The Persia Triangle is fondly known as the “heart of the Excelsior” as it is centrally-located site in the Excelsior neighborhood, formed by the intersection of Mission St, Ocean Ave, and Persia Ave. In collaboration with city agencies & local community-based organizations, the Excelsior Action Group is undergoing a project to activate, beautify, and make safer the Persia Triangle. Our goal is to transform this area, once a hazardous and unattractive collection of crossroads, into a beautiful hub of community engagement and civic vitality.
Existing Conditions
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The Persia Triangle is a centrally-located site in the Excelsior neighborhood formed by the intersection of Mission Street, Ocean Avenue, and Persia Avenue. The site is the center of the Excelsior’s 10-block commercial corridor and has been called by many community members the “heart of the Excelsior.” Despite its local distinction, the Persia Triangle is also one of the most dangerous intersections in the entire City in terms of vehicular-pedestrian collisions. The area, recently improved with the completed 1st phase of attractive and accessible public space and improved pedestrian safety, remains unsafe for pedestrians and under-used. The Excelsior Action Group (EAG) continues partnering with the SF Planning Department – Pavement to Parks Program, Supervisor Ahsha Safai's office, and several community-based organizations over the next two year to assess, redesign and implement additional improvements to this new public space in the heart of the neighborhood.
A strong need for improvement:
- The majority of collisions have been caused by violations to the pedestrian right of way, signaling the need for traffic calming and improved pedestrian safety is dire.
- The intersection is notoriously dark at night which is hazardous for vehicles and pedestrians
- Many in the community have complained that the Persia Triangle is also very unattractive, lacking art, color, and greenery.
- There is a limited amount of accessible and inviting public space. For example, the site lacks seating and barriers between pedestrians and cars.
The community process:
On January 23, 2013, over 50 community members attended the Persia Triangle Town Hall meeting. Some of the most prevalent suggestions from community members at this town hall called for traffic calming, increased activity and commerce at the site, and beautification projects to improve its appearance. EAG is partnering with the SF Planning Department – Pavement to Parks Program, Supervisor John Avalos’s office, and several community-based organizations over the next year to design and implement a pilot project installation to create a new public space in the heart of the neighborhood. The components for the project range from the establishment of a community market to sidewalk art to innovative street furniture.
The overall outcome:
The cumulative Persia Triangle Project will yield many benefits to the Excelsior community. It will provide increased attractive, accessible public space for gathering, meeting, events, and community building. The project will also calm traffic through the intersection, hence improving pedestrian safety. It will help to beautify the neighborhood, generate more foot traffic in the area, and provide economic benefits to the surrounding commercial corridor. Also, the design and implementation of the project will help to strengthen partnerships between city agencies, community based organizations, and the community at large. In addition, it will provide opportunities for intergenerational team building experiences. The most important outcome of this project is increasing community pride and engagement. From start to finish, this project is driven by community involvement, from its design to installation to use and maintenance.
Excelsior Love at the Persia Triangle:
The theme for our project at the Persia Triangle is Excelsior Love. The theme reflects the common neighborhood recognition that this site is the heart of the Excelsior, a label which is even reinforced by the shape of the site itself. The Excelsior Love theme is also a source of motivation for our team to transform the site. As 15-year old Emma from Youth Art Exchange put it, “I live a few blocks from this area and I think it is strange that it’s called the heart of the Excelsior. When I think of the Persia Triangle, it does not feel like the heart of anything. It is dirty, it’s not safe, it’s not a good place to be.” The theme of Excelsior Love embodies our aspirations for what we believe this place could be. The Excelsior is a community of tremendous love: love among families, friends, and neighbors; love of many cultures, music, and the arts; old love and young love; and love for the neighborhood itself. At the heart of this community, we would like to transform the Persia Triangle into a public space that becomes the canvas upon which we will express this love!
A strong need for improvement:
- The majority of collisions have been caused by violations to the pedestrian right of way, signaling the need for traffic calming and improved pedestrian safety is dire.
- The intersection is notoriously dark at night which is hazardous for vehicles and pedestrians
- Many in the community have complained that the Persia Triangle is also very unattractive, lacking art, color, and greenery.
- There is a limited amount of accessible and inviting public space. For example, the site lacks seating and barriers between pedestrians and cars.
