The downtown San Francisco community is grappling with the imminent closure of a beloved Starbucks at 99 Jackson Street, a site described by residents as their "community clubhouse," with regulars gathering to rally against the decision on Thursday afternoon. According to CBS News Bay Area, some see the store as an integral part of the Gateway apartment community, where 25% of the residents are elderly and partially handicapped, making the coffee shop a convenient and essential spot for social interaction and board meetings.
Counterpoints to the closure come amid positive signs of San Francisco's broader economic recovery in real estate, as reported by CBS News Bay Area, with Cushman & Wakefield's regional director of research, Robert Sammons, highlighting a significant dip in vacancy rates since the pandemic, with a 34.2% vacancy in the city and the positive absorption of office space indicating more move-ins than move-outs particularly in the neighborhoods like Third Street Corridor, the Presidio, and Mission Bay showing the most resilience.
The store at 99 Jackson Street, nestled beneath the populous Gateway apartments, has long been a part of the local fabric, serving as a meeting point for the community's elderly and the Gateway Tenants Association (GTA), described by GTA president Madeleine Trembley in her interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, highlighting the shop’s significance as a daily destination for seniors and the association alike; the unexpected closure news has residents and leaders like newly elected city supervisor Danny Sauter pushing for answers and potential solutions like a temporary lease extension, expressing concerns about the impact on the neighborhood's quality of life and community texture.
Starbucks, citing business evaluations and decisions made for a "healthy store portfolio," confirmed the closure plans for February 9, with all employees at the Jackson Street location receiving opportunities to transfer to nearby stores and reaffirming their commitment to investing in San Francisco through their Neighborhood Grants programs, as they stated to San Francisco Chronicle.
