Obscure bill could open more neighborhoods to chain stores (and undermine labor) - 48 hills

"The Land Use and Transportation Committee will hear Monday/3 an obscure piece of legislation that could undermine the city's limits on chain stores in neighborhood commercial areas. The measure, sponsored by Mayor Daniel Lurie, sounds innocent enough. It's called "Adaptive Reuse of Historic Buildings." From the summary: "Ordinance amending the Planning Code to allow additional uses as principally or conditionally permitted in Historic Buildings citywide.""

"When you read the actual language, it would allow anyone who owns an historic building, as defined by the Planning Code, to rent space to any type of business, including businesses that are not allowed or require special permission in neighborhood commercial strips. Former Sup. Aaron Peskin, who has reviewed the legislation, said that North Beach generally doesn't allow chain stores, which are known in the code as "formula retail.""

"In some cases, the building owner wouldn't even have to go through the Historic Preservation Commission; the planning director has the right to approve "temporary" retail uses. Former Sup. Matt Gonzalez, who wrote the original legislation back in 2004 that required a conditional use hearing for formula retail outlets, told me Lurie's bill could create an incentive for owners to push out local businesses and replace them with higher-paying chains."

Land Use and Transportation Committee will consider 'Adaptive Reuse of Historic Buildings,' an ordinance amending the Planning Code to allow additional uses as principally or conditionally permitted in historic buildings citywide. The measure would permit owners of historic buildings to lease space to any type of business, including uses normally prohibited or requiring conditional hearings in neighborhood commercial strips. Certain temporary retail uses could be approved administratively by the planning director, potentially bypassing Historic Preservation Commission review. The change could enable formula retail, cannabis dispensaries, hotels, and other chain or higher-paying businesses to occupy historic properties without standard conditional-use processes and labor-neutrality requirements.

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