Frequently Asked Questions

  • The Cole Valley Town Square is a neighbor-led initiative to transform the underutilized Richard Gamble Memorial Park and adjacent stretch of Carl Street between Cole and Clayton streets into a permanent, welcoming public space for the community. The project grew out of a series of pop-up events held in 2025, where hundreds of neighbors came out to enjoy plants, seating, music, and programming in the space. The response was overwhelmingly positive, and we are now exploring how to make it permanent.m description

  • The Town Square is a neighbor-led initiative run in partnership with the Civic Joy Fund, a San Francisco nonprofit that supports community-driven public space projects. The concept was shaped through community engagement, feedback from pop-up events in April, May, June, and November 2025, and ongoing coordination with local businesses, residents, and city stakeholders.

  • The proposed vision is an inclusive, accessible space for all folks of all ages to enjoy. It consists of four elements:

    • Modernizing the existing Richard Gamble Memorial Park. This would include repairing drainage, restoring the grass, adding seating, and making the space genuinely inviting.

    • A dedicated dog run. This would give dog owners a designated, fenced space to let their dogs play off-leash, without risk of running into the Muni tracks or compromising picnic space. 

    • A nature exploration area. This would offer a new amenity for Cole Valley families to enjoy with their young children. 

    • A multi-use space. This would be a flexible convening space for neighborhood events, performances, and gatherings.

  • Cole Valley is a small, tight-knit neighborhood with surprisingly limited public open space. Richard Gamble Memorial Park currently serves as the neighborhood's main green space, but it’s not living up to its fullest potential: seating is sparse and the ground is often used informally as a dog run, making it unappealing for other uses. The stretch of Carl Street between Cole and Clayton has a clear opportunity to expand and connect that public space, as demonstrated by the pop-up events held there in 2025.

  • Yes, several San Francisco neighborhoods have created similar community gathering places:

    • Patricia's Green in Hayes Valley features a picnic area, rotating public art, and a children's play area.

    • The Noe Valley Town Square regularly hosts free events including yoga, concerts, story time with the SF Public Library, and a farmers market.

    • Lakeside Landing transformed an underused parking lot at the entrance of the Lakeside Village corridor into a gathering space with greenery, seating, a stage, and lighting.

  • No, and that's intentional. We are currently in the concept stage, which means we are still evaluating what is appropriate and achievable based on ongoing engagement with neighbors, local businesses, the SF Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), SF Recreation and Parks and Supervisor Mandelman's office. In the coming months, we will commission a topographic survey and site analysis with a landscape architecture firm. Everything we build will be informed by that analysis and by continued community input.

  • Community input has been central to this process. Each pop-up event was followed by surveys and direct feedback, which shaped subsequent iterations. For example, we’ve heard clearly from the community that any permanent plans for the Cole Valley Town Square must involve much needed improvements to Richard Gamble Memorial Park. We’ve also heard from families the desire to have a nature play area for young children to enjoy. 

    We are actively seeking input from residents, businesses, dog owners, parents, and anyone else with a stake in the neighborhood's public realm. Sign up for updates below to stay informed and participate.

  • We are working closely with the SFMTA, the SF Recreation and Parks Department, and Supervisor Mandelman's District 8 office. Any changes to the street or park will require City approval. Our goal is to bring a well-developed, community-supported proposal to these partners.

    Richard Gamble Memorial Park is currently under the jurisdiction of the SFMTA, which primarily manages streets and transit infrastructure, not parks. We believe this is part of why the existing park has become somewhat neglected and could use some modernization and support. A key goal of this project is transitioning stewardship of the land to SF Recreation and Parks Department, which has the expertise and mandate to manage it as the neighborhood park it should be.

  • “The town square provides great seating and an opportunity for kids to explore! It’s not a playground, so we can also enjoy it with friends who don’t have kids, but because there aren’t cars or off-leash dogs, our toddler can cruise around. This is the kind of inclusive neighborhood space we’d love to see more of!" - Allison M.

    “I think a town square would be lovely, so there would be a place to take a seat, read a book, meet up with a friend, let the kids run around, or to run into a neighbor after grabbing coffee, a bite, getting out of school, or after getting off the Muni." - Zan A.

  • Yes, and we take them seriously. The most common questions have been about parking, traffic, and what happens to the dog run that has informally occupied part of Richard Gamble Memorial Park. We address each of these directly below.

  • The proposed design would eliminate a few parking spaces. We recognize that parking in Cole Valley is already limited, and we don't take this tradeoff lightly. However, we also see too many close calls and safety issues with drivers going across Carl and interfering with Muni operations. We think the proposed design of turning Carl Street between Clayton and Cole into one lane, maintained for local access and emergency vehicles, could improve overall street safety for the neighborhood.
    During the November 2025 pop-up, we collected data on traffic patterns on neighboring Frederick Street between Clayton and Cole. We found traffic on nearby streets remained stable during our pop up events, and traffic counts were essentially unchanged week-over-week. Our goal is to make decisions based on evidence, not assumptions and work closely with the SFMTA to mitigate impacts as much as possible.

  • Quite the opposite: a dedicated, fenced dog run is one of the four core elements of the proposal. Right now, the lack of a designated dog area means dogs informally use Richard Gamble Memorial Park, which creates conflict with other users. A proper dog run would give dog owners peace of mind knowing their dogs can play safely without fear of running into the exposed Muni tracks. This would create a better, purpose-built space while freeing up the rest of the park for other activities. Dog owners are an important part of this community, and this project is designed with them in mind.

  • The Town Square is envisioned primarily as a daytime and early-evening community space, similar to Patricia's Green or the Noe Valley Town Square. Programming decisions will be made with neighbors, and any events with amplified sound will be subject to City permitting requirements. We are not planning a venue; we are planning a neighborhood gathering place.

  • Our long-term goal is for the City's Recreation and Parks Department to absorb ongoing maintenance costs as part of its existing stewardship of neighborhood parks, which is consistent with how it manages other parks across San Francisco. We are working with SF Recreation and Parks on what that relationship would look like. In the meantime, neighbor volunteers and the Civic Joy Fund will play an active role in stewardship.

  • Our goal is to secure a combination of private and public funding to cover the capital costs, including upgrades to Richard Gamble Memorial Park and construction of the dog run, nature exploration area, and convening stage. We are actively pursuing philanthropic sources. Long-term operating costs are expected to be minimal, and we are working with the City to have those absorbed into Rec and Park's existing maintenance budget, similar to other neighborhood parks.

  • We are in the community engagement phase, which is the most important time to make your voice heard. The best thing you can do right now is sign up for updates so you stay informed about upcoming meetings, surveys, and opportunities to weigh in. Your feedback directly shapes what gets built.

  • Subscribe to our newsletter, which is linked at the bottom of this page.

  • Beyond signing up, you can attend pop-up events, participate in surveys, share feedback with Supervisor Mandelman's District 8 office, and spread the word to neighbors. Volunteer opportunities will be available as the project develops.