Change is coming to San Francisco\u2019s historic North Beach and Nob Hill, after the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to do away with a host of regulations on retail businesses that supporters say stifled a community struggling to bounce back from the pandemic.<\/p>\n
Critics, meanwhile, fear the neighborhood\u2019s character will change.<\/p>\n
The legislation made a bevy of changes to zoning and planning restrictions. In Nob Hill, for examples, art stores like ceramic studios were not allowed to open.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now, retail spaces can be converted into new restaurants, which previously could only open up in the space of an existing restaurant. Multiple types of businesses will be able to split a storefront and operate from one site \u2014 a joint cafe and bookstore, for instance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
City supervisors passed the law, authored by District 3 Supervisor Danny Sauter, in an\u00a0 8-2 vote.<\/p>\n
\u201cDistrict 3\u2019s reputation as the hardest district in San Francisco to start or run a small business is not something anyone should be proud of and this legislation will go a long way towards changing that,\u201d Sauter said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The supervisor said dealing with the area\u2019s many regulations has impeded businesses from opening or expanding there, and pointed to retail vacancies. City data shows sales taxes from North Beach businesses are down 32 percent<\/a> from pre-pandemic levels.<\/p>\n North Beach bakery Butter & Crumble, for instance, is looking to open a new storefront in the neighborhood focused solely on cakes. \u201cWe\u2019ve been looking for spaces and it\u2019s been quite a journey but we finally found one that will fit our vision perfectly that we have our heart very set on,\u201d owner Sophie Smith said. \u201cUnfortunately we won\u2019t be able to go into this spot unless this legislation is passed.\u201d A restaurant was not allowed to open in the space.<\/p>\n Supervisors Connie Chan, who attempted to amend the legislation, and Shaman Walton voted against the legislation.\u00a0<\/p>\n And the new legislation has ruffled some feathers: Some residents and business owners argue that North Beach is fine as it is.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhat confuses me as someone who really loves the community is that it seems to be thriving,\u201d one North Beach resident said during public comment at an Oct. 6 hearing about the legislation. \u201cI\u2019m just wondering if this is a solution in search of a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n The legislation earned the endorsement of several neighborhood groups including North Beach Neighbors and Nob Hill Association. Others are still wary, including the North Beach Business Association.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s some really creative ideas that we embraced wholeheartedly,\u201d said Stuart Watts, the president of the North Beach Business Association. \u201cAnd then there were some way more seismic changes that we were hesitant to embrace.\u201d<\/p>\n Watts said that he is particularly worried about allowing retail spaces to be converted into restaurants. He worries that under the new law, the balance of restaurants to retail in North Beach could be upended.\u00a0<\/p>\n He also wants the board to walk back recent legislation, authored by District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar, that got rid of a hard cap<\/a> that limited businesses to 4,000 square feet maximum.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Sauter\u2019s legislation comes at a time where members of the board have clashed over how to handle land use issues. Sauter, among others, has favored deregulatory land use policies that offer more freedom (the upzoning plan, for instance, would allow developers to build taller buildings).\u00a0<\/p>\n