Because this is so much better than plants and a comfortable place to sit.

For the past year, there has been a fair amount of grumbling from local businesses and neighbors about the 220-space parking lot at 17th and Folsom being converted to a public park.  The complaints have generally ranged from the petty safety concerns to the lazy (because parking your car at 14th and Harrison and walking three blocks is hard).  However, up until this week, these vocal, car-loving neighbors never bothered to do anything more than talk about opposing the park.  From the SF Examiner:

A coalition of 15 businesses within a one-block radius of the 220-space lot have appealed The City’s decision to allow construction of the new park without an environmental review.

“My company has been here since the early ’70s,” said Michael York, who owns Ocean Sash and Door, a custom door and window warehouse and company that operates in two buildings across from the lot. “The installers have tool boxes. They prefer to park in there.”

Damn. 15 businesses lobbying the city to take a step back before building the park?  Given the way things go in this town, that likely means this park won't be built for another decade which, well, just sucks.

[SF Examiner]