Neighbors oppose Shake Shack and gym plan at 3060 Fillmore; commission approves mixed‑use tenants to fill long‑vacant corner

A contested proposal to redevelop the long‑vacant Real Food Company storefront at 3060 Fillmore Street drew a mix of support and opposition on Dec. 6.

Planning staff recommended approval of the project to convert the building to three tenants — Shake Shack (restaurant/formula retail), Rumble Fitness (gym) and Indie Superette (a small specialty grocery) — concluding the building’s physical constraints and market conditions make operation by a full‑service grocery unlikely. The staff report said the proposed tenant mix would activate a vacant corner and be consistent with General Plan policies regarding neighborhood commercial districts.

Project sponsor CenterCal and its outreach consultant detailed 15 months of neighborhood meetings and said they attempted to recruit conventional grocers but found the building layout constrained potential tenants. The sponsor said Shake Shack would limit off‑site delivery for the first two months and would work with the city on loading management.

Opponents, including neighbors and merchants, urged the commission to preserve the site’s grocery designation, arguing Cow Hollow and Union Street lack a nearby full‑service grocery and that high rents and landlord practices made prior grocer Real Foods unsustainable. "This proposal to designate this building from general grocery to these new stores concerns me for many reasons," one resident said.

Comprehensive outreach generated roughly 180 letters of support and approximately 16 letters of opposition, according to staff. After questions about hours, loading and floorplan configuration, commissioners voted unanimously 6–0 to approve the conditional use permits with the conditions discussed on the record.