Golden Gate Park’s eastern entryway is set to undergo a major renovation this summer that’s meant to transform what’s been a troublesome stretch of Stanyan Street into a more inviting place for the park’s visitors and neighborhood residents.

San Francisco’s Recreation and Park Commission unanimously approved a $5.5 million suite of projects that will improve lighting, walkways, irrigation and landscaping along the park’s eastern edge.

And in perhaps the most significant development, a free-standing, 1930s-era bathroom near Page and Stanyan streets that park gardeners currently use for storage, will become an outdoor cafe with a sitting area operated by Flywheel Coffee Roasters.

Flywheel, which already operates a cafe just across the street from where the new “coffee kiosk” will be located, would lease the space for five years with an option to extend for an additional three years. Two bocce courts will also be installed adjacent to the cafe in an effort to further activate the space.

The structure was converted from a restroom into storage space in the 1990s, after it became a magnet for what the park department called “illegal and illicit activities,” like vandalism and drug use — behavior that for years has been endemic to the area around the park’s Stanyan Street entrance.

Residents and businesses complained for years about illegal activity near the park’s entrance and the former McDonald’s restaurant across Stanyan. The restaurant was the locus of hundreds of police calls each year — 640 alone between January 2014 and April 2015. The situation near McDonald’s deteriorated to the point that City Attorney Dennis Herrera declared it a public nuisance and issued its operators a cleanup order in 2015.

The city bought the restaurant in 2017 and plans to convert the site into affordable housing.

“The redesign of the area was informed by neighbors, who wanted a safe, welcoming place that inspired community while preserving the natural beauty,” Recreation and Park Department General Manager Phil Ginsburg said in a statement.

The projects will be financed primarily by revenue from the city’s 2012 parks bond. Construction on the Stanyan Street projects is expected to begin in July and wrap up in February.

The park commission also approved a proposal to allow the Exploratorium to construct seven interactive exhibits around Alvord Lake, in the middle of the site, including a “hello highway” featuring an outstretched arm on a hinge encouraging park patrons to greet one-another with high-fives.

Apart from the improvements along Stanyan Street, the commission also unanimously approved a flexible pricing model for a handful of major tourist attractions that will adjust admission fees based on how many people are queuing up at any given time.

For nonresident, adult visitors, admission fees for the Japanese Tea Garden, the San Francisco Botanical Garden, the Conservatory of Flowers and the elevator to the top of Coit Tower could be raised by up to 50% during peak times and discounted by up to 25% when demand is slow. The proposal still needs Board of Supervisors approval.

The commission also agreed to accept just under $100,000 in cash and grants from the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation to renovate the basketball court at Hayes Valley Playground. In addition to resurfacing, the court will be painted in layers of color with a concept designed by San Francisco street artist Ricardo Richey.

Dominic Fracassa is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dfracassa@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dominicfracassa