CAFE REHAB FOR MISSION DRUG PARK

Activists Hope Open-Air Dining In Dolores Would Attract Families And Drive
Dealers Out

San Francisco park officials and neighborhood activists hope to change the
favored trade in Mission Dolores Park from illegal drugs to cappuccino and
croissants.

Plans are under way to open an alfresco cafe in the Mission District's
largest park, not only as a money-making endeavor, but as a way to attract
a more savory element to the area.

"Dolores Park is really in the center of The City and struggling with urban
blight, particularly open drug dealing," said Elizabeth Sullivan, program
manager for the Neighborhood Parks Council, an advocacy group. "One way to
solve the problem is to bring more families and neighbors into the park,
offer them an alternative and take the park back from the drug dealers."

Golden Gate Park -- San Francisco's preeminent green land -- has several
places to buy food, including around the music concourse, at Stow Lake and
the Beach Chalet. Mayor Brown recently suggested creating a more upscale
restaurant in Golden Gate Park, perhaps converting the Sharon Arts Studio
near the Children's Playground.

But a cafe in Mission Dolores Park would be a first for neighborhood parks,
and if successful, may be tried in others, said Joel Robinson, acting
general manager of the Recreation and Park Department. New York City has
found success with a park cafe in Midtown Manhattan.

"This isn't just about making money," Robinson said. "It's about changing
the image of the parks."

Hope to open in fall

The cafe would be attached to the park's existing clubhouse, located near
Dolores and 19th streets.

The cafe plan has the blessing of the Recreation and Park Commission. It
must be approved by the Board of Supervisors. Organizers hope the outdoor
eatery will be open for business by the fall.

The plan calls for the Mission Economic Development Association to develop
the cafe and hire an operator to run it.

The nonprofit economic development agency is set to pay The City $1 a year
to lease the property. In exchange for the cut-rate deal, MEDA would
prepare the property for a cafe and renovate and maintain the adjacent
public restrooms, which are run-down and seedy. Any profits would go first
to the operator and MEDA, then to a special park fund.

Raquel Medina, MEDA's executive director, said her agency may spend
$150,000 to get the project running. Part of the tab -- about $70,000 --
would be paid with city-administered federal grant money, she said.

Although details are being worked out, Medina said the idea is for the cafe
to be open seven days a week from sunrise to sundown. The goal is to hire
neighborhood residents.

Medina said the cafe would serve food cold or heated by microwave, and she
hopes some specialties of the Mission would be on the menu, too. Only
outdoor seating would be available, and no alcohol would be allowed.

"This is a fairly creative project that came out of neighbors being fed up
with the park," said Medina, who is married to Supervisor Jose Medina.

The proposal has been in the works for nearly two years and has been
debated at a series of neighborhood meetings. Some critics have expressed
concerns over commercializing parkland, but boosters say the fears are
blown out of proportion.

"This is not a McDonald's," assured Sullivan, from the Neighborhood Parks
Council. "This will fit into the setting."

Support from neighbors

Neighbors, on the whole, support the project.

"This is a way for many of us to reclaim the park," said Christine Nahnsen,
co-coordinator of Friends of Dolores Park. "We've got to do something ...
to bring in people who want to do something other than deal and buy drugs."

Nahnsen sees dealers plying their trade in the 13-acre park as she walks to
work in the morning and on her way home again in the evening.

The drug of choice in Mission Dolores Park is marijuana, with a smaller
crack market. Police have stepped up enforcement efforts and make arrests
daily, but neighbors and cops say the problem is far from abated.

The park already is popular with dog walkers. It also boasts a well-used
soccer field and tennis courts. Cafe boosters say the more people use the
park lawfully, the more people will feel comfortable enough to hang out
there for rest and relaxation. "It's easy to see that if Dolores Park was
known as a safe place, it would become a lot more popular," Sullivan said.
"Nothing creates safety in public places more than the eyes of regular
citizens."