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Committee advances ordinance to limit new off‑sale liquor stores; staff propose technical and distance changes
Summary
Supervisor Sandoval presented legislation to limit new off‑sale liquor stores by requiring distance separations from existing stores and sensitive uses. City attorneys and analysts proposed technical drafting changes and recommended reducing an initial 1,000‑foot proposal to 500 feet; the committee moved the measure toward the ballot as amended.
Supervisor Sandoval presented legislation proposing an amendment to the planning code to impose a minimum separation between new off‑sale liquor stores and existing liquor stores and sensitive uses such as schools and libraries. He told the committee San Francisco has approximately 900 liquor stores — a concentration higher than state benchmarks — and said that land‑use controls are needed to protect neighborhoods with higher rates of crime and alcohol‑related harms.
Deputy City Attorney Cheryl Adams recommended technical changes to the draft ordinance, including moving CEQA findings into the motion, clarifying that the ordinance should not affect areas where new liquor stores are already prohibited, and implementing a drafting change if the committee adopts a 500‑foot separation instead of 1,000 feet. Ted Egan of the Office of Economic Analysis reported that a 1,000‑foot rule would likely leave no commercial parcels available for new liquor stores in the city given the current concentration; reducing the buffer to 500 feet would permit openings under conditional use and make the rule more defensible as a land‑use regulation rather than a de facto ban.
Public safety and community groups largely supported the measure. The Marin Institute — an alcohol‑industry watchdog — told the committee the proposal ‘‘pushes the envelope’’ but is within local authority when framed as land use. Inspector Dave Falzon of the San Francisco Police Department’s vice crimes unit described operational reviews the department conducts for liquor licenses and said planning code changes could help enforcement. Representatives of local grocers’ associations told the committee they supported the ordinance.
Supervisor Sandoval asked that the committee forward the ordinance to the Board; the committee approved forwarding the item to the Board as amended and discussed placing it on the ballot. The city attorney indicated substantive amendments would be moved so the committee report can be voted on at the next meeting.
What’s next: The committee recommended forwarding the ordinance to the full Board, with technical and scope clarifications and the option to use a 500‑foot buffer to avoid effectively prohibiting new stores citywide. Further drafting and CEQA placement will be handled by the city attorney’s office before the Board acts or the matter is placed on the ballot.
