Planning Commission denies Pet Food Express permit for Lombard Street site after heated public hearing

The San Francisco Planning Commission on Nov. 5 denied a conditional‑use permit for Pet Food Express to occupy a vacant 7,000‑square‑foot storefront at 2460 Lombard Street, ruling 5–2 that the site was not a necessary and desirable location for another formula retailer.

The vote followed an extended public hearing in which hundreds of residents, merchants, rescue groups and employees gave one‑minute statements. Opponents told commissioners the Marina and Cow Hollow neighborhoods are already well served by independent pet shops, groomers and veterinary clinics and warned a large new store with a parking lot would draw customers away and change the character of nearby Chestnut Street. Supporters, including animal‑welfare organizations and small‑business owners from across the Bay Area, said Pet Food Express has a long record of local donations, adoption events and services such as self‑service dog wash stations that fill needs other local shops do not.

"There are too many local pet stores in this neighborhood already," said Susan Landry of Bridal Connection, one of several small retailers that urged denial. "This will damage small business and the retail balance the voters intended the ordinance to protect."

Pet Food Express founder and president Michael Levy told the commission his company is locally founded, creates jobs, and would bring customers (and sales tax) into the corridor. "We will be a contributing asset to the Marina community," Levy said, noting the company’s rescue‑support programs and neighborhood cleanup work. He added the store’s self‑service pet wash caters to people who use nearby open‑space recreation areas and need a place to clean their animals before returning home.

Commissioners weighed those claims against planning law. Under the city’s conditional‑use standard for formula retail, an applicant must demonstrate necessity and desirability for the site. Several commissioners said the Lombard location—long occupied by formula retailers such as Blockbuster and a bank—presents a tough land‑use choice, but that the record showed a high concentration of existing pet and pet‑supply services within the store’s trade area.

"This is not a condemnation of Pet Food Express’s community work," Commissioner Moore said. "It’s a judgement about location: necessary and desirable have not been proven here given existing businesses and the corridor’s evolving, more local‑serving character." Commissioner Moore moved to deny; the motion carried 5–2 (Commissioners Antonini and Miguel dissented).

The commission framed the decision primarily as one about site suitability rather than the company’s operations. Planning staff had recommended denial and suggested that, given Pet Food Express’s record, other San Francisco neighborhoods might be appropriate locations. The action does not preclude the company from seeking other sites or reapplying with additional findings.

The commission directed staff to prepare a written decision stating that the Lombard corridor already contains numerous pet‑service establishments and that the retail character of Lombard is moving toward neighborhood‑serving uses rather than regionally drawing formula retail. The denial leaves in place the city’s requirement that formula retail permits be judged case by case on neighborhood impacts and market saturation.

The commission’s formal findings and writ of decision will be published in the planning record.