September 10th, 2025
San Francisco Planning Commission
49 South Van Ness Avenue, Suite 1400
San Francisco, California, 94103
RE: Business Community Support for San Francisco’s Family Zoning Plan
Dear Members of the Planning Commission,
As leaders in the San Francisco business community, representing employers of all sizes and industries, we know that a strong economy depends on sufficient housing for workers and families. We, the undersigned organizations, write to express our strong support for Mayor Daniel Lurie’s Family Zoning Plan.
San Francisco continues to face a severe housing shortage that impacts workers, families, and businesses across the city. Too many employees who power our economy are forced to live far from their jobs, enduring long commutes that strain families, limit career opportunities, and weaken connections to our neighborhoods. The Family Zoning Plan helps address this challenge by expanding opportunities for family-sized housing in more neighborhoods while providing safeguards for small businesses and keeping San Francisco eligible for critical state housing and infrastructure funding.
Economic Benefits for Businesses of All Sizes
Building enough housing to meet our city’s needs could generate nearly $5.6 billion in new spending at local businesses. By concentrating new homes near commercial corridors, this plan will drive new foot traffic, create opportunities for ground floor retail, and provide a stable customer base for neighborhood-serving businesses. These benefits extend across industries, strengthening our ability to attract and retain talent and ensuring San Francisco remains a competitive place to grow jobs.
Protecting and Supporting Small Businesses
We recognize that land use changes can raise important questions for small businesses. Importantly, the vast majority of new housing will be built on underutilized sites such as parking lots, gas stations, or vacant buildings. This will preserve existing storefronts while revitalizing parcels that present the best opportunities for redevelopment. In the limited cases where relocation may be necessary, the Family Zoning Plan includes important safeguards such as early notification, relocation assistance, waived permit fees, and incentives to relocate existing or legacy businesses in new projects. We also support Supervisor Myrna Melgar’s proposed Small Business Mitigation Fund, which will provide assistance to small businesses while still moving forward with housing that will strengthen our City’s economic foundation.
Shared Vision for San Francisco’s Future
The Family Zoning Plan is a critical step toward addressing our city’s housing needs while ensuring that small businesses, large employers, and working families all have a path to thrive. By making it possible for more workers to live near their jobs, San Francisco will strengthen its workforce, reduce congestion and pollution from long commutes, and create a healthier and more equitable city for everyone. When our workforce can afford to live in our city, employers are better able to retain talent and reduce turnover, making San Francisco a more attractive and competitive place to do business.
We appreciate your leadership in advancing this legislation with urgency and care, and we stand ready to work alongside you in building a more economically inclusive, vibrant, and strong San Francisco.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
- San Francisco Chamber of Commerce | Rodney Fong, President & CEO
- Bay Area Council | Matt Regan, Senior Vice President, Public Policy
- SPUR | Sujata Srivastava, Chief Policy Officer
- Advance SF | Wade Rose, President and CEO
- Hospital Council Northern and Central California | Michon Coleman, Regional Vice President, San Francisco Section
- Golden Gate Restaurant Association | Laurie Thomas, Executive Director
- Building Owners & Managers Association San Francisco | John Bryant, CEO
- SF New Deal | Simon Bertrang, Executive Director
- San Francisco Apartment Association | Janan New, Executive Director
- East Cut Community Benefit District | Andrew Robinson, Executive Director
- Sharky Laguana Former President, Small Business Commission & CEO, Bandago