By Thomas K. Pendergast

The Outside Lands music festival might spawn a mini-festival in Golden Gate Park; the Recreation and Park Commission unanimously approved a permit for Another Planet Entertainment (APE) to host concerts there the following weekend.

That is, if new contracts get approved by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors – three members have already sent the commission letters questioning the extension of concerts through the month of August.

The department expects a second weekend of concerts at the Polo Field in August will bring in an additional $1.4 million in revenue for two more days and another $700,000 for a third day, totaling $2.1 million.

According to Antonio Guerra, director of administration and finance for the Recreation and Park Department, the latest projections estimate the City is now facing a $779.8 million shortfall over the next two years.

Guerra said that next year’s salary and fringe benefit cost for the department will increase by $7.5 million.

The additional concerts would be held two or three days on the weekend following Outside Lands in August: Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. each day.

The proposed concert permit would be for three years, starting in 2024 and would feature one main stage at the western end of the Polo Field, using the same stage from Outside Lands, with possibly a second smaller stage on the eastern end. This allows some of the infrastructure from the previous weekend to be used and only one load in and load out of equipment there would be necessary for both events.

Attendance would be limited to 65,000 people per day, as opposed to Outside Lands, which is capped at 75,000 per day.

JFK Drive would be closed from Transverse Drive to Chain of Lakes Drive, starting on the Thursday prior to the concert at 6 p.m. through to the following Monday at 6 a.m., although Chain of Lakes Drive would be open for the duration through the park.

District 1 Supervisor Connie Chan, however, is not a fan of more concerts there.

“Given the fact that the current Outside Lands concert series already imposes the park closure for two weeks, every year, the additional concert series will increase the park closure to the entire month of August,” Chan stated in her letter. “The traffic, public transit and neighborhood impact on our communities, especially families with school-age children, will be significant as most schools – public and private – begin sometime in August. Golden Gate Park is not the most ideal location for additional concert series to Outside Lands.

“While my colleagues, supervisors Myrna Melgar, Joel Engardio, and I support the partnership with (APE) for additional concert series in our City, together we sincerely urge you to reconsider the location for this permit and explore locations that can be most helpful to our local economic recovery, especially for our struggling downtown.”

District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio also sent a letter to the commission expressing reservations about the additional concerts.

“Events of this magnitude create logistic and accessibility challenges for nearby communities,” Engardio stated in his letter. “That’s why the City requires Another Planet Entertainment to allocate monies towards a community benefits fund, dedicated to District 1 and District 4. Should RPD permit these additional weekend concerts, Another Planet Entertainment should be required to provide additional community benefit funds to help offset neighborhood event impacts.

“Large-scale, multi-day events like Outside Lands create a significant strain on City resources and department operations. Impacts to residents, traffic circulation, public transit and public safety can all be successfully mitigated with proper planning and preparation,” he further stated. “However, I have not received any assurances that City departments directly affected by Another Planet Entertainment’s proposal, including MTA, fire, and police, were afforded the opportunity to evaluate the terms of the permit agreement. Rec. and Park’s financial gain should not come at the expense of other City departments.”

Engardio also prefers having the extra concert where he believes it will do the most good.

“This concert proposal appears to be hastily prepared for mitigating westside neighborhood concerns. Has there been any consideration to having the additional concerts downtown, which needs events to draw people back?” he added.

And a third letter to the commission from District 3 Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who represents the downtown area, fully supported moving any additional concerts over to the east side of the City.

“Investing in our downtown area would greatly benefit the City, and the partnership with Another Planet Entertainment in the downtown area would be most welcome,” Peskin stated in his letter. “This is an excellent opportunity to utilize downtown venues, such as Union Square, Embarcadero Plaza, and Civic Center Plaza.

“Downtown San Francisco offers numerous advantages: Its central location and accessibility make it an ideal choice for hosting large-scale events that draw diverse audiences. The proximity to a multitude of public transportation options, such as BART, ensures easy travel for concertgoers while minimizing traffic congestion.

“I strongly urge you to consider the potential of Downtown San Francisco as the location for these additional concerts,” Peskin said.

But Rec. and Park’s General Manager Phil Ginsburg countered that the convenience of using the same stage areas in the Polo Field left over from Outside Lands is a good argument for keeping the extra concerts there.

“The key thing here is infrastructure and what makes this agreement possible is the pre-existence of the infrastructure,” Ginsburg said. “And some of the spaces that were referenced, Union Square for example, can’t really accommodate what we hope will be the size of the audience in that space.”

Dr. Devorah Joseph is involved with the Friends of Cabrillo Playground, which is located between Fulton and Cabrillo streets and between 38th and 39th avenues.

“So as you can see, we are at the epicenter of Outside Lands when it happens. It’s the traffic; it’s the trash; it’s the noise; it’s a lot to deal with,” she said. “This proposal, which would extend it, means that more or less the park is going to be closed for the entire month of August.

“Now, I’m somebody who walks the Polo Field every single day, so that’s a month that my neighbors and I don’t have. We suggest you look for another venue,” she said. “You’re asking too much of our neighborhoods, both the Outer Richmond and the Outer Sunset. And I’m questioning, what do we get for it?”