Renovations to Harvey Milk Plaza in San Francisco’s LGBTQ Castro district will be going forward next year. City officials exclusively told the Bay Area Reporter they were able to pencil out the costs for the project so most of it is covered by the $25 million allocated to it by a bond voters passed last November.
Mayor Daniel Lurie’s office told the B.A.R. that in order to do so, some items not essential to the overall project will be added back as fundraising allows. The reworking of the public parklet’s layout is now set to begin in late 2026, a decade after the proposal was first broached with Castro residents and civic leaders.
The final cost, including the amount that will still need to be raised from private donors or other sources, depends upon the final design drawings for the project, which have yet to be signed off by city officials, according to a mayoral spokesperson. As of press time, whether all six elements for the new plaza depicted in the current renderings for the project — dubbed the pedestal, the beacon, the grove, the gallery, the canopy and the central terrace — will be paid for with the bond funding was not confirmed.
Earlier this month, the Board of Supervisors approved $894,856 from the bond money to have global landscape architecture, planning, and urban design firm SWA complete the drawings for the project with the goal of seeing construction begin next year, as the B.A.R. had reported.
“Harvey Milk Plaza reflects the heart of this city and the spirit of one of its greatest leaders. After years of advocacy and community leadership, the memorial at Harvey Milk Plaza is officially moving forward,” said Lurie in a statement provided to the B.A.R.
Lurie joined advocates of the plaza project and LGBTQ leaders at the site Friday morning to celebrate the news. Located at the corner of Castro and Market streets, the plaza is considered the entryway into the Castro neighborhood. Named after the city’s first gay supervisor, who was assassinated in 1978 just shy of his 12-month mark in office, the plaza sits atop the Castro Muni Station and extends south to Collingwood Street.
“Harvey fought for dignity and equality. He believed in public service that was personal. He believed that government should reflect the people it serves. And he understood that hope requires action,” noted Lurie. “Today, Harvey Milk’s legacy lives on.”
Congressmember Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), who secured $500,000 in federal funds for the project last year, stated that it is appropriate the news about its anticipated 2026 groundbreaking comes as the city celebrates Pride. The annual parade is just two days from now.
“In San Francisco, we take immense pride in being home to the iconic Harvey Milk: a trailblazing leader for freedom, equality and justice,” Pelosi stated. “This Pride Month, advancing toward construction of the memorial at Harvey Milk Plaza carries renewed significance - not only as a place of remembrance and civic pride, but also as a response to ongoing efforts to erase LGBTQ+ history and identity. Today’s announcement is a powerful milestone for a transformative project that will revitalize the community and reimagine Harvey Milk Plaza for residents and visitors to enjoy.”
Gay Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman, who as the District 8 supervisor represents the Castro at City Hall, has long supported the plaza makeover. He told the B.A.R. he “could not be more excited” about seeing construction on it begin before he is termed out of office in early January 2027.
“For more than a decade a persistent and growing band of neighborhood and community advocates have agitated to modernize and transform Harvey Milk Plaza into the iconic public space and memorial its namesake deserves,” Mandelman stated. “The effort received a major boost in November when the voters passed Proposition B, allocating $25 million for the project. Mayor Lurie’s announcement that construction will begin next year finally brings the fulfillment of this vision into sight.”
The approved plans for the plaza call for a smaller stairway leading to the underground subway station to be constructed, replacing the wider one there today that undulates downward across most of the space. Drawings show a rose-colored, transparent overhang above the new stairs and station escalator to protect them from rainwater.
The color scheme harkens to the red-and-white bullhorn Milk used during protests held at the site and marches that kicked off from it. A new spiral podium feature built by the intersection of Castro and Market streets would nod to the site’s history as a gathering place for protests and rallies.
Cleve Jones, a longtime AIDS activist and protégé of Milk’s, stated that he is “beyond thrilled” the plaza will encourage others to inspire change in their communities.
“Harvey understood very well the meaning and power of hope,” Jones stated. “He understood how enemies of equality seek to divide us and tear people apart, and we are seeing this right now. Our community understands that the best response in these times is to organize, form coalitions and stand shoulder to shoulder as we fight back. I’m beyond thrilled that the new Harvey Milk Plaza celebrates not only Harvey’s emphasis on hope, but also his call to get involved and to act, so that each of us can be an instrument of change.”
At the news conference, Jones, 70, said meeting Milk was the most important moment of his life.
“I’m going to live to see it done,” he said, “and the end of the current [Trump] regime. This isn’t just about a man who walked among us. It’s about the movement he started, and our community’s determination to continue that movement.”
