Neighborhood residents press Board of Appeals to block pharmacy at 281 Turk Street; commissioners continue decision to Oct. 13

The San Francisco Board of Appeals heard hours of testimony on Oct. 6 over a permit for a new neighborhood pharmacy at 281 Turk Street, where neighbors contend the business would contribute to prescription-drug resale in an area known as "Pill Hill." The item was continued to the board’s Oct. 13 agenda to allow the absent commissioner to participate in the final vote.

Appellant Morgan, speaking for neighbors, described the block bounded by Turk, Leavenworth, Golden Gate and Jones as “the worst possible location for another place to provide prescription narcotics,” and said nearby services — senior centers, clinics and youth programs — would bear the brunt of any increased street activity. “The neighborhood just began to recover a little bit about a year ago,” she said, arguing that an additional retail pharmacy would draw dealers and customers back onto sidewalks used by children and elderly residents.

Permit-holder representatives disputed that a licensed retail pharmacy would increase illegal drug sales. Attorney Fred Horsfield told the board the proposal is for a full-service neighborhood pharmacy and that the business had engaged in repeated community meetings. Pharmacist-owner Guy Forte said he plans to be the pharmacist in charge, to run the store as an open, staffed operation and to use security guards, cameras and cooperation with police to curb illicit activity. “I plan on being the pharmacist in charge. I will be here all the time,” Forte said.

Planning department staff member Scott Sanchez said the property sits in an RC-4 residential-commercial district where a pharmacy is principally permitted and that the application was properly approved over the counter. Sanchez also told the board that remedies to limit types of uses in a district would rest with the Board of Supervisors, which could enact an interim moratorium or permanent controls if it chose to do so.

Residents and community organizations provided conflicting testimony. Supporters, including the North of Market/Tenderloin Community Benefit District and several neighborhood advocacy groups, said a full-service pharmacy would improve access to medications and create jobs. Opponents — including tenants, parents and social-service providers — said the block is already overrun with street-level dealers near clinics and children’s programs, and that an additional pharmacy would exacerbate public-safety and quality-of-life problems.

Board members asked for documentation and questioned outreach and timing. Commissioners pressed permit-holders on the project’s outreach timeline, on whether work began before permits were pulled, and on the specific security and operational measures the pharmacy would adopt. Several commissioners acknowledged the neighborhood’s concerns while noting the legal limits of the board’s authority to overturn a code-compliant permit.

Commissioner Fung said the board has some discretion under the Business and Tax Regulation Code to consider the effect of a proposed business upon surrounding property and residents, and expressed sympathy for neighbors’ safety concerns. Commissioner Garcia said he was inclined to continue the matter so a full five-member board could decide. The procedural motion to continue the hearing to Oct. 13 passed 4–0.

Next steps: the board will revisit the appeal on Oct. 13. The permit holder confirmed availability to appear again; appellants were told they would be able to watch the proceeding via SFGTV if they could not attend in person.