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Committee backs exemption to allow liquor store at Filetti's Plaza in Divisidero NCT
Summary
The Land Use and Transportation Committee recommended an ordinance exempting the mixed‑use site at 1275 Fell Street (Filetti's Plaza) from the Divisidero Alcohol Restricted Use District so a spirits retailer could locate adjacent to Filetti's Foods; the committee approved technical amendments and will forward the item to the full Board.
The Land Use and Transportation Committee on June 3 voted to recommend an ordinance amending the planning code to permit liquor stores in buildings with off‑street parking on Broderick Street within the Divisidero Street neighborhood commercial transit (NCT) district, effectively exempting the mixed‑use project at 1275 Fell Street (Filetti's Plaza) from the nearby Alcohol Restricted Use District (RUD).
Vice Chair Dean Preston, the item sponsor, told the committee the proposal implements a Planning Commission recommendation made in February 2004 to exempt the site from the RUD. He said the Bank of America branch that once occupied the corner closed during the pandemic and that allowing flexibility at the location is important to avoid a prolonged vacancy next to the long‑standing community grocer. "We want to do everything we can to support all the businesses there, at Filetti's grocery store and the neighboring properties," Preston said.
A Planning Department representative said the commission heard the item May 23 and recommended approval with technical changes: specifically citing Assessor's Block 1215, Lots 18 through 89 (Filetti's Plaza), adjusting footnote ordering for clarity, and updating district references to 'NCT.' The Planning Commission also encouraged the Board to consider allowing ground‑floor liquor stores in the Divisidero NCT through a conditional use authorization process.
During public comment, James Lewis (nicknamed "Tick Filetti"), a co‑owner and partial landowner of Filetti Foods, described the family's decades‑long presence in San Francisco and said the plaza currently houses several small businesses. He said the owners seek to add a spirits‑only retailer adjacent to the grocery to help activate the site and avoid vacancy.
Vice Chair Preston moved the circulated technical amendments and the amended file with a recommendation as a committee report. The committee voted with recorded ayes from Vice Chair Dean Preston, President Erin Peskin, and Chair Mirna Melgar. The item will be considered by the full Board of Supervisors on the agenda for June 11, 2024.
The ordinance as presented includes the Planning Department's CEQA determination and findings required under the planning code.
