Heated Mission dispute: Planning Commission rejects discretionary review and clears Matcha & More to open

A heated dispute between two Mission District ice-cream operators dominated public comment at the Planning Commission's June 11 meeting. The commission declined to accept a discretionary-review request filed by incumbent Garden Creamery and approved Matcha & More's change-of-use application.

Garden Creamery argued that Matcha & More submitted inaccurate application materials and urged extra review; its supporters said the incumbent has deep community ties and alleged misleading statements by the incoming operator. Matcha & More's owner and legal representative said the applicant had corrected any earlier errors and emphasized the harms of delaying a small business launch during the COVID-19 economic downturn.

Public testimony ran long and included hundreds of callers: many Mission residents and neighborhood associations supported the new business and called for swift approvals to help local employment and economic recovery. Other callers and Garden Creamery backers asked the commission to deny the permit until application details were corrected, and some framed the dispute in cultural and anti-gentrification terms. The Planning Department's staff recommendation was not to take the Discretionary Review; commissioners followed staff and voted to approve the application and deny taking the DR.

Commissioners noted the limited authority of the Planning Commission regarding ministerial permitting and urged neighbors and applicants to resolve disputes through clear documentation and cooperation. The decision cleared the way for Matcha & More to proceed with tenant improvements and opening processes under the permit.