by Jessica KwongA group of citizens representing various San Francisco communities chose Unity Plaza as the name for a new public space designed to connect Muni, residents, businesses and schools in Balboa Park.
The public plaza on Ocean Avenue adjacent to City College of San Francisco will provide a safer and more convenient pedestrian link between Muni's K-Ingleside line, the campus, the reconfigured Phelan Loop bus terminal and a below-market-rate housing development sponsored by the Mayor's Office of Housing, according to Ed Reiskin, transportation director of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.
Bay Area resident Chaeneice Evans was the winner of the contest to name the plaza after nearly a hundred entries were submitted since September.
The naming, announced by SFMTA this week, "is another step in the process in making this overall vision a reality for this community," SFMTA spokesman Paul Rose said.
Unity Plaza is 210-by-65 feet and will include pedestrian-level lighting, a row of trees, benches, a domed play structure and photography displays on the area's history. It's part of the Balboa Park Station Area Plan, which is expected to break ground in early 2015.