Supervisor Bilal Mahmood is proposing legislation to streamline San Francisco’s Formula Retail rules for grocery stores and pharmacies, with the goal of making it easier to open, expand and convert existing commercial spaces for those uses, his office announced Thursday.
The proposal would eliminate certain Conditional Use requirements for changes involving Formula Retail grocery stores and pharmacies, Supervisor Mahmood said.
It would allow existing Formula Retail storefronts to be converted to grocery stores or pharmacies, or have their operators changed, without requiring a Conditional Use authorization solely because of the change.
The legislation also would allow certain accessory uses in Formula Retail grocery stores, including banks, pharmacies and restaurants, without a separate Conditional Use process, a press release noted.
Grocery stores could dedicate up to 49% of their space to accessory restaurant uses.
The proposal would also expand eligibility for San Francisco Planning’s Priority Processing Program for certain commercial uses. Formula Retail grocery stores and pharmacies with more than 20 locations would no longer be excluded from the expedited review process.
The legislation is cosponsored by Supervisors Sherrill and Myrna Melgar. It is expected to be introduced to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors within the next two weeks and undergo review by the appropriate committees and city departments before the end of the year.