Some of our neighbors in Duboce Triangle are none too excited about a Starbucks being planned for Market and Sanchez.
The proposed location at 2201 Market would replace the Industrialists furniture shop. There are already multiple Starbuckses in the area, with one at 18th and Castro, one in the Safeway center at Church and Market, and a mini-Starbucks inside the Safeway itself. But Starbucks says the proposed LEED-certified location would be something special, featuring large glass windows, an outdoor patio space, elements made from reclaimed wood, and areas devoted to community art. In its December newsletter, the Duboce Triangle Neighborhood Association cites a coalition of merchants who are opposed to the proposed Starbucks, fearing the coffee chain's possible effect on neighborhood character and rental rates. The DTNA also stresses its own disapproval, claiming:
The proposed location at 2201 Market would replace the Industrialists furniture shop. There are already multiple Starbuckses in the area, with one at 18th and Castro, one in the Safeway center at Church and Market, and a mini-Starbucks inside the Safeway itself. But Starbucks says the proposed LEED-certified location would be something special, featuring large glass windows, an outdoor patio space, elements made from reclaimed wood, and areas devoted to community art. In its December newsletter, the Duboce Triangle Neighborhood Association cites a coalition of merchants who are opposed to the proposed Starbucks, fearing the coffee chain's possible effect on neighborhood character and rental rates. The DTNA also stresses its own disapproval, claiming:
"Starbucks would be displacing a non-formula business (The Industrialists), has failed to follow the proper procedures for community input and notification, and has employed misleading tactics and even outright falsification to get signatures on a pro-Starbucks petition."However, in the Castro, there are mixed feelings. At a meeting in August, MUMC, the Merchants of Upper Market & Castro, reportedly voted to support the Starbucks location, with only one member opposing it. But another neighborhood group, the Castro/Upper Market Community Benefit District (Castro CBD), voted to oppose the Starbucks in November. Starbucks announced earlier this month that it would be adding 3,000 new stores worldwide over the next five years. The Market and Sanchez location would reportedly be its 86th store in San Francisco, if it were to receive conditional use approval from the Planning Commission. But that will depend at least in part on how much community support it's able to muster. There's no conditional use hearing on the calendar yet, but we'll keep an eye on it.
