms Over Park Shuttle Plans
Although the intra-park shuttle proposal took a back seat to complaints directed towards the underground garage project, workshop organizers insisted residents give them feedback on ideas for the new transit system.

The project, a collaborative effort between the Golden Gate Concourse Authority and Marilyn Duffey of The Duffey Company, is still in its preliminary stages. The route, financing and fares are still undecided.

According to Duffey, the idea is to create reliable, frequent service that will help cut-back on car traffic and allow for easy access to key attractions throughout the park while making connections with other public transit systems.

Financing, she explained, could come from private funds to start with, though she claims her group, along with Ellzey's, are considering several options. For one, Duffey says that she might seek matching money from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. She pointed out that other options include help from the San Francisco Transportation Authority and the Clean Air program.

Many in attendance questioned the proposed paths of the shuttle. One of the potential routes would have a bus running on JFK Drive on Sunday, when a major portion of the road is closed - an idea that many found unacceptable.

Tom Harriman, member of the Alliance for Golden Gate Park, liked the idea, but was concerned that it might violate the no-car-Sunday policy on the eastern portion of JFK Drive.

"I'm enthusiastic about it, but it would be unacceptable to run the shuttle on JFK drive on Sundays," he said.

One resident pointed out that the previous intra-park shuttle failed and wondered why this one would be any different.

"The last shuttle failed because of a number of reasons, one being that the shuttle was not well marketed - we think a solid advertising campaign and good planning will make this shuttle succeed," she said.

Duffey added that additional parking restrictions, attractive buses and reliable service will give park goers and added incentive to use the new bus.

The shuttle is expected to start running sometime this summer.