Sanchez Greenway
Gradually greening San Francisco's highest-performing Slow Street — adding movable and permanent planters as well as sidewalk gardens in the near term, toward a long-term vision of a permanently green community woonerf street featuring lush gardens, permeable pavers, and vibrant community spaces along Sanchez from 23rd to 30th
Take Action to Support This Project
📍 Location
Corridor: Sanchez Street from 23rd Street to 30th Street
Neighborhood: Noe Valley / Glen Park, San Francisco
District: Supervisor Rafael Mandelman (District 8)
Key Connections: Upper Noe Recreation Center, 24th Street commercial corridor, Noe Cafe, La Lucha Cafe, SF bike network
🌱 Project Overview
Sanchez Street is San Francisco's highest-performing Slow Street — the only corridor to meet both vehicle speed and volume targets, with speeds at or below 15 mph, volumes under 1,000 vehicles per day, and zero crashes recorded. Designated a Slow Street in June 2020 and made permanent in August 2021, Sanchez has proven that car-light streets work.
But most of the corridor's 14-block safety infrastructure remains temporary: painted safety zones, plastic safe-hit posts, and a handful of curb extensions with plants on some blocks. The Slow Sanchez Beautification & Greening initiative envisions the gradual transformation of this corridor — starting with movable and permanent planters at key intersections, toward a long-term vision of lasting green infrastructure including gardens, permeable pavers, landscaped traffic islands, and community gathering spaces across the full 14-block stretch.
🤝 Steward & Advocates
Project Steward: Slow Sanchez
Lead Advocate: Brooke Ray Demco
Community Partners: Slow Sanchez volunteer community, Noe Valley community orgs (Noe Walks, Noe Run Club, Comerford Alley Friends of NV, and others)
Government Partners: SFMTA, SFCTA (funded Next Generation improvements via District 8 Neighborhood Program)
💰 Potential Funding Sources
Existing: SFCTA Neighborhood Program (Next Generation Sanchez improvements), SF Beautiful grant
City Programs: SFPUC Green Infrastructure Programs, Community Challenge Grant
Community: Neighborhood fundraising, local business sponsorships, volunteer plant stewardship
🗺️ Site Location Map
Corridor: Sanchez Street, 23rd to 30th — 14 blocks through Noe Valley and Glen Park
Opportunity: Over 1 acre of street space across multiple daylighted intersections ready for permanent greening
Interactive map showing the Sanchez Slow Street corridor from 23rd to 30th Street in Noe Valley.
🎯 Project Goals
Short-Term: Harden the Safety Zones
- Planter Placement: Replace temporary painted safety zones and plastic posts with durable planters at intersections that already have daylighting paint, similar to the Cortland in Bloom approach. Pilot locations at the 24th and Day intersections will demonstrate greening of soft-hit-post painted-safety-zone protected daylit zones and bulbouts
- Community Stewardship: Engage the existing Slow Sanchez volunteer network in ongoing plant care and maintenance
- Immediate Safety: Strengthen protection for pedestrians and cyclists with physical barriers that also beautify the street
Long-Term: Permanent Green Infrastructure
- Permeable Pavers: Replace asphalt with permeable paving at reclaimed street areas to manage stormwater and reduce urban heat
- Intersection Gardens: Transform daylighted intersections into permanent landscaped gardens with native and drought-tolerant plantings
- Street Reclamation: Reclaim over 1 acre of roadway across the corridor for green space, community gathering areas, and ecological habitat
- Landscaped Traffic Islands: Build permanent concrete islands with plantings to replace temporary plastic posts, as envisioned in the SFCTA Next Generation plan
- Pollinator Habitat: Create connected habitat corridors for bees, butterflies, and beneficial insects along the full 14 blocks
- Stormwater Management: Capture and filter runoff through rain gardens, bioswales, and permeable surfaces
📊 Why Sanchez?
Sanchez is uniquely positioned for permanent greening investment:
- Highest-Performing Slow Street: The only SF Slow Street to meet both speed (≤15 mph) and volume (<1,000/day) targets
- Zero Crashes: No recorded crashes during the Slow Street evaluation period
- Strong Community Support: Broad neighborhood support across Noe Valley, with dedicated volunteers organizing block parties and community art installations
- Existing Infrastructure: Painted safety zones and daylighting already in place at most intersections — the foundation is there, it just needs to be made permanent
- Government Momentum: SFCTA has already funded Next Generation improvements; SFMTA Board has affirmed the corridor's permanent Slow Street status
🌼 From Temporary to Permanent
Like many Slow Streets, Sanchez's current safety treatments were designed to be quick and low-cost: paint on asphalt, flexible plastic posts, and temporary signage. While these have been remarkably effective at calming traffic, they degrade over time, lack visual appeal, and don't provide the environmental benefits of true green infrastructure.
Sanchez Greenway represents the next evolution — transitioning from pandemic-era tactical urbanism to permanent, beautiful, ecologically productive streetscapes. By investing in real materials (permeable pavers, planted gardens, concrete islands with landscaping), the corridor becomes not just safer but a genuine community asset and a model for how San Francisco can green its Slow Streets citywide.
📈 Current Status
Slow Street Status: Permanent (SFMTA Board approved August 2021, affirmed December 2022)
Next Generation Phase: SFCTA-funded improvements include up to four concrete islands with landscaping and 50 wayfinding signs
Sanchez Greenway Vision: Building community support for comprehensive permanent greening beyond the Next Generation scope
Immediate Opportunity: Planter placement at existing painted safety zones to harden daylighting infrastructure