Government greed. This is a way for the city to steal property. When the fines cause the owners to abandon the space, the city will take it by eminent domain and thereby avoiding have to pay owners for the property.
12 new streets could face an empty storefront penalty in San Francisco
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors created 12 new neighborhood commercial districts on Tuesday in preparation for a ballot initiative residents will vote on in March, according to Curbed SF.
The blocks designated as new "historical neighborhood commercial centers" have stipulations around the mix of retail and housing present and will be eligible for a new tax on empty storefronts.
Under Proposition D, storefronts that remain empty for six months or longer will face a tax of $250 per linear foot the first year, increasing to $500 in year two, and $1,000 every year after. The tiered scale is designed to encourage landlords to fill the spaces with new tenants faster.
The new tax will need approval from two-thirds of San Francisco voters on March 3 in order to pass, though it wouldn’t go into effect until 2021. Money raised from the fines would go toward the city’s small business fund.
Until Tuesday, the city had just 28 of these districts. The new designations include:
- Balboa Street between Second and Eighth Avenues and between 32nd and 39th Avenues
- Third Street between Yosemite and Jerrold
- Cortland between Bonview and Folsom
- Geary between Masonic and 28th Avenue
- Mission between Cesar Chavez and Randall
- San Bruno Avenue between Hale and Olmstead
- Cole between Frederick and Grattan
- Ocean between Junipero Serra and 19th Avenue
- Haight between Webster and Steiner
- Polk between Geary and Golden Gate
- Taraval between 19th Avenue and Forest Side
The San Francisco Boards of Supervisors unanimously approved putting the proposition on the ballot in November.
Tessa McLean is a digital editor with SFGATE. Email her at tessa.mclean@sfgate.com or follow her on Twitter @mcleantessa.
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