Mayor Breed’s Small Business Recovery Act Submitted for Review

The Plan Code Amendments from San Francisco’s Small Business Recovery Act have been submitted to the Planning Department. The application comes directly from the office of Mayor London Breed. The proposed legislation includes amendments to reduce bureaucracy, save time for small businesses, and support individuals and institutions working in arts and culture. The application has been received and is now pending review.

These amendments expand upon the goals of Proposition H, which voters approved in November with two thirds in favor. The recovery act will expand Proposition H’s reach to apply to businesses around Union Square, downtown, and in SoMa.

San Francisco City Hall, image by Andrew Campbell Nelson

The below text comes directly from the application:

Ordinance amending the Planning, Business and Tax Regulations, and Police Codes to adopt and implement the Small Business Recovery Act by, among other things:

1. Expanding streamlined review and inspection procedures to principally permitted storefront uses Citywide.
2. Deleting separate definitions of “Cat Boarding,” “Gym,” “Trade Shop,” and “Services, Instructional” from the Planning Code.
3. Allowing permitted conditional uses to continue after three years of abandonment
4. Allowing Outdoor Activity Areas on rooftops.
5. Allowing accessory catering uses in Restaurants.
6. Allowing accessory dwelling units on the ground floor in Neighborhood Commercial, Chinatown Business, and Chinatown Visitor Districts.
7. Allowing temporary outdoor entertainment, arts and recreation activities.
8. Deleting certain conditional use finding requirements for Nighttime Entertainment use.
9. Deleting conditional use findings related to formula retail concentrations in certain districts.
10. Requiring expedited permit processing for commercial uses on the ground floor.
11. Shortening the time for the Historic Preservation Commission to request review of minor alteration permits and certificates of appropriateness.
12. Extending time for limited live performances from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m.
13. Allowing additional One-Time Entertainment Permits and One-Time Outdoor Amplified Sound Permits.
14. Exempting single individual performances without amplification from permit requirements.

For more information about the recovery act, the Office of the Mayor published a news release late last week.

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