Mission Bay Neighborhood Association’s board of directors has written a Letter of Support to the California Transportation Commission for the Mission Bay School Access Plan to obtain an ATP Cycle 8 Active Transportation Program Grant.
The Mission Bay School Access Plan is a major connectivity and street safety project that will benefit all ages and abilities by addressing the lack of a dedicated bike lane at the traffic circle adjacent to the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD)’s new public elementary school on Owens Street. The school, part of Mission Bay’s master-plan that dates back to 1998, will open in August, and help meet the needs of San Francisco’s growing eastern neighborhoods of Mission Bay, South of Market, South Beach, Rincon Hill, Potrero Hill and Dogpatch.
Enrollment applications for the 2026-27 school year far exceeded the number of seats being offered.
San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA)’s David Long, a senior transportation planner for SFCTA, had asked Mission Bay community groups to sign onto a Letter of Support because the state grant they are applying for is “extremely competitive.” The anticipated cost of the recommended conceptual plan is $2.5- to $3.5 Million.
In addition to MBNA, other groups, including the grassroots Mission Bay School Steering Committee, have also either already submitted or plan to submit a Letter of Support to the Transportation Commission. The Mission Bay School Steering Committee is comprised of local advocates who pushed for the school to be built.
Although the elementary school opens to pre-kindergartners, transitional kindergartners, and kindergartners in August, the new building already houses the Mission Bay Linked Learning Hub, a STEM program for SFUSD high school students. The Hub features hands-on learning and mentorship programs with nearby medical research and biotech companies in Mission Bay. The Hub moved into its new home on the building’s fourth floor in April.
Slides showing the conceptual designs and other information on the project are available in English, Chinese and Spanish on the SFCTA’s website, here.
SFCTA will host a virtual Town Hall on Thursday, June 18, beginning at 5:30 PM. The link to RSVP for the Town Hall can also be found through the above link where the presentation materials can be found.
Below is MBNA’s Letter of Support:
MISSION BAY NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION
330 Berry St., Unit 206
San Francisco, CA 94158
June 13, 2026
Tanisha Taylor, Executive Director
California Transportation Commission
1120 N Street, MS 52
Sacramento, CA 95814
Dear Executive Director Taylor:
On behalf of Mission Bay Neighborhood Association, we urge you to support the Mission Bay Connectivity and Safety Project with an ATP Cycle 8 Active Transportation Program Grant.
This project will upgrade approximately 1000 feet of bikeway facilities between South of Market, Potrero Hill, and Mission Bay, closing a critical network gap and providing a safe route to school between South of Market, Potrero Hill, and Mission Bay Elementary. It will connect parks and affordable housing to the school and broader bike network, and provide badly needed pedestrian safety improvements on the walking route to a major medical complex. These improvements will ensure that disadvantaged community residents will have direct, convenient, and safe access to a connected, low stress network that supports everyday travel to essential destinations, such as healthcare centers, offices, recreational parks, and school.
Mission Bay Neighborhood Association is a new civic group which formed in order to develop and maintain a complete, vibrant neighborhood in Mission Bay. Our neighborhood is experiencing tremendous growth as thousands of new housing units, constructed for all income levels, have become home to thousands of households, including young families and elderly people.
Neighbors are excited for the opening of a new public elementary school that will grow into enrollment of 550 pre-kindergarten through fifth graders between 2026 and 2032. The new building will also house a “Mission Bay Linked Learning Hub” STEM program for high school students throughout San Francisco Unified School District.
Mission Bay neighbors also eagerly anticipate the development of the final public open spaces in Mission Bay for active recreational uses, in the immediate vicinity of the new school. These future parks will complete an expansive parks system that will also be served by this connectivity and safety project.
Our interest in the Mission Bay School Safe Access Project is to encourage active transportation into and throughout Mission Bay. We feel it is essential to safely connect pedestrians, bicyclists, skateboard and scooter riders in Mission Bay to adjacent South of Market and Potrero Hill.
Having reviewed the conceptual plans for safety improvements for this project, presented to us by San Francisco County Transportation Authority, we fully support this project, and wish to see it completed as expeditiously as possible.
The Board of Directors of Mission Bay Neighborhood Association urges you to support the Mission Bay Connectivity and Safety Project.
Sincerely,
Bettina Cohen, President
Christine Eriksen, Vice-President
Ikonija Lopez, Treasurer
A-Jay Nicolas, Recording Secretary
Prodan Statev, Corresponding Secretary
Antoine Justin, Board Director
Yann Kaiser, Board Director
Kallie Ford, Board Director