Tennessee St south of 23rd lacked sidewalks and was plagued with messy encampments, fires, needles, dumping and graffiti. Lined by a truck rental yard on one side and the backsides of warehouses on the other, Tennessee St between 23rd and 24th streets was also a key pedestrian corridor - connecting the neighborhood’s commercial core, Angel Alley and the new Abaca housing development to the north and the Minnesota Street Project, with its galleries and artists’ studios, to the south and west.

The GBD worked with the SFMTA to reconfigure and optimize parking on the block and to time-limit parking to discourage auto storage and camping. In October of 2017, with the help of contributions from the Power Station, Abaca/AGI and the R Group and a partnership with the Friends of the Urban Forest, the GBD created a temporary decomposed granite pedestrian path and planted trees along the both sides of the street.

In the months since the makeover the campers, dumping, graffiti, fires and discarded needles are gone and pedestrian use has enlivened the block.

Created a half block long temporary sidewalk, creating a clear pedestrian path that makes the area safer and encourages foot traffic.
Worked with the SFMTA to alter parking patterns and restrictions, adding 12 parking spaces and discouraging camping and long-term car storage through time-limited parking.
Partnered with Friends of the Urban Forest to add 28 street trees on the block
Encouraged adjacent property owners to repair and paint their buildings.t their buildings.