Mayor and Park Service Name Ocean Beach Vision Council
(March 18, 2008)
San Francisco, CA--Building a long-term strategy to develop Ocean Beach's unique character is job one for the newly formed Ocean Beach Vision Council, announced today by Mayor Gavin Newsom. The Council brings together members of the sustainable planning and environmental design community with government agencies and community leaders with the goal of developing a set of planning alternatives with a 30-50 year horizon for the entire five-mile stretch of beach.
"Ocean Beach is a natural treasure, which unfortunately over the years has slid into neglect," said Mayor Newsom. "We can't expect to turn things around unless we put an end to temporary solutions and create a long-term strategy that takes the environment and future recreational uses into consideration."
Ocean Beach Vision Council members include Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, Supervisors Carmen Chu and Jake McGoldrick, Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) Superintendent Brian O'Neill, Jared Blumenfeld of the Department of the Environment, Scott Preston of the environment-based planning and design firm EDAW, Clark Manus of Heller Manus Architects, Jean Rogers of ARUP, Lara Truppelli of Beach Chalet Brewery and Restaurant, and Gabriel Metcalf of the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association.
During the next year, the Ocean Beach Vision Council will develop a document that will transform Ocean Beach in the same way that the Crissy Field plan transformed a former Army motor pool into the San Francisco waterfront's premier outdoor recreational facility.
"Ocean Beach is as unique and irreplaceable as Muir Woods, the Presidio, the Marin Headlands or any other part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area," said GGNRA Superintendent Brian O'Neill. "We now have an unprecedented opportunity to work together towards the rejuvenation of Ocean Beach."
Through a combination of technical work and public meetings, the Mayor's Ocean Beach Vision Council will propose environmentally sustainable alternatives to improve beach access, enhance underutilized resources, and reconnect Ocean Beach to the city and its international visitors. At the end of the year, the Council will present a draft master plan, outlining a vision for the Beach.
"This is a much needed and monumental next step for Ocean Beach and we are very excited about Mayor Newsom's leadership with Superintendent O'Neill in creating the Ocean Beach Vision Council," said Truppelli, who previously chaired Brown's Task Force and will Chair the Vision Council.
The Ocean Beach Vision Council builds upon the work of Mayor Willie Brown's Ocean Beach Task Force, which developed recommendations for addressing erosion issues, natural resources and recreation and access concerns.