With a slew of deserted (or soon-to-be empty) storefronts increasingly pockmarking downtown San Francisco’s premier shopping districts, city leaders have been looking high and low for how to spark a turnaround.
Mayor London Breed’s new pitch? Getting vacant spaces filled quickly with pop-ups populated by local businesses and investing in a Filipino cultural zone that supporters hope could even help revive the languishing Emporium Centre mall.
“We’re making investments and working together to transform downtown into a neighborhood that we can enjoy, for the people who work here, visit here and live here,” Breed said at a press conference Tuesday at the Powell Street cable car turnaround.
Flanked by cops, orange-jacketed welcome ambassadors and business leaders, she laid out her vision to bring “activation, excitement, fun and the joy that we so desperately need” to downtown. One idea surprisingly drew cheers from the crowd, even in an ostensibly transit-first city: increasing free parking options.
The plan, which includes legislation, investment and new programs, will tackle the revitalization of downtown’s “HEART,” an acronym for hospitality, entertainment, arts and culture, retail and tourism. Funding is meant to come from $15 million in new investments included in the Mayor’s recent budget proposal, as well as a $390 million bond measure on the November ballot.
Sarah Dennis Phillips, executive director of the city’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD), said, the changes are slated to begin in 2024, given the budget’s passage.
“These are all investments over the next year,” she told the Standard.
But with major deficits looming, these are relatively lean times. For example, the mayor’s proposed budget would actually cut funding to OEWD by $21.1 million.
