Since Man Hing Market closed in June, many Inner Sunset residents have speculated about what would replace one of the last remaining specialty grocery stores near Irving Street and 9th Avenue. If the Planning Department approves a permit that's currently under review, the shuttered market will be replaced with a new restaurant. The change reflects rising commercial rents and growing affluence, but it also signals fewer options for local shoppers.
According to the Planning application, the new tenant plans to spend about $130,000 to modify Man Hing's street entrance to comply with ADA requirements, add a new bathroom and remodel an existing kitchen. (Above the restaurant, a separate permit has been submitted to legalize an existing in-law apartment.)
A pending change-of-use permit would reclassify 1368 9th Ave. from retail to limited-use restaurant, a category that already describes the majority of street-level businesses on 9th between Irving and Judah. On the east side of that block, there are currently 13 places to buy food and drink; on the west side of the street, there are eight more, plus a bar.
Left to right: 1) J&J Bakery 2) Holy Gelato! 3) Vacant [formerly Curry Village] 4) New Sandy's Cafe & Deli 5) Will Sushi 6) Mahalo! 7) Proposed New Restaurant 8) Nan King Road Bistro 9) Ke's Seafood 10) Snowbird Coffee 11) Crawfish Station 12) Baiano's Pizza 13) Social Kitchen & Brewery 14) Jamba Juice
Last December, an analysis of Inner Sunset businesses found that there were more than 70 restaurants near 9th & Irving. Together, bars and restaurants comprise about 35 percent of the businesses in the neighborhood. Since that study, several new eateries have either opened or filed applications to open.
SF's planning code breaks the city into discrete districts, with customized zoning provisions. Although the Inner Sunset Neighborhood Commercial District has "special controls [that] prohibit additional eating and drinking uses, [and] restrict expansion and intensification of existing eating and drinking establishments," limited-use restaurants do not need to obtain conditional-use permits.
A 2014 neighborhood survey sponsored by Inner Sunset Park Neighbors reported that one-thirdof the people who live in the area do all or most of their essential shopping close to home. In the same study, 29 percent of respondents said protecting local businesses was a top priority.
Grocery stores in the Inner Sunset haven't thrived in recent years. In February 2014, One Medical opened a new location at 840 Irving, on the former site of Park's Farmers Market, which relocated three blocks east to 5th & Irving. With the closure of Man Hing, Roxie's Market & Deli (500 Kirkham), 828 Irving Market, Royal Food Store (401 Judah) and Andronico's are the only remaining markets in the neighborhood.
Where do you shop for groceries in the Inner Sunset? Tell us in the comments.
On Monday, October 5th, Inner Sunset Park Neighbors is hosting an open forum about local businesses at 7pm in the County Fair Building (1199 9th Ave.). Representatives from the Inner Sunset Merchants Association, the Hayes Valley Merchants Association and the Mayor's Office of Economic and Workforce Development will participate in the discussion.
