24th Street small businesses gain protections

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors Tuesday unanimously approved new zoning regulations intended to protect small businesses in the Latino business and cultural district along 24th Street in the Mission District.

The Calle 24 Latino Cultural District legislation, introduced by Supervisor Hillary Ronen in January, is intended to help protect smaller, neighborhood-serving businesses and prevent 24th Street from being taken over by larger restaurants and higher-end or formula retailers.

It places new limits on the merging of smaller storefronts and the approval of new restaurants and bars along the 24th Street corridor in an area bounded by 22nd, Potrero, Cesar Chavez and Capp streets.

New businesses seeking to merge storefronts or take over a space previously occupied by a legacy business will need to demonstrate that they meet criteria including helping to preserve the neighborhood character, serving local residents or working with local vendors or preserving legacy businesses.

“This is a piece of legislation that recognizes the special character of the Latino cultural district in San Francisco,” Ronen said Tuesday, noting that the area was in “turmoil because of displacement of longtime residents and businesses.”