Three public opinion surveys recently conducted by neighbors and the grocery chain Whole Foods indicate that a majority of nearby residents are in support of Whole Foods' new store concept 365 taking over the former Lombardi Sports store at 1600 Jackson St.
The surveys come as a handful of community groups and District 3 Supervisor Aaron Peskin—opposing Whole Foods' bid for the space, on the grounds that the site should become housing—push an ordinance that would ban new formula retailers along portions of Polk and Larkin streets through the legislative process.
One of the pollsters is Nob Hill resident Michael Schoolnik, who is in support of Whole Foods occupying the vacant space. He decided to query his neighbors by posting a survey to the neighborhood forum Nextdoor. “It was a simple, up-down type of survey,” he said. “Yes, you are in support of Whole Foods moving in, or no, you are not.”
In the first four days after Schoolnik posted his survey, 231 people voiced their opinions. Now, 324 neighbors have weighed in and 85 percent of respondents have said that they welcome Whole Foods as a new addition to the neighborhood.
The neighborhood association Russian Hill Neighbors (RHN) also sent a survey to 678 email addresses in their database and received 275 responses within the first few days of posting, according to the organization's analysis of the results. When asked the question, “Do you feel the existing grocery options for Russian Hill Residents are adequate for your needs?,” 71 percent answered “no.” And when asked whether they would be in favor of a Whole Foods grocery at 1600 Jackson St., 74 percent said “yes.” In total, 89 percent of the survey respondents said they lived within the boundaries of Russian Hill and the majority were members of RHN.
Another, lengthier survey of 300 District 3 voters, conducted by David Binder Research on behalf of Whole Foods, also indicates that a majority of neighbors are in support of the chain store moving into the former Lombardi building. In this survey, 73 percent of residents said they would support a Whole Foods 365 offering "affordable healthy foods," and 70 percent said they would support the proposal on the assumption that it would be completed quickly. (It should be noted that District 3 is quite large and encompasses the entire northeast corner of the city.)
Some of the results of a survey conducted by David Binder Research on behalf of Whole Foods.
From his experience in the area, Schoolnik noted that Polk Street has recently seen many vacant and blighted storefronts, which he attributes to “absentee landlords” that don't contribute to the character of the neighborhood. Formula retail “can and does add value,” he said, and he wishes to incentivize property owners to modernize and upgrade their retail spaces for stores such as Whole Foods to move in.
Schoolnik also pointed out that for years, several formula retail stores occupied space in the neighborhood. Those included the Gap, which once resided at 1498 Polk St. (where Out of the Closet is now) and Radio Shack, which previously occupied the now-empty storefront at 1841 Polk St. Schoolnick said he believes that the neighborhood can thrive with both big box stores and small businesses, which has been exemplified in the past. And he cites the Upper Fillmore as an example of a neighborhood where chain stores and independent businesses have coexisted successfully.
We've reached out to Supervisor Peskin for comment on the results of these neighborhood surveys and have yet to hear back. However, in conversation with the Chronicle last month, he did make it clear that he is not against chain grocers in general but would prefer to see them on Van Ness, where chain retailers like Guitar Center, Staples and BevMo reside.
Before the proposed ordinance banning chain retailers reaches the Board of Supervisors, it'll be reviewed by the Small Business Commission on April 25th, and the Planning Commission on April 29th.
