Historic Preservation Commission recommends four businesses for legacy registry, including Boudin Bakery

The San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission voted unanimously March 1, 2017, to recommend four businesses — Accion Latina, Boudin Bakery, Faxon Garage and Retrofit Vintage — for inclusion in the city's legacy business registry following a staff presentation and public comment.

Planning Department staff presented the four legacy-business nominations submitted Feb. 1 and found each met the registry criteria. Stephanie Cisneros, Planning Department staff, described Accion Latina as a Mission District nonprofit founded in 1987 that publishes El Tecolote and runs community arts programs; she described Boudin Bakery's history dating to 1849; Faxon Garage as a neighborhood auto-repair shop founded in 1948; and Retrofit Vintage as a longtime Mission retail and community business founded in 1996.

In public comment, Gail DeBross, speaking for Boudin, recounted the bakery's history and community partnerships and urged the Commission to endorse the nomination. "Over the course of a hundred and 68 years of operating history in San Francisco, Boudin has become an integral part of how the world defines San Francisco past and present," DeBross said. Retrofit Vintage owner Stephen LeMay described the business's neighborhood ties and appealed for help amid a sharp rent increase: "Our lease was ... $2,500 a month ... they want to raise our rent to $9,680 a month," he said, framing the nomination as a tool to seek funding and community support to avoid displacement.

Commissioners praised the applications and the hardship narratives while urging staff to create more-uniform application guidance and visuals that show businesses' history across time. Commissioner Johns moved to designate the four nominations as heritage/legacy businesses; the motion was seconded and passed unanimously, with Commissioners Haase, Jahnke, Johns, Matsuda, Pearlman, Hyland and President Wolfram voting yes.

Procedural items during the meeting included adoption of draft minutes for Feb. 15 (Cultural Heritage Assets Committee) and Feb. 17 (regular meeting) and the election of Commissioner Wolfram as president and Commissioner Hyland as vice president; both measures passed by unanimous votes.

The Commission will forward its recommendations to the appropriate registry processes and the materials will be archived with the library as noted in the meeting record. The nominations will proceed according to the Planning Department's legacy-business procedures and any subsequent Board or department steps.