Planning Commission signals intent to disapprove Batteries Plus at 1100 Oak after neighborhood protest

The San Francisco Planning Commission on Nov. 1 signaled its intent to disapprove a conditional‑use application from Batteries Plus for a 2,000‑square‑foot store at 1100 Oak Street (also listed as 401 Divisadero), after more than two hours of public testimony and debate.

Jonas Ionin, a planning department staffer, introduced the application as a request for conditional‑use authorization under section 703.3(f) of the planning code because Batteries Plus meets the city’s definition of “formula retail.” The planning department recommended approval, and project counsel Matthew Brennan emphasized the franchise would be locally owned and provide services the neighborhood currently lacks. “This store would, in fact, be neighborhood serving,” Brennan said, arguing the proposal meets the five criteria in the code for formula retail.

Neighborhood groups, merchants and residents answered with sustained opposition. Jesse Fink, speaking for several neighborhood organizations, framed the case as a Proposition G question: “Proposition G is about keeping chains, formula chains, out of the neighborhood. That’s what this is about,” he said. Speakers submitted a petition with roughly 461 signatures, cited a mayor’s office–sponsored neighborhood marketplace study that prioritized independent, neighborhood‑serving retailers, and described recent rent increases that residents say push out small businesses.

Local merchants and civic groups urged the commission to honor the neighborhood planning process for the Lower Divisadero corridor. Brian McCann, a nearby resident, pointed to Planning Code section 303(c) and said the neighborhood has repeatedly defined what is “necessary and desirable.” Multiple associations told commissioners the vacancy pattern and local planning outreach favor independent businesses over formula retail.

Project owners Jim and Audrey Kirk, who said they have lived in San Francisco for decades and would operate the franchise themselves, told the commission the store would offer battery types not readily available locally and include a recycling program. “We are residents of San Francisco,” Jim Kirk said, describing a modest, locally run operation rather than a corporate outpost.

Commissioners debated neighborhood plans and policy intent. Some members characterized Proposition G as creating a process for community input rather than an absolute ban on chain stores; others said substantial, organized neighborhood opposition weighed heavily. Commissioner Sooley moved a motion of intent to disapprove the conditional‑use application and asked staff to return with final language on Nov. 15. The motion passed unanimously.

What happens next: the commission recorded its intent to disapprove and directed staff to prepare final disapproval language for the Nov. 15 meeting. The decision is procedural at this stage and can be revisited when the final motion language appears on the agenda.