Controversy erupts over bike lane upgrades outside San Francisco concert venue

Earlier this week, iconic Potrero Hill rock venue Bottom of the Hill launched a petition protesting a proposed bike lane improvement that would pass by the venue. San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency's 17th Street quick-build project would upgrade the bike lane between Potrero and Pennsylvania streets to a protected bike lane.

According to the petition, SFMTA's current intentions to add a protective barrier to the bike lanes would eliminate more than half the parking on the street, which the petition deems a serious problem, considering the neighborhood has primarily residential permit parking and a lack of parking garages. Given the need for bands to load equipment into the club, Bottom of the Hill said on Twitter that the specific change would destroy their venue, causing them to close.

That's when bike advocates piped up, leaving more than 200 comments on the post, including from some users who said they planned to boycott the venue.

Co-owner Kathleen Owens has operated the venue for 31 years. Located at 17th and Missouri streets, Bottom of the Hill is known as a launching pad for local bands, as well as a smaller room to see touring acts (notable upcoming bookings include Homeboy Sandman, Mustard Plug and the Black Lips). Owens thinks there was some context lost in the concert venue's tweet.

"Somehow this has become Bottom versus bike coalition, which is not the way it is," Owens said.

The proposed change could affect many other businesses in the area. "We've got the skateboard factory, repair shops, there's a food distribution center and apparel production," Owens said. "A lot of these people have worked at these places for a long time, so it would be just devastating for them," citing the needs of employees who travel from outside the city.

There is already a bike lane on that stretch of 17th Street, although it is not protected by a physical barrier, and delivery vehicles frequently obstruct the lane. Kepa Askenasy, a former cyclist who lives in the neighborhood, co-founded the Save the Hill neighborhood advocacy group, which in the early 2010s lobbied for the existing bike infrastructure.

"What we saw on Twitter yesterday was fear," Askenasy said. "You see Kathleen, fearful that she's going to lose her business. You see the bike people fearful that they're going to get killed. Those are two extreme reactions to what's going on, and what's going on is that SFMTA is not doing their job, not talking to stakeholders, and not making sure everybody has a happy and safe compromise."

The SFMTA agreed that there's been misinformation spreading, leading to the misconception that the project is further along in the development process. An SFMTA representative said that there currently isn't yet an official design proposal, and that a mockup that has been shared around the neighborhood has not been submitted for official review. The outreach program is just now beginning, with informational mailers going out to residents. Businesses are being contacted for input, and a public forum is expected to take place in late fall. SFMTA's website states that construction is planned for spring 2023.

However, regardless of the status of a design plan, BOTH co-owner Lynn Schwarz said that she's been told all versions of the plan will eliminate parking.

Nesrine Majzoub, spokesperson for the SF Bicycle Coalition, expressed support for the new protected lanes. She called 17th Street a crucial bike connector for the Mission and Mission Bay neighborhoods, while acknowledging the concerns of businesses like Bottom of the Hill.

"We are hopeful that the new designs that come from this project will address the existing curb management issues to mitigate the effects on businesses, as well as protecting the safety and lives of people biking along 17th Street," Majzoub said.