The Castro will soon be abuzz with excitement and change. Widening the sidewalks on Castro Street will begin in late February. It's a long awaited recommendation from the Castro/Upper Market Community Benefit District's Neighborhood beautification and Safety Plan.
The Castro Street Improvement Project will bring much needed pedestrian safety improvements to the crosswalks at Market and Castro. Pedestrians will be able to walk straight from Twin Peaks, across Market to Pottery Barn. Jane Warner Plaza will get new pavement, colored asphalt, and the F-line tracks will be more clearly marked.
Additionally, the $4 million project funded by the city will widen the sidewalks on both sides of Castro Street between 19th and Market streets. As a result, Castro Street will see an additional eight to 10 feet of sidewalk space, additional and improved lighting (including pedestrian scale lighting), pedestrian safety improvements, and a symmetrical line of trees to the two blocks of Castro Street between Market and 19th streets.
Bronze plaques honoring famous and accomplished LGBT people, funded by the Rainbow Honor Walk, will be installed in the sidewalk. The Castro/Upper Market Community Benefit District is considering funding additional beautification improvements.
For those of you who visit the Castro, we want you to know the gayborhood will be open for business as usual. In fact it might be fun to stop by the neighborhood from time to time to see how work is progressing, grab a bite to eat and see what some of the stores are offering. For those planning on visiting San Francisco for Pride, the Castro will be open for fun! All businesses will be open, and the contractor has been informed they must "vacate" the street during the last two weeks of June.
For those of you who live in the area, please bear with us, still run your errands in the neighborhood, still grab a cup of coffee or a drink with friends. All businesses will be open and access to every business is assured. It may be noisy at times, but the end result will be fabulous.
The Castro/Upper Market Community Benefit District and the Castro Merchants are committed to ensuring that merchants, residents, property owners, and visitors have current information on the project and on the construction. A dedicated website has been developed to help with this communication. Go to http://www.castrostreet.org and sign up for "construction alerts." Each time the website is updated, at least weekly if not more often, alerts will come to your inbox.
The Community Benefit District and Castro Merchants are also committed to spreading the word that the Castro is still open for business. From time to time during the construction, beginning in April, advertisements will run on Muni and BART, funded by a city grant, advertising that the Castro is still open for business during construction.
So remember to spread the word, the Castro is open for business during construction and afterwards, we'll celebrate in a fabulous new and safer street.
Andrea Aiello is the executive director of the Castro/Upper Market Community Benefit District.