Bayview is finally getting a pharmacy again, but the storefront will not be in the empty Walgreens that left the neighborhood scrambling for prescriptions. A planned independent drugstore is expected to open in early 2027, giving one of San Francisco’s most underserved corridors a shot at restoring a basic service.
The project is the D10 Community Pharmacy, planned for 5668 Third St. in the former What’s the Scoop ice cream shop, according to Mission Local. Bayview Senior Services leaders Cathy Davis and Geoffrea Morris are leading the effort after receiving a storefront opportunity grant from San Francisco’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development.
That new location is in the same Third Street corridor where Walgreens closed its store at 5300 Third St. on Feb. 27, 2025, leaving Bayview-Hunters Point without a local pharmacy. KQED reported that prescriptions were transferred to the Walgreens at 2494 San Bruno Ave., a move that kept medications moving but added distance for many customers.
Designed Around Bayview’s Seniors
According to ABC7 Bay Area, 41% of Bayview residents are age 50 or older, and the neighborhood has struggled to provide amenities for its aging population. The planned pharmacy site was selected near three senior-housing developments and along the T line, with a Bayview shuttle potentially bringing older residents directly to the store.
That setup is meant to make the pharmacy more than a place to pick up a prescription. Geoffrea Morris told ABC7 that the central location could help fill the gap left by Walgreens while giving seniors a more accessible place to socialize and handle routine health needs.
Why The Walgreens Exit Still Matters
Bayview’s pharmacy gap is part of a wider San Francisco shakeout. Walgreens closed 11 city stores between Feb. 24 and 27, 2025, and told KQED that rent, staffing, supply costs, and regulatory and reimbursement pressures were weighing on its retail pharmacy business.
Community leaders say that is exactly why an independent model matters. Mission Local reported that the pharmacy effort grew out of the same local network behind the D10 Community Market, a free grocery store for low-income families.
The bigger test will be whether this storefront can stay open where national chains decided the math no longer worked. For Bayview, though, an early 2027 opening date is already a concrete sign that residents are trying to rebuild the corridor from the inside out.
