MEI Partners

San Francisco’s Design Review Committee is scheduled to consider approval for the design development of the Portsmouth Square improvement project today at 2 PM. The project, led by the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department, proposes redesigning and expanding the public amenities of the ‘living room’ of Chinatown. The project includes replacing the existing pedestrian bridge over Kearny Street with a new community building, modernizing the playground, expanding shaded seating along the central plaza, and more.

A presentation to San Francisco’s Civic Design Review Committee has revealed renderings for a revamped Portsmouth Square in Chinatown, San Francisco. Much will be changed, though the most significant additions will be a new building and redesigned playground. The park is central to the district’s community as a gathering point and destination for those visiting. I have fond memories of my first time seeing 838 Grant Avenue’s imposing facade and circular windows, awakening my appreciation for the breadth of urban architecture. Reporting from KQED this May details the project’s years-long saga of incremental progress, concluding that this proposal’s future is uncertain. This new presentation in front of the CDRC represents new fuel for its realization.