The community process:
On January 23, 2013, over 50 community members attended the Persia Triangle Town Hall meeting. Some of the most prevalent suggestions from community members at this town hall called for traffic calming, increased activity and commerce at the site, and beautification projects to improve its appearance. EAG is partnering with the SF Planning Department – Pavement to Parks Program, Supervisor John Avalos’s office, and several community-based organizations over the next year to design and implement a pilot project installation to create a new public space in the heart of the neighborhood. The components for the project range from the establishment of a community market to sidewalk art to innovative street furniture.
The overall outcome:
The cumulative Persia Triangle Project will yield many benefits to the Excelsior community. It will provide increased attractive, accessible public space for gathering, meeting, events, and community building. The project will also calm traffic through the intersection, hence improving pedestrian safety. It will help to beautify the neighborhood, generate more foot traffic in the area, and provide economic benefits to the surrounding commercial corridor. Also, the design and implementation of the project will help to strengthen partnerships between city agencies, community based organizations, and the community at large. In addition, it will provide opportunities for intergenerational team building experiences. The most important outcome of this project is increasing community pride and engagement. From start to finish, this project is driven by community involvement, from its design to installation to use and maintenance.
Excelsior Love at the Persia Triangle:
The theme for our project at the Persia Triangle is Excelsior Love. The theme reflects the common neighborhood recognition that this site is the heart of the Excelsior, a label which is even reinforced by the shape of the site itself. The Excelsior Love theme is also a source of motivation for our team to transform the site. As 15-year old Emma from Youth Art Exchange put it, “I live a few blocks from this area and I think it is strange that it’s called the heart of the Excelsior. When I think of the Persia Triangle, it does not feel like the heart of anything. It is dirty, it’s not safe, it’s not a good place to be.” The theme of Excelsior Love embodies our aspirations for what we believe this place could be. The Excelsior is a community of tremendous love: love among families, friends, and neighbors; love of many cultures, music, and the arts; old love and young love; and love for the neighborhood itself. At the heart of this community, we would like to transform the Persia Triangle into a public space that becomes the canvas upon which we will express this love!
Project Components In Order Of Production
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1. Excelsior Community Market - Fall 2013
The Excelsior Community Market is a pilot project driven by local residents and neighborhood groups to meet the immediate needs of the community. The market will offer organic produce, local artisanal products, goods and services unavailable on the Excelsior Commercial Corridor, and a space for community members to gather. The market will be held in the parking lot of the Bank of America on Persia Avenue, with pilot market days starting this summer. For more information about the Excelsior Community Market, click here. 2. Pavement 2 Parks Plazas - Anticipated Spring 2014 The Planning Department's Pavement 2 Parks program plans to install temporary painted plazas at several corner locations on the Persia Triangle. The goal of these plazas is to improve pedestrian safety through traffic calming and to provide additional space for Excelsior community members to enjoy. For more information about Pavement 2 Parks, click here. 3. Community Kiosk Project - Anticipated Spring 2014 In January 2012, the Excelsior Action Group was approached by Supervisor Avalos to retrofit and activate a blighted news kiosk at the corner of Geneva & Mission. EAG has taken on this project and is investigating the feasibility of relocating the kiosk to a more beneficial and centrally-located site at the Persia Triangle. For more information about the Community Kiosk, click here. 4. Street Furniture & Artwork - Anticipated Spring 2014 Public high school youth from Out of Site Youth Arts Center are designing street furniture and sidewalk artwork to beautify and enhance the public space at the Persia Triangle. They are currently working to design a solution for many of the issues currently plaguing the site, including a lack of seating, greening, and artwork; lack of pedestrian level lighting; and a lack of pedestrian safety. For more information about Out of Site, click here. 5. Excelsior Festival- annual The Annual Excelsior Art & Music Festival will be held at the Persia Triangle in collaboration with Sunday Streets. The event will enliven the space for thousands of community members with art, music, food, and an array of vendors. This free event has attracted almost 10,000 attendees in previous years. For more information about the Excelsior Festival, click here. 6. DPW Repaving - Anticipated Spring 2015 The Department of Public Works will be repaving the street surface at the Persia Triangle in early 2014. For more information about DPW Repaving, click here. 7. MTA Streetscape Improvements - Anticipated Spring 2015 The Municipal Transportation Authority has received funding from the State Department of Transportation to fund a streetscape improvement at the site of the Persia Triangle. The goal of the project is to improve pedestrian safety and traffic/transit flow. The project is still collecting community input to determine a final scope of work. For more information about MTA Streetscape Improvements, click here. |
