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Commission approves change of use at 1906 Market amid debate over laundromat preservation
Summary
The commission approved a change of use at 1906 Market Street to allow Canteen, a Scandinavian‑style breakfast/lunch venue, despite public objections that the landlord’s rent increase forced Little Hollywood Launderette out; the commission voted not to take the discretionary review and approved the project 7–0.
San Francisco’s Planning Commission voted to approve a change of use at 1906 Market Street, clearing the way for Canteen, a Scandinavian‑inspired breakfast and lunch restaurant, to occupy a ground‑floor space formerly used by Little Hollywood Launderette.
Planning staff recommended approval and urged the commission not to take discretionary review, noting the proposed restaurant is principally permitted in the district, below the permitted size threshold, and would activate a long‑vacant commercial space. Staff reported receiving 51 letters of support and 31 calls/emails of opposition.
Project sponsor Nicole Azatola described the Canteen concept and told commissioners the owners undertook neighborhood outreach; she said the space had been marketed and that no operator had sought to continue laundromat operations. Opponents, including the Doctor requester Sonia Traus and neighborhood residents, argued the laundromat was effectively pushed out by a landlord rent increase and warned of the loss of a neighborhood‑serving service. Traus told the commission she believed only three other laundromats remained in the immediate area.
Supporters from merchants associations, neighboring businesses and food‑industry professionals said the restaurant would activate a stubbornly vacant storefront and create neighborhood gathering space; multiple CBDs and merchant groups submitted letters in support. Commissioners spent substantial time discussing the tension between preserving essential services (laundromats) and the practical problem of long‑term vacancies.
Ultimately the commission voted to not take the Doctor (i.e., to decline discretionary review) and approved the change of use as proposed by staff; the vote was recorded as unanimous 7–0. Several commissioners recommended the City pursue policy work to protect neighborhood‑serving businesses more broadly rather than single‑case restrictions on private property owners.
Next steps: the applicant will complete required building, health and business permits to operate; the commission’s decision allows the owner to proceed under the planning code change‑of‑use approvals granted at the hearing.
