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Planning Department releases "Makers & Movers" food‑and‑beverage economic cluster study; commissioners press transit, space, and enforcement questions
Summary
A year‑long Planning Department study found growth in food-and-beverage manufacturing and distribution (PDR) in San Francisco and recommended actions on affordable PDR space, technical assistance, workforce development and access; commissioners requested follow‑up on enforcement of PDR zoning, transit for off‑hour workers and financing models (CDCs and tax credits).
The Planning Department presented the Makers & Movers Economic Cluster Study on Nov. 13, 2014, calling attention to opportunities to support food‑and‑beverage production, manufacturing and distribution businesses (PDR) in San Francisco.
Diana Sokolov, senior planner, said the report is the product of a yearlong study conducted with the Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD), SPUR and a steering committee and highlighted four top challenges: affordable and suitable space, technical assistance for small and immigrant operators, workforce development and employee retention, and access/mobility for off‑hour workers. "These jobs are available to folks who don't necessarily have a college degree... and so these jobs are really available to those folks," Sokolov said, emphasizing the study’s employment and equity rationale.
Key findings and recommendations: The study found a recovery in San Francisco’s PDR since the mid‑2000s and that food and beverage manufacturing/distribution comprises about 25 percent of the city's production/distribution businesses (data through 2012). The report recommends working with mission‑driven nonprofits and OEWD to create affordable PDR space, consider new or reconfigured financing vehicles (including community development corporations and tax credits), create a dedicated OEWD staff position for PDR technical assistance, and coordinate with SFMTA to address late‑night and early‑morning transit needs for shift workers.
Commissioner follow‑up: Commissioners lauded the study and suggested the department follow up by interviewing firms that relocated outside city limits to better understand drivers of migration (taxation, security, parking and distribution logistics were suggested). Several commissioners pressed for enforcement of PDR zoning to prevent office encroachment, and Commissioner Johnson recommended exploring CDC‑style financing to assemble and preserve PDR space. The department said it will coordinate with OEWD, SFMADE and SFMTA and pursue both enforcement and educational outreach to building owners.
Provenance: Presentation and Q&A appear in transcript SEG 1284–1491 and discussion through SEG 1691.
