A New Opportunity for Ocean Avenue

When it comes to building out our city’s bike network, we need to seize every opportunity possible.

In neighborhoods where bike lanes are scarce, it’s hard to enjoy biking as an easy, fun and affordable way to get around. This is true of Ocean Avenue, particularly the segment from where the new bike lanes end at 19th Avenue to Balboa Park Station.

That’s why we have been closely following the development at the Balboa Reservoir. This large expanse of asphalt adjacent to the City College on Ocean Avenue is going through an extensive public process as one of the projects in the City’s Public Land for Housing program.

What the Balboa Reservoir site looks like today. Source: Planning Department.

What the Balboa Reservoir site looks like today. Source: Planning Department.

To ensure there was plenty of room for public input early on in the process, the City formed the Balboa Reservoir Community Advisory Committee, which meets monthly to help advise City staff on a variety of topics. This month’s topic focuses on transportation with the goal of approving a set of parameters for future development at this site.

Balboa Reservoir Community Advisory Committee
Wednesday, April 13 at from 6:15-8:00pm
City College Multi-Use Building at 50 Phelan Avenue

The Balboa Reservoir project provides a unique opportunity to significantly improve biking and walking connections to Balboa Park Station, which is bordered by some of the city’s most dangerous streets. We need to make sure this new development takes advantage of this opportunity and encourages biking, walking and transit as the main modes of transportation to and from the site to increase affordability and sustainability. In the future, this may open the door to new multi-use paths or off-street bike routes to give an alternative to Ocean Avenue.

Can’t make it? Send your comments in via email to BRCAC@sfgov.org.

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