Lurie signs $14.5 million deal to revitalize Powell Street corridor
Lurie cleared $14.5 million for a Powell Street makeover that promises wider sidewalks, brighter lighting and a cleaner walk from Market Street to Union Square. Construction is expected to start in late 2026.
Powell Street is getting a major reset at the city’s front door. Mayor Daniel Lurie signed legislation on June 10 allowing San Francisco to accept $14.5 million in private funding for a long-planned overhaul of the corridor between Market Street and Geary Street, a stretch that pulls commuters, shoppers, tourists and cable car riders through one of downtown’s busiest blocks.
The money comes from the San Francisco Downtown Development Corporation and will help pay for the Powell Street Improvement Project, a streetscape and public-realm effort designed to make the corridor cleaner, safer and easier to walk. The plan calls for widened sidewalks, hanging programmable lanterns and a signature LED light installation above the Powell and Market cable car turnaround, along with benches, trees and outdoor dining space.
The project is aimed squarely at people who use Powell Street every day, not just visitors stopping for photos. The city said the broader Union Square and Yerba Buena area has already seen retail activity rebound, with businesses such as The RealReal, AT&T and Nintendo helping bring life back to the neighborhood. Officials see Powell Street as a visible test of whether that momentum can spread, especially along a corridor that DDC says draws more than 28,000 visitors daily and saw foot traffic rise nearly 20% year over year.
Lurie tied the project to his Heart of the City agenda, which he outlined in September 2025 as a way to use downtown public spaces for living, working, playing and learning, not just moving through. The administration also pointed to public safety, noting that the Police Department’s Hospitality Zone Task Force was created early in Lurie’s term and that crime in the Central Station district, which includes Union Square and the Financial District, fell more than 35% last year.
The full vision for the street is estimated at about $45 million. The DDC contribution adds to $26 million already approved through the 2024 Healthy, Safe and Vibrant San Francisco Bond and transportation funding sources, pushing the financing closer to the finish line. By spring 2026, the project had entered the Construction Document phase and a general contractor had been hired, with construction expected to begin in late 2026 and a ribbon-cutting planned for late 2027.
The city first committed to improving the three blocks in 2023, then unveiled a new design proposal in 2024. With the latest funding in place, Powell Street is moving from concept to a countdown measured in sidewalks, lights and foot traffic.
This article was produced by Prism’s automated news system from verified source data, official records, and press releases, then run through automated quality and moderation checks before publishing. The system is built and supervised by the people who set the standards it runs under. Read our full AI policy.
Did this article answer your question?
