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Port seeks exclusive authority to permit sidewalk cafes, displays at Mission Rock, Pier 70
Summary
The Port Commission recommended Feb. 11 that the Board of Supervisors amend the Public Works Code to let the Port issue permits for minor encroachments — such as cafe tables, merchandise displays and temporary activations — within specified city-accepted port streets to streamline approvals for small businesses and preserve tax-exempt financing.
The San Francisco Port Commission voted Feb. 11 to recommend that the Board of Supervisors amend the Public Works Code to give the Port exclusive authority to permit certain minor encroachments — including outdoor cafe seating, retail display permits and other nonpermanent sidewalk activations — within specified city-accepted port streets such as Mission Rock, Pier 70 and parts of the Potrero Power Station special use district.
Paul Chasen, a port engineer who led the presentation, said the change is intended to remove a two-agency permitting burden under the current process, where a small business would first seek a permit from Public Works and then require a separate port license for the same activity. Under the proposed code amendment, applicants for the listed, low-impact permit types would apply directly to the Port, which would assume liability and issue the license.
Chasen emphasized that the Port plans to pilot the approach in the major redevelopment areas and that the authority would allow port staff to account for Mission Rock’s financing constraints: tax-exempt bond rules generally limit private commercial use of public space to about 5 percent, and the Port wants to monitor and limit private uses so as not to jeopardize bond compliance.
The proposed enumeration of permit types covers three categories: outdoor cafe seating, merchandise-display permits attached to storefronts, and other minor, movable encroachments that are not permanently affixed. The legislation would also explicitly authorize the Port to permit creative curbside activations and similar tactical programming in the pilot areas, subject to design controls and public-safety limits.
Commissioners asked about precedent and risk. Chasen and staff said the pilot is intended to be limited to curated redevelopment areas and that day-to-day administration should reduce the administrative burden on applicants and on city departments. Commissioners who spoke in favor framed the change as a way to cut red tape and support small businesses’ ability to activate sidewalks without hiring consultants or navigating a duplicative city process.
Staff said the ordinance would be introduced to the Board of Supervisors within a few weeks and, if enacted on typical timelines, could take effect in June. The Port Commission moved, seconded and adopted Resolution 25-07 to recommend the code amendment; the motion carried unanimously.
