In 2019, the District 7 Participatory Budgeting process awarded the Detroit Steps Project $25,000 for 186 publicly owned steps. What followed was not a straight line from funding to construction.
Between $5,000 and $6,000 of the project's funds sat with the San Francisco Parks Alliance, the fiscal sponsor that collapsed in June 2025 after misspending millions in restricted community funds. As the Ingleside Light reported that September, phase two was being funded out of pocket. Tad Sky had spent $2,000 on paint and equipment. A mural permit cost $529. The archway's Tier 3 Love Our Neighborhoods encroachment permit would have added $1,076, until Ordinance 075-25 waived the fee that May.
Eighty volunteers painted the steps in two-hour shifts. The permit filings, the lost funds, the out-of-pocket receipts: that was the work around the work.
Love Our Neighborhoods permit tiers (SF Public Works, July 2025):
- Tier 1: Free — benches, planters, little libraries
- Tier 2: $533 + $11 — murals, tiled staircases, string lights
- Tier 3: $1,065 + $11 — structures, sculptures, pedestrian lighting
Only nonprofits and established community organizations may apply for Tiers 2 and 3.
Parks Alliance collapse: Fiscal sponsor for ~80 SF community groups; shut down June 2025 after misspending at least $3.8 million in restricted funds. The Detroit Steps Project was among the groups with money unrecovered.
Ordinance 075-25: Waived the Tier 3 fee and Board of Appeals surcharge for the archway. Sponsored by Supervisors Melgar and Mandelman. Signed May 16, 2025.