La Playa Pedestrian Improvements

Location

1400 La Playa St.
See Map

Status

In Development

Opening Date

In Development

Designer

SF Planning

Partners

Office of Supervisor Katy Tang
SF Arts Commission
La Playa Park Coalition
SF Parks Alliance
SFMTA
San Francisco Public Works

Enhanced community space at the end of the N-Judah Muni line

The large 5-point intersection where the end of Judah Street meets La Playa Street and Lower Great Highway, including the N‐Judah turnaround and stub tracks, is predominantly an open asphalt space today. Central green medians separating Lower Great Highway from La Playa are the only gathering space functions the intersection offers today. There is little sense of place and limited aesthetic quality, especially for its important site, at the gateway to Ocean Beach for the end of one of the most important MUNI lines in the city today.

The La Playa Pedestrian Improvements pilot project aims to provide new and enhanced temporary public and community space, improve pedestrian safety, and improve the security of MUNI light rail vehicles.

This project will*:

• Create a temporary gateway plaza on the northwest corner of La Playa Street at Judah, with a ground mural and protected by planters, replacing on-street parking and the southbound travel lane
• Install a parklet on the southeast corner of Judah Street at La Playa, and enhancing the area around the adjacent existing MUNI operator restroom with a mural, gateway signage, and other aesthetic improvements to improve the quality of this public space
• Install temporary pedestrian safety zones to shorten the crossing distance for pedestrians
• Provide artistic signage, seating, planters, specially painted areas, and other elements to enhance the quality of public space throughout the site
• Install new striping, planters, and barriers placed around the Muni tracks to demarcate and separate this space, and for increased light rail vehicle security
• Include access and circulation changes to the intersection and streets and add signage at all relevant approach points to clearly indicate circulation and access restrictions (as shown below)
• Temporarily reroute the NX from southbound La Playa to southbound 48th Ave during the morning peak hours (6am-10am only). The first NX inbound stop will be relocated from the southwest corner of Judah and 48th Ave to the northwest corner of 48th Ave and Judah (as shown below)

Temporary Circulation Changes and NX Rerouting

*Click here to download the image

For 18 months, starting Winter 2018, a short stretch of La Playa Street will become a one-way northbound street. To increase pedestrian visibility and emergency vehicle access, the change will require temporary removal of on-street parking along La Playa (up to 11). Parking in front of seven driveways along La Playa will also be restricted. To reduce crossing distance, three pedestrian safety zones will be installed along Lower Great Highway, which may temporarily remove up to two parking spaces. Upon the launch of a newly-commission mural on the Muni building, two parking spaces along Judah will transform into a parklet to create a larger community space near the mural.

During the pilot period, NX bus will be rerouted from southbound La Playa to southbound 48th Ave during the morning peak hours (6am-10am only). The first NX inbound stop will be relocated from the southwest corner of Judah and 48th Ave to the northwest corner of 48th Ave and Judah (along 48th ave in front of Beachside Cafe). On-street parking will be restricted on 48th Avenue (up to 4 spaces) during bus operation hours (6am-10am only). No change to afternoon service.