Weekend closure set for Hayes Street
A portion of Hayes Street will be the latest spot in San Francisco to close to cars during the pandemic so people have more room to socially distance while still enjoying the bars, restaurants and stores that desperately need the foot traffic.
The popular blocks of the street near Alamo Square will close between Laguna and Franklin streets on Friday from 4 to 10 p.m., and then on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. It could be a boon for the Hayes Valley neighborhood, which has permanently lost about 20 businesses since the pandemic forced the city’s once bustling bars, restaurants and retailers to board up their windows.
“Our hope is that by safely opening up Hayes
Street on weekends to restaurants and other small businesses, we can help revive the area and get struggling businesses back on their feet,” said Supervisor Dean Preston, whose district includes Hayes Valley.
This closure is the latest in San Francisco’s Shared Streets program, which is designed to help business districts by allowing merchants and restaurants to use sidewalks, street parking spaces and sometimes entire streets. Droves of people have been flocking to two blocks of Valencia Street, which recently began ThursdaythroughSunday closures.
Other streets closed to cars include Grant Avenue in Chinatown and a portion of 18th Street in the Castro. Another program, Slow Streets, shutters residential streets to provide space for walking, biking and skating.
The blocks on Hayes Street — which had about 20 bars and restaurants before shelterinplace — was a popular shopping district prepandemic. But that activity dried up in March, and led to the eventual demise of several popular spots — including Stacks, a brunch restaurant that often had long waits on the weekend, and The Riddler, a fancy Champagne bar that usually had every seat occupied.
Life has slowly trickled back into the area since outdoor dining and indoor retail began this summer, but the crowds are still nowhere near the levels they were before the pandemic. Jen Laska, vice president of the Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association, hopes the closure will give the area a boost.
The association originally proposed closing the blocks seven days a week, but after some neighborhood pushback, that plan was scaled down.
“This is going to be a big learning experience,” said Laska, who spearheaded the effort that has been under way for months. But “we’re hoping to save some of the stores.”
The Hayes Street closure will begin as a soft launch Sunday, which will give the city a few days to work out any kinks before beginning its first full weekend on Sept. 4. Laska said the neighborhood association will have a meeting with the community in four to six weeks to get feedback.
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency permit expires in December, but it could possibly be extended.
The spread of the coronavirus is still a major concern in the city — especially in areas that attract major crowds. Laska said volunteers will guard the entrance of the street and ensure everyone is wearing masks and social distancing.
But there is another factor people might have to worry about aside from the virus this weekend: Smoke from the state’s big wildfires that have been choking the Bay Area this past week.
“We just can’t catch a break this year,” Laska said. But “I’m excited this is finally happening.”