Dec 3: Esprit Park Community Meeting

Calling All Esprit Park Lovers & Users!

Fellow Dogpatchers, you will soon be able to weigh in on the future of a Dogpatch treasure — Esprit Park! On Thursday, December 3rd, there will be a 90-minute online community meeting to provide feedback on plans for the park. This is your chance to express your thoughts on Esprit and make your voices heard. Don’t pass up this opportunity to speak out and ensure the park is all it ought to be!

Esprit Park Renovation

Online Community Meeting
Thursday, December 3, 2020
6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Please join us virtually to review the designs and provide feedback!

https://sfrecpark.org/1136/Esprit-Park-Renovation-Project

Join the meeting via Zoom: https://sfrpd.zoom.us/j/92234204361
Or dial-in by phone: (669) 900-6833 Meeting ID: 92234204361#

RSVP at Eventbrite: https://bit.ly/EspritRSVP
RSVP is helpful but not required.

For questions email: Alexis.Ward@sfgov.org

ABOUT THE PLANS

There are several plans or options (U-Z) being presented at the 12/3 meeting. We support plans (X) On-leash/Off-leash Plan, (Y) Single Meadow, (Z) Single Meadow Plan Flipped as inclusive and supportive of our community’s health.

We don’t support plans U, V, or W. These plans feature artificial turf or a “dog-free” zone or don’t allow for off-leash dog play.

Here are several reasons why:

A dog-free area in a public park is unprecedented in all of San Francisco. Outside of athletic fields and children’s playgrounds, dogs are welcome on-leash in most areas.
Creating a dog-free zone discriminates against the elderly, disabled and families with children who may own dogs. By limiting the areas of the park where people with dogs can go, you force them into areas where they may not feel safe. For example, an elderly person who wants to enjoy the grass with their dog on leash is potentially at risk where dogs are running.
Artificial turf goes against the natural design of the park, removes habitat for beneficial insects and animals, is expensive to install and replace, is rarely recycled, and requires regular maintenance and chemicals to ensure it doesn’t smell.
The goal of the legal dog play area is to restrict running dogs to a portion of the park to increase safety for other users of the park.
The grass meadows will always require scheduled maintenance, regardless of use. A dog-free zone will prevent park users with dogs - both on and off leash - from entering the park while the off leash area is closed for maintenance.

Esprit has been a longtime Dogpatch jewel and center of community. It is in need of some polishing in order for it to regain some of its luster, and we look forward to it remaining a sustainable centerpiece of Dogpatch for years to come.

A LITTLE HISTORY

In early 2016, when UCSF began exploring how to ‘cushion’ the impact of their development in Dogpatch, the University asked the Dogpatch Neighborhood Association and Potrero Boosters leadership to identify community priorities. Those involved wanted the majority of the funding to go toward renovating the police station on 3rd and 19th for a community center, The Hub. That project’s cost was estimated at over $30 million.

As for other priorities, Esprit Park wasn’t even on the list. In Fall 2016, Representatives of Toes & Paws for Green Space and Friends of Esprit Park (FoEP) put Esprit on the list of Dogpatch community priorities. With your enthusiastic support, Toes & Paws and FoEP wound up raising the money for Esprit Park’s renovation by successfully lobbying UCSF for funding, and provided the sole endorsement letter used by SF Planning to help secure $2.7 million from the Eastern Neighborhood Community Advisory Committee.

UCSF announced grant decisions in May 2017. Esprit - $5 million; The Hub - $4.2 million.

And yet, the renovation has stalled for 18 months. Despite the propaganda, “dog people” are not delaying progress. In fact Toes & Paws/FoEP, along with 14 other members of the Esprit community advisory group (ECAG)* have been fighting for an equitable, transparent process. Were it not for our collective efforts and the mediation of Supervisor Walton, Rec & Park would have converted half the park into a fenced-in artificial turf dog run, ignoring the wishes of the community. Instead, Rec & Park has been forced to listen to neighbors, ensure that the process is qualitatively sound and unbiased, and be transparent about their budgeting.

*ECAG representatives: Avalon Dogpatch; DNA; Dogpatch Community Task Force; Friends of Potrero Preschool; Homes on Esprit HOA; 701 Minnesota HOA; La Scuola International School; Potrero Boosters; Toes & Paws for Green Space/FoEP; and several members at large.