Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Formula Retail topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning commission backs revised limits on formula retail in RC3/RC4 with Tenderloin carve‑out
Summary
After debate and public comment, the Planning Commission unanimously recommended amendments to the planning code requiring conditional‑use review for formula retail in RC3 and RC4 districts, with Supervisor Jake McGoldrick’s amendment excluding the Tenderloin. Staff and the sponsor discussed using the Van Ness Special Use District to simplify mapping; commissioners asked staff to work with the city attorney on implementation language.
The San Francisco Planning Commission on Nov. 6 recommended changes to the planning code to require conditional‑use authorization for new formula‑retail permits in RC3 and RC4 zoning districts, while accepting an amendment excluding the Tenderloin neighborhood.
The move responds to a campaign by neighborhood groups and some supervisors to curb the rapid spread of chain outlets in long‑established commercial areas. Supervisor Jake McGoldrick read a letter to the commission outlining intended amendments at the Land Use Committee and announced he would exclude the Tenderloin (bounded roughly by Polk–Stockton and California–McAllister in the RC4 areas) from the conditional‑use requirement.
“Tara Sullivan from the Planning Department and staff discussed options including applying the conditional‑use approach to the Van Ness Special Use District as a simpler way to capture the corridor while excluding the Tenderloin,” the commission record shows. Public commenters included property owners and developers urging clarity for special‑use districts and mapping adjustments; Andrew Junius, representing Tishman’s Fire Properties and the Infinity project, asked staff to avoid placing small downtown special districts at a competitive disadvantage.
Commissioners debated whether to exclude small remnant RC4 islands and how to handle RC3 areas. The commission ultimately moved to recommend the amended ordinance, with staff directed to work with the city attorney on precise assessor‑block/lot definitions and mapping that would reflect the Van Ness corridor focus. The motion carried unanimously.
What happens next: The commission’s recommendation will go to the Board of Supervisors and the city attorney’s office for final drafting of the ordinance and mapping details. Staff said they would return language and maps that make the Tenderloin exclusion and the Van Ness SUD implementation clear.
Votes and procedural note: The commission recorded a unanimous vote to forward the amended ordinance with the noted exclusion and mapping direction.
