{"id":26966,"date":"2023-06-17T12:22:19","date_gmt":"2023-06-17T19:22:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=26966"},"modified":"2023-06-17T12:22:20","modified_gmt":"2023-06-17T19:22:20","slug":"downtown-sf-heads-toward-mixed-use-future-with-new-legislation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2023\/06\/17\/downtown-sf-heads-toward-mixed-use-future-with-new-legislation\/","title":{"rendered":"Downtown SF heads toward mixed-use future with new legislation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/users\/profile\/Allyson%20Aleksey\">By Allyson Aleksey | Examiner staff writer |<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Jun 16, 2023\u00a0Updated\u00a017 hrs ago  (SFExaminer.com)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com\/sfexaminer.com\/content\/tncms\/assets\/v3\/editorial\/e\/09\/e0923636-cceb-11ed-8b72-bf3f7203860f\/642213d185eb1.image.jpg?resize=400%2C267\" alt=\"UnionSquare_VacantStoreFronts_27Mar2023-494.JPG\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>The former Gap store at Powell and Market streets has stood vacant since the pandemic.Craig Lee\/The Examiner<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The future of downtown is mixed-use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>City leaders are addressing downtown\u2019s high office-vacancy rate and a slew of retail closures with legislation that will eliminate the red tape of zoning and make it easier to convert vacant spaces into housing and event venues. The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the legislative package Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The legislation, a fundamental tenet of Mayor London Breed\u2019s \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/sf.gov\/roadmap-downtown-san-franciscos-future\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Roadmap to Downtown San Francisco\u2019s Future<\/a>,\u201d was initially introduced by the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/news\/politics\/housing-pop-ups-and-more-in-new-plan-for-downtown-sf\/article_3cf08a32-ccbe-11ed-9148-f7fc58f5b71b.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">mayor and board president Aaron Peskin in March<\/a>&nbsp;to confront an uncertain and desolate downtown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to CBRE\u2019s first-quarter fiscal report released last month, The City\u2019s&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/mktgdocs.cbre.com\/2299\/5f79915e-c2b1-4314-acfd-96354699307f-567256770.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">office vacancy rate hovers just below 30%<\/a>&nbsp;despite the fact that San Francisco saw solid employment growth. The office sector added 5,600 new jobs this year, increasing the total number of \u201coffice-using jobs\u201d to 353,600, the report noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tourism has also taken a hit. While San Francisco is seeing a year-over-year increase in visits since 2020, it is still&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sftravel.com\/media\/press-release\/san-francisco-travel-association-announces-2022-results-2023-forecast\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a far cry from pre-pandemic levels<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe challenges facing Downtown require us to reimagine what is possible and set the foundation for a stronger, more resilient future,\u201d Breed said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe are creating more opportunities to fill empty storefronts and underutilized buildings, whether that\u2019s by creating much-needed housing or trying out new ideas for businesses and event spaces that will invite people back downtown. We need to make the process easier for getting our buildings active and full.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>More housing and arts venues, as well as an increase in mom-and-pop and boutique shop stock, are top of mind for city leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Space for the arts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The City\u2019s plan will pave the way for more art spaces and venues that will occupy space left by retailers who ditched downtown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDowntown\u2019s economic recovery has to include our vibrant arts and culture scene, local residents and neighborhood-serving businesses, and creative retail, dining and entertainment experiences, in addition to office workers and tourists,\u201d said Sarah Dennis Phillips, executive director of the Office of Economic and Workforce Development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s a big win for artists who often say they struggle to survive in a city that has been more welcoming to tech and commerce than craft in recent years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Drag perfomer Peaches Christ, who has lived in San Francisco since the mid-\u201990s, reflected on the current state of downtown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m watching the city at a rock bottom moment \u2014 the way an addict hits rock bottom,\u201d she told The Examiner. \u201cBut the city\u2019s not going anywhere. Downtown isn\u2019t working, but we\u2019ve got tons of space and an incredible city surrounded by natural beauty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSo what would draw people to this city? What would continue to make it a destination for Bay Area residents to drive in? Well, let\u2019s take that downtown and fill it with theaters and cabarets and coffee shops and restaurants and turn those office buildings into affordable housing, so that artists from wherever could see San Francisco as a viable place to live in, to come to and create beauty. There\u2019s an upside to this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The City\u2019s latest plan will also allow for more independent boutique shops as big chain stores abandon heavy commerce corridors. Last week, Breed and three supervisors introduced legislation to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/news\/the-city\/sf-proposal-would-lift-some-bar-restaurant-restrictions\/article_516c832e-0492-11ee-953f-1b99cd9ed831.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">make it easier for small businesses<\/a>&nbsp;to fill commercial vacancies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The legislation reimagines vacant ground-level storefronts to allow for pop-up shops or temporary retail by allowing city staff to make changes to business signage and historic buildings without conducting public hearings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Room for housing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This package puts&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/news\/housing\/new-state-housing-law-could-be-a-game-changer-for-san-francisco\/article_e77acc76-4431-11ed-b4cd-d350b34e662f.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a landmark mixed-use law<\/a>&nbsp;signed last year into practice, which allows for joint housing and business developments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1Zimbmk9qzpY1NMt8Y8szw9slnbcGaP3o\/view\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Planning Department<\/a>&nbsp;and City officials anticipated that&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/our_sections\/fixes\/new-law-represents-seismic-shift-in-california-housing-policy\/article_d3b78e5e-2ef6-11ed-9d55-933b202d19b2.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">AB 2011<\/a>&nbsp;\u2014 signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in October \u2014 could have a major effect, enabling increased density and significantly faster approval times for housing developments along many of The City\u2019s commercial and transit corridors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The department\u2019s preliminary maps indicate that many properties along the Market Street corridor could be eligible for streamlining under the law, confirmed Candace SooHoo, planning department digital communications manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Planning director Rich Hillis said this would be the first significant change to downtown\u2019s zoning controls since the 1980s. The changes will help break the homogenous nature of retail in Union Square and offices in the Financial District and allow for thousands of new housing developments in the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cRetooling our code to encourage new downtown housing is a critical next step, and these changes to our zoning and permitting process pave the way forward,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over the next few weeks, the planning department and Office of Economic and Workforce Development will be in conversation with downtown property owners and potential developers who are interested in converting vacant office buildings into housing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/users\/profile\/Allyson%20Aleksey\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com\/sfexaminer.com\/content\/tncms\/avatars\/5\/35\/1b9\/5351b928-70e7-11ed-af10-0b3277e5c7d8.a81cc72561e0aa1a75856be17a7d247e.png?_dc=1675204935\" alt=\"Allyson Aleksey\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/users\/profile\/Allyson%20Aleksey\">Allyson Aleksey<\/a><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The future of downtown is mixed-use. City leaders are addressing downtown\u2019s high office-vacancy rate and a slew of retail closures with legislation that will eliminate the red tape of zoning and make it easier to convert vacant spaces into housing and event venues. The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the&#8230; <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2023\/06\/17\/downtown-sf-heads-toward-mixed-use-future-with-new-legislation\/\"> Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr; <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[546],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26966"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26966"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26966\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26970,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26966\/revisions\/26970"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}