Supervisor Melgar introduces legislation to ease rules on storefront sizes, and signals possible budget hold for SF Zoo funding

Supervisor Melgar on June 3 introduced legislation intended to make it easier for new and smaller businesses to occupy vacant storefronts and to provide more flexibility in neighborhood commercial districts.

The proposal would: 1) eliminate hard caps on storefront sizes in certain neighborhood commercial districts and replace them with a requirement for conditional use authorization, allowing neighborhood feedback on a case-by-case basis; and 2) remove the conditional use requirement for spaces that subdivide when those subdivisions are approaching code conformance, which supporters say will allow smaller businesses to fill larger spaces. Melgar said the measure is intended to streamline past practice where site-specific legislation was needed to allow new uses and to address vacancies, noting large empty spaces such as former Walgreens locations.

Melgar thanked City Attorney staff Heather Goodman and Julia Nelson and Planning Department staff Audrey Merloney for help drafting the legislation. He also said he has asked Budget Chair Connie Chan to consider a motion at the Budget Committee to hold the city—s funding for the San Francisco Zoological Society in reserve pending cooperation with a previously ordered audit.

What happens next Melgar submitted the legislation for introduction; it will be referred to the Planning or Land Use committee(s) for hearings, analysis and possible amendments. The item is at an introductory stage and no board vote was recorded on the measure during the June 3 meeting.