SF has fantastic neighborhood retail. Really, really fantastic. The kind of neighborhood retail that takes online and telephone orders from around the country. The kind that gets named checked in ads in fashion magazines. The kind that actually set the standards that the chain stores copy: in terms of product mix (where do you think Williams Sonoma, Levi, and the Gap -- all SF-based chains -- get their ideas?), and in terms of customer service. The anti-chain regulation doesn't cover every neighborhood -- Union Square still has chain stores (including 5 department stores), and Cow Hollow just added an Apple store (Cow Hollow is north near the Marina District, really upscale, very nice shopping). The conditional use permits have been there for years. And can affect anything from a change in zoning. For instance if a single screen movie theater wanted to get out of the movie business -- that might be prevented by a change in business type. When I lived in Noe Valley, it was determined that we had too many coffee shops, so they threw conditional use permits into keeping more coffee shops out. It worked if I remember correctly. So really when the chain store law was passed they just threw this into a process that was already familiar to SF residents and businesses. The Fillmore is a special neighborhood because it's a very high traffic retail area in Pacific Heights, but again it's almost all local (there used to be a Betsy Johnson store there, probably still is). Local above what you or I would be able to afford though. But it's Pac Heights, so that's to be expected. Zoning there, as you've pointed out here before, is very, very specific. With many small overlay districts that allow a great deal of specific uses and types of businesses. Things that fall outside of that are special use requirements.
My concern with DC is that there seems to be this idea that chains are all we can get. And we haven't "arrived" as a neighborhood until you do get them. Georgetown was a great neighborhood to shop in before it was blanketed by chain stores. CVS does nothing to improve neighborhoods, from what I've seen (I've never lived in a city that has as man drug stores as DC, it's insane, and I don't see think DC has better retail because of it). We can do better and we should demand it and create the systems in place to encourage those retailers that are already here to do better without bringing in national chain stores.
a big part of this problem are the totally insane business taxes that are levied on small businesses in DC .There continues to be a rapacious mentality that busibesses and taxpayers are to be sucked dry here in the city- while giving generous benefits to out of town chains or tycoons like Abe Pollin and other sports owners.We have probably the countrys worst entreprenueral environment of any city .
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