Travel has rebounded with a vengeance and consumers are still dining out, but that economic activity isn't enough for many cities' downtowns as office workers continue to stay home or work a hybrid schedule. San Francisco, in particular, is lagging behind its peers in returning to pre-pandemic time with downtown activity just 32% of what is was in 2019. Indeed, major retailers are vacating the area, including Nordstrom from the Westfield mall. The slowdown is deterring would-be entrepreneurs from opening shop. Business applications decline 9% last year over 2021, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau: https://lnkd.in/gxCZuFDr Local officials are hoping a new grant program will change that. Small business owners need to submit a business plan and letter of intent in order to apply. A $25,000 grant is available for first-time commercial storefront owners and those looking to expand to a new location could qualify for a $50,000 grant. Read all of the details here: https://lnkd.in/g_MNebXC Will this program be helpful to you or other business owners you know? What do you think should be done to entice more businesses to open? ??: Getty Images
Hello Jordyn, I own an architectural firm and have many ideas about improving this situation. ultimately I suggest a special advisory council of experts to spearhead this to include such local icons as Willie Brown, Phil Matier and i can list a few more as we get into it. Set up a radio talkshow similar to the old KGO to start this dialogue with the city and more importantly to report progress and offer hope. The City needs "HOPE" and must be included in this from the outset. Here's a list to discus: 1. immediate city ordinance to make stealing of any item with any value a punishable crime in the City. 2. seek cooperation from the State Dept. of Housing and Urban Development to set up a regional council to address homelessness on a regional level. it only takes a bus fair to get to the nest city for a homeless. 3. lock up drug dealers to the full extent of the law. 4. covert suitable office buildings to a healthy ratio of mixed use residences and retail. I am already in the process of getting engaged in such projects on a high level programing and conceptual design. 5. close off certain streets and open up for sidewalk cafes with ample vegetation and trees. this will also cut off the rude and entitled bike riders.
I am the owner of In-Symmetry Spa and I am also the president of MCMA/NEMBA merchant association and the president of the Massage Community Council. I worked with SF to change the massage legislation so it would be easier for small massage businesses to open in the city. This took me about 8 years. The city is lost when it comes to small businesses. The bureaucracy is beyond anything anyone can imagine. It is a pay to play city. Right now the existing small businesses are hurting so I am confused why we don't have grants. San Francisco kept the massage, gyms, estheticians, tattoo and hair salons down the longest with zero help. We received nothing but we still had to pay everything even though all of us could open safely. It took a group of us to convince the city to allow us to open again. San Francisco never thinks of the consequences of their legislative actions. During the pandemic the BOS decided that upping minimum wage from $16.99 to $18.07 going into effect 7/23. This kills small businesses. They also decide to make decisions based on head count instead of net income. This also kills small businesses. If you change decisions to net income from head count this would automatically help tons of small businesses.
No, I would never open up a small business in SF, nor would I recommend anyone do it. SF, like Oakland (which doesn't get as much of the media attention) are lost causes for small business. The taxes, the lack of commercial rental rights, the utilities fees which seems to subsidize the non tax paying crowd on the backs of businesses, poor roads, police that can't even do their jobs, nor attend to crime when it's happening because they're too overwhelmed, homeless that seem to have more rights than the businesses that pay taxes to pay for services that support them, don't get me started on the criminality of 571L (ANNUAL property tax on items your business owns, which you were taxed on when you purchased them, with income that was taxed when you earned it on top of the landlord paying property tax on the building where you business exists).....the list goes on. I gave up my business last year in the East Bay to take a full time job and we're trying to figure out how we can get out of the Bay Area completely.
I don't think $25k is enough to move the needle. That's maybe 6 mo rent - it's a nice bonus for someone willing to take the risk and gives them a bit more operational cushion, but it's interest rates that are the real problem. Landlords won't provide TI to non-credit tenants and no one is going to take the risk on a construction loan at 7%. Now, if those cities created a low interest revolving loan fund, along with subsidized rents, that may be enough to entice some risk takers out there.
The key to solving that problem is to solve the homeless problem. The key to solving the homeless problem in the SF bay area is to stop the trend of using housing space for hotel space, such as Air BNB. SF should only let short term visits to be done in hotels. That would fix most of the problems. Property owners will have to think twice about their non owner occupied property purchases. That would also make property values get into the range of families with children come back to communities, which would give small businesses a larger market for typical small business offerings.
This will help me with my not for profit 501c3 organization "PRODUCT SUPPORT PLATFORM " A New Service Support Model that is tied to My Current Innovation THE DENTAL DOCTOR ? an educational oral care delivery system design for children to prevent tooth decay... It works like this: Customers who have purchased the dental doctor ? will receive a confirmation number via email , Our business model is where we take 1% of sales and put it into the platform (PSP) product support platform so that customers who purchase the dental doctor ? have a voice on the platform to connect with minority contractors to clean the city e.g. 24hour sanitation more doggy parks mental health care for the special needs homeless, beautify the tenderloin by planting more trees recolor the sidewalks , more lighting, etc... I love this city and I know personally that customers appreciate the idea,to be involved in caring for our city and it's citizens and tourists alike If and when we adjust to a new normal, and not our current one,we will be the envy of the country again #letsbringthecityback ????????
I like the idea of turning vacant buildings downtown into a University of California campus. A true youth movement. ?But I’m sorry to say SF really has to toughen up. The University might provide degrees in mental health and how to handle those legitimate cases . Agnew Hospital in Alviso California seemed to be a good model until Reagan gutted it when he was governor. Admittedly , Alviso was costly and a mental health solution w trained staff and dedicated location will be expensive. But I get furious of outsiders bad mouthing SF and its street problems and the photos of street life supporting their viewpoints. A university would breathe new life and new ideas into what has so far been an increasingly insurmountable problem
San Francisco can be a difficult regulatory environment to navigate, particularly for an entrepreneur who is not used to the process for obtaining approvals and permits. San Francisco would do well to create a one-stop center to help businesses navigate the process. This could be under Economic Development, but would need buy-in from Planning and Building in order to work effectively.
I think there's going to need to be some reshuffling and incentives especially in areas with such astronomical costs of living. Why would the retailers stay in expensive brick and mortar if they're not getting the benefits of foot traffic from city workers, who can shop where they work, at home. I'm not too sure how far $25-$50k would go there, but the cost of capital is high at the moment and banks are still nervous from the tumult earlier this year, so this will be an uphill battle in more ways than one.
As a small business owner in San Francisco who has had a business in the Tenderloin I can attest that the City doesn't make it easy. Steep fees and taxes are the norm. The Zoning & Health Depts are slow and seek delay rather than work from a culture of facilitating and getting businesses up and running quickly, especially restaurants. DA & the Police lack of enforcement of laws have led to a culture of enabling a problem rather than mandating treatment. The City has tried compassion and it hasn't worked, enablement has now made our city a destination for addiction, sadly. This is confirmed by recent arrests with folks that are overwhelmingly not from SF. Clean streets and people in mandatory treatment is the corrective action. The City needs to solve the density & housing problem, FAST. Work From Home made our streets vacant of customers and as a consequence other elements expanded their footprint. High rents require high revenues which require high foot traffic to support. Our city is designed and built around density and until that is addressed with housing or courting other big industries to move in the recovery will be slow.