Supervisor Sauter Will Cut North Beach Red Tape

The Facts

District 3 Supervisor Danny Sauter introduced legislation to simplify planning code restrictions that affect small businesses in North Beach, Nob Hill, and Jackson Square. The reforms will make it easier for small businesses to open, operate, and grow.

The reforms consolidate overlapping commercial districts and harmonize regulations with the rest of the city, repeal rules that prevent small businesses from expanding into adjacent storefronts, and ensure that businesses following the rules can open without requiring conversations or special deals with City Hall.

The Context

Sauter's reforms directly target regulations created by his predecessor, Aaron Peskin, whose extensive legislative record established many neighborhood-specific rules that effectively mandated special approval and handshake deals with Peskin to get anything done. The proposed ordinance would undo regulations like the ban on storefront mergers and limited restaurant approvals.

Milana Ram and Himanshu Bhaisare cannot open a planned coffee shop at a long-vacant site because city rules require a new cafe to replace a similar business, reports Patrick Hoge at The Examiner. Shadi Zughayar, owner of Alimento market, is prevented from expanding into an adjacent empty storefront because of a North Beach-specific ban on store mergers, according to Adam Lashinsky at The Standard.

The GrowSF Take

Sauter's willingness to challenge this regulatory dysfunction exemplifies a reform-minded approach to government that San Francisco needs. Complex rules that require expensive lawyers and "knowing a guy" in City Hall actively harm the small businesses they claim to protect. Let's make things simple, fair, and transparent so that entrepreneurs can open and operate their businesses without jumping through needless hoops.