The newly enclosed space below street level is envisioned to be used for museum-quality displays about Milk and other local LGBTQ leaders. Talks are underway about incorporating the subway station’s entire concourse for the installation.
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency director Julie Kirschbaum stated Muni is “proud to support a space that not only connects people across San Francisco, but also honors Harvey Milk’s enduring legacy of visibility, activism, and hope.”
She added that, “Harvey Milk Plaza sits at the crossroads of movement—both literal and historic.”
As the B.A.R. had reported earlier this month, city documents related to the bond funding had pegged the cost for the Milk plaza project as high as $40 million, while the booster group supportive of it had been working off a total cost of around $35 million.
Either amount was unlikely to be fully covered by state and federal funding, necessitating the Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza group to raise additional funding to close the gap. Brian Springfield, a gay man and professional graphic designer who is the executive director of the friends group, told the B.A.R. Thursday that it has agreed to seek at least $8 million in funds to pay for the plaza redo elements not covered by the city bond.
“We found out a way to use available funds to create a base project that can be built for that amount without compromising at all the community’s vision for Harvey Milk Plaza,” Springfield said in a June 26 phone interview.
Springfield said some items that are part of the approved new design for the plaza were made into what are termed “add-alternates,” meaning they will be added back into the project if funding can be found. He was unable to provide specifics about what will be part of a phase two for the plaza revamp.
But Andrea Aiello, a lesbian who is executive director of the Castro Community Benefit District and cochair of the plaza friends group, told the B.A.R. that one of the add-alternates would be expanding the gallery space the entire length of the Muni station.
“Right now, the gallery ends at the orange gates (right before you enter the station),” Aiello explained. “We have funding in the $25 million for the current gallery that we promised to the community but, to make it larger, we will still be fundraising. We also want to raise funds now for activating the space once it opens.”
San Francisco Public Works helped in the process of making the project fit within the $25 million from the bond. Director Carla Short stated, “The reimagined public space will be a game-changer, serving as both a beacon for the iconic Castro neighborhood and a tribute to Harvey Milk and the values he championed. With the support of Mayor Lurie, Supervisor Mandelman and community leaders, our department is honored to be involved in the delivery of this generational project.”
The community-led drive to completely renovate Milk plaza was launched in 2016 in conjunction with the city’s plan to install a second elevator for the subway station. That project is currently under construction and set for completion by early next year.
The steel beams for the new elevator shaft jut up into the air and await the installation of the lift. Concrete work for it is nearly complete, as the B.A.R. reported earlier this month.
As for the Milk plaza renovation, it will be shovel-ready in fall 2026, Aiello told the B.A.R. in a phone interview Thursday. Recalculations now that the project is close to starting are responsible for much of the revised cost estimate, she said.
“What happened is, as you get closer to a build date, when you know when that’ll be and [construction] documents get further along, the estimators have a better idea of what the project is going to cost,” Aiello explained.
She added, “They didn’t know when the groundbreaking would happen,” but the passage of Proposition B, last fall, which funded the project alongside others such as San Francisco City Clinic, added some urgency.
“They had … to look at every single line item with the idea they’re going to build in 2026,” Aiello said. “I am so thrilled this is going to be happening next year. There’s going to be groundbreaking in fall of 2026. It’s incredibly exciting to me personally, and to everyone who has worked on this project. Looking forward to 2028 and being able to celebrate a new Harvey Milk Plaza.”
In a news release, Springfield stated that the plaza will celebrate the progress the LGBTQ community has made.
“The Castro is more than a neighborhood—it remains a symbol of visibility, courage, and community in the imaginations of LGBTQ+ people around the world,” Springfield stated. “Harvey Milk’s story is rooted in the fight for rights, dignity, and the freedom to live authentically, a struggle that continues to this day. The new Harvey Milk Plaza will celebrate the progress we’ve made and inspire future generations of LGBTQ+ people everywhere to keep pushing forward.”
After the event, the B.A.R. caught up with attendees.
“We don’t know much,” Jim Buzza said, standing next to his wife Kathy. “We just got here from Iowa and the gentleman at the bakery said, ‘Come up the street, it’s very important.’”
The two are in town this weekend to visit their son.
When the plans for the future plaza were explained, Jim Buzza said, “That’s wonderful.”
Added Kathy Buzza, “We learned a lot on the vibrant walking tour of the Castro about Harvey Milk. To have a place that you can come to learn it on your own is really great, and it’ll be here any time you want to come, you don’t have to wait for a tour guide.”
