Planning commission approves 24‑hour CVS at Van Ness and Sutter but bars alcohol sales

After a lengthy public hearing focused on alcohol sales, hours of operation and public‑safety concerns, the San Francisco Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit Sept. 26 allowing a CVS pharmacy at 1285 Sutter Street to operate up to 24 hours, with conditions that the on‑site pharmacy remain open during hours of store operation and that security measures be in place overnight. The commission also attached a condition prohibiting alcohol sales at the site.

Proponents, including the project’s counsel John Kevlin and outreach representatives, argued the store will provide a neighborhood pharmacy, job opportunities and convenient services near the future medical campus on Van Ness. Kevlin said the location “would be the only 24‑hour pharmacy in the neighborhood” and could fill a gap for residents and patients.

Neighborhood organizations and residents urged caution. Marlene Morgan of Cathedral Hill Neighbors said outreach had been uneven and expressed concern about alcohol and 24‑hour service: “Cathedral Hill Neighbors doesn’t know anything about any of these new projects,” she told the commission. Lower Polk Neighbors and other groups pushed either to ban alcohol sales or to add strict conditions, such as security and cameras.

Commissioners debated several options: some said a 24‑hour pharmacy could be beneficial near a medical campus, others worried about effects on sidewalk activity and nearby residents. The commission tied security requirements (on‑site security between roughly 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.) to the 24‑hour allowance and added findings to support the prohibition on alcohol sales at this site. The motion to approve the permit with those conditions passed 4‑3 (Commissioners Antonini, Hillis and Fong voted against). The decision records both the approval of store hours and the land‑use finding to prohibit alcohol sales as part of the conditional use permit.