A part of downtown San Francisco has been temporarily transformed into a new community space, hosting things like food trucks and a beer garden, city officials said.
The 3.5-acre space, called The Crossing at East Cut, is located at the former site of the Temporary Transbay Terminal near Howard and Main streets, and will also host soccer events, outdoor movies, a children’s play area, a marketplace, and fitness space.
Mayor London Breed initially announced the temporary project back in May as part of her Downtown Recovery Plan, which aims to revamp the area as the city recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This year has shown us just how essential access to outdoor space is for the well-being of our communities and the overall development of our city,” Breed said in a statement. “This beautifully designed site will provide a safe and engaging space for both community members and visitors of our city to get outside and enjoy the vibrancy of our downtown core.”
“This is a neighborhood that is growing and thriving, but absolutely needs more open space for the community to gather, play and enjoy,” Supervisor Matt Haney, whose district include the neighborhood, said.
“This beautifully designed site will provide a safe and engaging space for both community members and visitors of our city to get outside and enjoy the vibrancy of our downtown core.”
Mayor London Breed
The site is set to be a future affordable housing complex, however, construction won’t start until mid-2023.
The old Temporary Transbay Terminal formerly served as a bus transit center up until the Salesforce Transit Center opened in August 2018. But, just weeks after the Salesforce Transit Center’s opening, cracked steel beams discovered inside the building shut it down and bus service resumed at the temporary Transbay Terminal for nearly a year while crews repaired the beams.
Transbay Joint Powers Authority Interim Director Nila Gonzales said, “The TJPA is excited by the impending activation of the former Temporary Transbay Terminal that will provide San Franciscans a variety of fun, community offerings while revitalizing this burgeoning neighborhood and helping the City’s economic recovery.”
The Crossing is set to be overseen by East Cut Landing Partners, which is a partnership between the East Cut Community Benefit District, Street Soccer USA, Real Active, and Nestory Park.
The Crossing will tentatively be open starting 6 a.m. for fitness use, and then from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. general use. On weekends, the space will be open until 11 p.m. and some outdoor movie screenings could go past midnight, city officials said.