Read the Brief: How Small Businesses Can Reinvent Downtown
We are proud to have contributed to a new policy brief by SPUR. Through the past four years of SF New Deal engaging closely with neighborhood businesses, we have seen the scale of persistent challenges that make it so difficult to operate them successfully. In the wake of the pandemic, amidst high vacancy rates Downtown, there is an important opportunity to consider how we supportively resource small businesses to revitalize the area.
From the brief, “Small businesses are treasured community assets and provide pathways to economic security for many Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Asian entrepreneurs and their families. They also have the potential to be a key part of revitalizing downtown San Francisco.
But small businesses in San Francisco face multiple challenges: complicated permitting, high fees, escalating costs, and a sluggish post-pandemic recovery, especially in downtown areas with reduced foot traffic.
City leaders can fortify San Francisco's small business ecosystem to create a better environment for entrepreneurs to operate downtown. Our research, drawn from a literature review and interviews with city staff, small business owners, and nonprofits, pinpoints seven interventions that would make a difference.”
We support SPURs efforts to highlight the scale and significance of the challenges small businesses are facing today, and concrete steps we can take to intervene, including increasing funding for programs like our Vacant to Vibrant program.