By Christin Evans, HANC Board

At the December meeting, we discussed the state of the Haight Ashbury commercial corridor and the opportunities for the community to play a role in its economic recovery.  The Haight Ashbury Merchants Association (HAMA) has been counting storefront vacancies since 2016.  In that time the commercial corridor saw storefront vacancies rise from 9 in 2016, to 21 in February 2020, to 31 in December 2020. 

This increase in vacancy rate from 6% to 21% of Haight storefronts is a challenge but also an opportunity for community involvement.  In November 2019, the voters passed the Storefront Vacancy tax which creates an economic incentive for landlords to quickly fill their storefronts with new tenants.  That legislation was put on hold by the Board of Supervisors at the start of the pandemic and will be taken up again in 2021. 

Survey Findings

The Mayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD) funded a study of Haight street shopping needs pre- and post-pandemic.  Their early findings from a survey conducted with about 300 respondents showed a community desire for a pharmacy, more cafes, and laundromats among other retail and service uses.  The survey provides additional information to help in the recruitment of new businesses to the street.  

Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council members discussed potential strategies to attract new entrepreneurs to the street.  Some of the strategies included working with existing small businesses to expand their offerings (for example would Gus's Community Markets be interested in expanding and adding a pharmacy into the storefront left vacant from the departure of the Haight Ashbury Music Center?), as well as, leveraging the city's resources for worker collectives and cooperatives to initiate a new enterprise. 

More information and detail from the OEWD study should become available in January and we will plan to monitor that office’s recommendations.  For any questions about the economic recovery for the corridor, Christin Evans offered her contact information: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., cell 510-459-5451.