San Francisco, hold onto your locally-roasted, artisanal coffee because the city’s notorious formula retail ban is about to get a major shake-up on Van Ness Avenue.

In a move that’s got urban planners and small business owners side-eyeing each other, the SF Planning Commission just unanimously recommended lifting the ban on chain stores along a 1.5-mile stretch of this iconic boulevard. Why? Because Van Ness is looking more like a ghost town than a thriving urban corridor, with a jaw-dropping 50% ground-floor vacancy rate.

The Vacancy Vacuum

Let’s break this down: while the citywide retail vacancy rate sits at a modest 7.7%, Van Ness is drowning in empty storefronts. It’s like a commercial real estate apocalypse, but with better architecture. Lorenzo Rosas, aide to Supervisor Stephen Sherrill, didn’t mince words, pointing out that this stretch isn’t just any street - it’s essentially the first impression many have of San Francisco, thanks to Highway 101 running right through it.

A Strategic Retail Resurrection

The proposed changes would unlock about 23 blocks, stretching from the Tenderloin to the Marina. Planning Commissioner Amy Campbell candidly admitted what many were thinking: “We’re kind of scared of formula retail”. But sometimes, desperate times call for Starbucks and Chipotle.

The Road Ahead

Before you start imagining a Van Ness lined with Target and Walmart, take a breath. This recommendation still needs to survive the gauntlet of SF Board of Supervisors committees. It’s like political Survivor, but with zoning laws.

Stay tuned, San Francisco. The retail revolution might just be beginning, one chain store at a time.